first post, done my stalking, thanks for the site

T

tork

New member
i've been stalking these nice bbs now for over a month. couldnt figure out if i wanted a sig .40 or a wheelie gun.

practicality and funds dictated a used revolver, so my decision was made.

so basically id just like to thank all of you for your input, even though you didnt know i needed it. i did quite some stalking and found most of my answers just by searching.

picked up a s&w 66 used for under 3 bills after tax and such.
azb2 is the first part of the serial, if anyone wants to tell me dates and such.
i'll be heading to the sheriff when time allows for my carry permit.

a few questions if you dont mind, these are the ones i didnt really find answers to:

what is the trigger pull supposed to feel like in SA firing... cause its REALLY light. could it have been modified?

and what do different jackets on bullets mean? full... partial... im confused.

and i had the gun jam up on me today. only when firing in DA... couldnt pull the trigger or cock the hammer. i had to release the wheel and close it again. that was about 50 rds into my day. so, mild concern.

thanks for all the answers fellas.
 
Decent price. There are many types of bullets and jacketing material. I suggest the Reloading forum and the Search function. As for your problem, you were too fast. The action must have enough time to realign and the trigger needs to reset. I doubt the action was tuned, M66s are simply smooth from the factory. Use only breaks them in smoother.
 
RE light single action trigger. Unless you're talking about 'breathe on it and it goes off' what you're probably feeling is normal. On my Python, the SA trigger is easily 1/4 or less of what the DA pull is. Quite light.

RE bullet jackets. Well, "jacketed" is really just a catch all for any bullet which the lead is either partially or fully enclosed in a copper (or sometimes brass) shell. There are quite a few designations, but some common ones

FMJ: Full metal jacket. Oddly enough, this isn't really as "full" as it sounds. Most FMJ rounds do not have copper on the butt end of the bullets.

TMJ: Total metal jacket. These -do- have copper on all parts of the bullet. These are nice because they help prevent vaporization of the lead when you fire, making the air a little cleaner.

JHP: Jacketed hollow point. Basically an FMJ round with an ashtray-like indentation in the nose of the bullet.

JSP: Jacketed soft point. Like an FMJ round, but a good chunk of the tip of the bullet is exposed lead. The metal jacketing is still in place where the bullet touches the rifling of the barrel.

There are lots more. For most guns, any jacketed ammo is pretty much what you want, although some guns will be bitchy about chambering the various different flavors.


RE gun jamming: Did the trigger physically lock in place or was the trigger able to move but doing so didn't cause the cylinder to rotate? If it's the latter, that's probably normal - you want to make sure you let the trigger all the way out after firing to reset the action. Even my Python will do this if I'm not paying attention. If it's the former....hmm. I'm not enough of a revolver expert to give you a good answer. Heat causing things to swell maybe?
 
Welcome to the forum! And congratulations on your new addition!

About the SA trigger: Well, it is supposed to be pretty light, not much perceivable travel at all. Really, it is more like you put pressure on it, and it fires -- it is often described as "Glass Breaking". My 686 is like that. :D I can't tell from here if it has been modified -- could be, but usually the SA triggers on the medium frame Smiths are nice and crisp from the get-go.

Bullet Jackets? well, look at this article, it covers the subject pretty well.

Hmm -- couldn't pull trigger or cock the hammer, but cleared up when you released the cylinder? Sounds like something is binding. I had that happen a couple of times with some bad ammo -- the case rims were too thick. Was it hard to close the cylinder when this happened? Was it hard to get the cylinder open when you cleared it up? If not, there may be something happening in the "clockwork". If it keeps happening, you might want someone who is "experienced" to give it a look-see. Oh, and I assume that you had things all nice and clean to start with. Even 50 rounds of fairly dirty ammo won't usually cause this sort of thing to happen, just due to dirtyness from firing.
 
thanks for the responses. i could deffinately see the jamming problem being me. i may be so excited to pull the trigger again that im not letting up on it enough. and as for cheap ammo, it was speer lawman. i come from the world of shotguns... and i never heard of speer. so please advise.
thanks again
 
I don't think you could have found a better first revolver.I have a 66 and love the thing if I want to look good that is the gun I will shoot.also have a 686 but has taken a back seat to the 66. :) SA is lots easier than DA but you should learn both .
 
Just a quick note,

Everytime I've had the cylinder bind up like that, it was because of too much lead or "trash" around and on the forcing cone. A quick wipe with your finger usually clears that up- at least in my experience....

EW
 
looked pretty clean when i picked it up. the store doesnt clean them, but the last owner did. i'll go over the whole thing. and just to clarify, the forcing come is just in front of the cylinder, at the back of the barrel? or am i totally wrong
 
"...and just to clarify, the forcing come is just in front of the cylinder, at the back of the barrel?"

Yep. You got it.
 
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