Taurus 66 Stainless 6in 357 Magnum 7-Shot — Superb Revolver

Description

The Taurus 66 Stainless 6in is a seven-shot .357 Magnum on a medium frame, with a six-inch barrel, matte stainless barrel, cylinder and frame, an adjustable rear sight and a red-insert front ramp.

Stainless is the difference between this and the blued gun, and it is not cosmetic. A revolver with a six-inch barrel is a range, field and hunting gun — it lives in a bag, a truck and the weather rather than in a safe — and stainless steel puts the corrosion resistance in the metal rather than in a finish that wears through where a holster rubs. The Taurus 66 Stainless 6in is the version to buy if the gun is going to be used outdoors.

What the long barrel and the extra chamber give you

• Velocity. A full-power .357 load out of six inches does what the box says it does; the same round out of a snub does not.
• Sight radius. The gap between front and rear sight is what makes precise shooting possible, and this is the longest of any Model 66.
• An adjustable rear sight with a red-insert front ramp, so the Taurus 66 Stainless 6in can be zeroed for a specific load and the front sight is easy to pick up against dark game.
• Seven rounds, where most medium-frame .357s hold six.
• Weight out front, which settles the muzzle and turns a full Magnum load into a roll rather than a snap.

Honest notes

• The Taurus 66 Stainless 6in is not a carry gun. A six-inch medium frame goes in a field holster or a range bag, not under a shirt.
• The trigger is a working double action, not a tuned target trigger. Shoot it single action when precision matters — that is what the hammer spur is there for.
• It shoots .38 Special and .38 Special +P all day, which makes practice cheap, but scrub the chamber mouths before going back to Magnum brass.
• Stainless is corrosion resistant, not corrosion proof. It still wants oil, it just forgives neglect far better than a blued gun.
• Seven chambers means speedloaders are less common than for six-shot revolvers. Check availability before you rely on one.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 2-660069
• UPC: 725327200185
• Calibre: .357 Magnum / .38 Special +P
• Capacity: 7 rounds
• Barrel: 6 in, matte stainless steel, shrouded ejector rod
• Frame: medium, matte stainless steel
• Cylinder: matte stainless steel
• Sights: adjustable rear, red-insert front ramp
• Action: double action / single action, exposed hammer
• Safety: transfer bar
• Grip: black finger-grooved rubber

.357 Magnum and .38 Special are standardised by SAAMI, and the Magnum case is a tenth of an inch longer — which is why the shorter round chambers here and the longer one will not fit a .38-only revolver. On a six-inch barrel the gap between the two cartridges is at its widest, so it is worth stocking both: .38 for volume practice, Magnum for hunting or anything else that matters.

The same revolver in matte black oxide is stocked as the Taurus 66 in 6in, and the four-inch version as the Taurus 66. For a ported hunting .357 with a rail, look at the Raging Hunter in .357; for carry, the five-shot 605.

Why the Taurus 66 Stainless 6in earns its place

• The Taurus 66 Stainless 6in is stainless throughout, on a revolver that will spend its life outdoors.
• Seven rounds and adjustable sights at a working-gun price.
• The barrel length that lets .357 Magnum actually perform.
• Two cartridges out of one cylinder, which keeps practice affordable.
• Mechanically simple — nothing to forget under stress but the trigger.

This is a range revolver, a woods gun and a handgun-hunting piece for whitetail and hogs at sensible distances. It is also an excellent revolver to learn on, because the weight and sight radius forgive a lot while the fundamentals are built. The Taurus 66 Stainless 6in is not for concealed carry and not for someone who wants a single gun to do everything — but for anyone who already carries a pistol and wants a proper .357 to shoot and hunt with, it is hard to argue with.

In stock now at MAG5 Firearms in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Handgun sales ship to a licensed dealer in your state, where you will complete a Form 4473 and the background check before taking delivery.