Need some help.

[wantin150]

Good Evening Everyone!

I was able to take possession of a firearm which was left to me by my Grandfather. Due to situations beyond our control, his estate is in probate and I need to report a value of the weapon. New, this particular gun appears very expensive so I wanted to get some educated opinions on possible value. Here are the particulars:

Smith and Wesson Mod 66-1
.357 Mag, 6 shot
4" barrel
Stainless (Satin) finish with wood grips

I have the original box from the purchase which I suspect was around 20-25 years ago as I remember shooting it when I was a kid. The weapon is in excellent shape for its age. I cleaned it up a little just to knock the dust out of the barrel and cylinders but that was all.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

 

[Familyguy]

I'd be shocked if a gun of that vintage/heritage appraised for more than about $400...and that would be if it was in pristine condition.

Best,

 

[Pete C.]

Over on Gunbroker.com they're going between $500.00 and $750.00. $400.oo for a well used 66-1 sounds about right, for lawyer purposes.

 

[Fatboymoe]

That revolver was standard Police issue for many Departments years ago. It's basically a stainless steel model 19 ( k-frame ). Great gun. I agree with Pete C on his price range. It's a keeper for sure.

 

[jsharp]

A 2nd agreement to Pete's pricing. The Model 66's aren't rare so it's a great gun to keep as a shooter.

My first centerfire pistol was a 4" Model 19 that I still own.

 

[Dantheman]

There's a gun just like that for sale on another forum I frequent . $400

 

[wantin150]

Thanks folks! I kind of figured it wasn't anything rare, just your everyday average handgun. I'll let our probate folks know the approx $400 value.

On a side note, there are 50 rounds of lead wad cutters which we located with the weapon. Gonna try to cook those off and get some decent .38 +P+ or something more manageable. I also located two rounds with markings I have not seen before:

32-20 - Rifle or Pistol? WWII era?
E on left of primer, Sigma symbol on right. "40" below primer and what appears to be a "CK" on top. The "C" has a center mark with a line above it. Russian maybe? This is defintely a rifle round which is approx a 7.62 but with a longer case.

Any ideas on these two?

Also found a 20mm round (bullet only) with the following markings:

20mm M75 T.P.C.-28_4 with the "_" being unreadable.

Thanks again!

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

32-20 is an old Winchester combo round, used in both rifle and pistol. There were several combos,25-20, 32-20 38-40, 44-40. The second number was the number of grains of black powder used in the cartridge. I think the old 22 hornet was engineered from the 25-20 case, or maybe not.

I hope that 20mm bullet is a solid, otherwise it is illegal. It could be an explosive round. Be careful.

 

[wantin150]

It's all black, solid steel with an approx 3/4 deep, approx 1/2 in in diameter whole in the base of the round.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: wantin150
It's all black, solid steel with an approx 3/4 deep, approx 1/2 in in diameter whole in the base of the round.


20mm M75 T.P.C.

TP indicates target practice on modern military rounds, I don't know what the C is on yours. The M75 was an old 20mm armor piercing round, so your is probably a mild steel version of it.

The hole in the base indicates it was probably a tracer round, although that would be TPT in more modern rounds.

TP rounds have the same flight characteristics as the real round but don't have the armor piercing, high explosive or other characteristics of the actual combat rounds.

 

[wantin150]

Thank you very much for the info! Now I know how to explain it to friends. Do you think it could be WWII era?