Taurus Model 66 Review: Summary
 Reliability Revolvers are the most reliable pistols out there. |  Accuracy This pistol shoots very accurately thanks to its longer barrel, great ergonomics, and decent trigger. |  Ergonomics The rubber grips of the Taurus 66 are excellent. |
 Looks It looks like a modern revolver. Plain and simple. |  Customization There really isn’t much you can do to this revolver. |  Bang for your Buck The pistol is affordably priced, especially at the gun store. It can be found well below the MSRP in most places that I’ve seen. |
We Like
- Reliability and durability. As with every revolver, the Taurus 66 is very reliable and durable. It’ll always work, no matter what.
- Shootability. The pistol is fun to shoot, easy to use, and is pretty accurate.
- Price. Affordably priced, especially considering the quality and round selection.
We Don't Like
- Heavy. This pistol is very bulky. Be aware of this before buying it.
The Taurus model 66 isn’t the perfect gun for everyone, because it’s extremely heavy. If you’ve got smaller hands, it’ll probably be pretty difficult for you to control this one. However, it is a quality gun overall, and it’s extremely reliable. It’s fun to shoot, easy to use, and shoots very accurately.
I’ve been a huge fan of Taurus revolvers for a couple years now. I was first introduced to them by a friend of mine, and since then, I’ve researched, tested, and purchased multiple Taurus firearms. While the 66 is not currently in my arsenal, I did get one for my sister, so I’ve spent more than a couple days shooting this thing.
My experience with this pistol is overwhelmingly positive. I think it’s an excellent pistol to shoot, and I’ve had a great time with it. If you’d like to know more about what I like about the pistol, continue reading.
What is the Taurus Model 66 for?
Due to the size of the pistol, this is a great choice for range shooting and home defense. You could open carry it, but I think you’d be pretty hard-pressed to carry this pistol concealed.
With that said, it’s a great pistol for shooting at the range. It’s accurate, easy to use, and very reliable. However, it also shoots .357 Magnum, which is a great round for defense purposes.
Taurus Model 66 Review: Breakdown
The Taurus 66 is a larger-frame revolver that shoots either .38 Special +P or .357 Magnum. It’s available with either a 4 inch barrel or a 6 inch barrel, and has a 7 round capacity. It weighs around 40 ounces, dependent on which barrel length you choose, and it’s available either in either silver or black.
There’s a lot to like about this pistol. First of all, it shoots very accurately. The extended barrel when compared to snubby revolvers helps to make it more accurate, but so do a few other features of the pistol. The grip and sights help to improve the accuracy as well.
The rear sight of this pistol is adjustable, which you don’t always see in revolvers. This allows you to fine tune your pistol. The front sight is painted red, which makes for much faster target acquisition. All in all, the sights of the pistol are great.
Next, the pistol is extremely durable. It’s made of stainless steel, which is obviously a very durable material. The pistol will be resistant to the elements, if you choose to use it as a range pistol or anything similar.
The biggest con of this pistol is how heavy it is. After all, it weighs over 2 pounds! That’s quite a bit of gun to deal with at the range.
One other con is that the cylinder doesn’t always release as smoothly as you would like. Due to how inexpensively priced this revolver is, Taurus obviously had to trim the cost in some places. However, this does break in over time.
Safety and Reliability
The Taurus 66 is a very safe pistol, as all revolvers are. For people who aren’t familiar with pistols, revolvers are very easy to understand. You can visually see the cylinder, so you can tell whether there’s a round ready to be fired or not. Additionally, you must physically pull the hammer back yourself, so you’re able to tell whether the pistol is ready or not.
However, Taurus added some additional safety features in as well. The pistol has a transfer bar, which absolutely prevents the hammer from hitting the firing pin unless the trigger is completely pulled. The pistol also has the Taurus Security System, which is essentially a lock and key. When the lock is engaged, you can’t pull the trigger, cock the hammer, or disengage the safety. This allows you to safely store the pistol.
The pistol is equally reliable. If you’ve never heard it before, revolvers are significantly more reliable than semiautomatic pistols. There’s almost no internal parts, so it’s nearly impossible for the pistol to jam. For this reason, revolvers make excellent defense pistols.
Comfort and Shootability
As is very common with most Taurus revolvers, the ergonomics of the Taurus 66 are excellent. The grip is made of a soft rubber which is shaped in a way that allows your hand to fit it very comfortably. This helps to increase your accuracy, but also makes the pistol very enjoyable to shoot.
Despite the length of the pistol, the weight feels very balanced. The pistol is natural to aim and shoot. This allows for increased accuracy, which is one of the biggest draws of the gun.
The shootability is excellent. The trigger of this revolver is pretty good. It’s got a long pull, but it breaks in over time. Some people aren’t able to handle the weight of this thing, so they may not be able to shoot as accurately. For me personally, I had no issues with it.
The recoil is manageable. Keep in mind that it shoots .357 Magnum, but the weight of the pistol helps to absorb some of it.
Checkout another Taurus model 66 review from Pacific TacWest
Accessories and Upgrades
There are pretty limited options for upgrading your Taurus 66. You could consider changing out the front sight for a fiber optic sight.
SDM Revolver Fiber Optic Super Sight
You could also look into getting a new trigger, but it may take some custom work from a gunsmith. The only other aftermarket part that we recommend is a speedloader, which will save you a lot of time at the gym.
HKS - Speedloader
Conclusion
The Taurus 66 isn’t the perfect gun for everyone, because it’s extremely heavy. If you’ve got smaller hands, it’ll probably be pretty difficult for you to control this one. However, it is a quality gun overall, and it’s extremely reliable. It’s fun to shoot, easy to use, and shoots very accurately.
I just bought the Taurus Model 66 with a 4 inch barrel. The second time I took it to the range, I hit the bull’s eye 5 out of 7 times from 25 yards away! The only thing I’ve done to the pistol besides thoroughly clean it and put on Hogue grips, was to swap out the stock trigger and hammer springs for Wolff. Now it shoot’s like a champ, as the first time I shot it there were a number of light primer strikes and I had to fire the bullets a second time.
Mr. Soper- what weight springs did you use?
I replaced them with Wolff hammer #12, trigger #11. I also replaced the hand spring.
I have a newer Taurus Model 66, Stainless steel with a 6 inch barrel that I use for hunting. It’s very accurate with most any load you shoot in it. It’s several hundred dollars less than a Smith and Wesson. Use this extra $ to buy ammunition and shoot it to get used to it and break the gun in. I am very pleased with this revolver.
Would take the writer more seriously if he knew the difference between a revolver and a pistol.
I know it’s a revolver, that’s what happens when you post after midnight. Don’t be such a legalist! I also see people posting these as weapons or guns when they are actually revolvers. Big deal!
Oh BTW, I have many friends who were service members who simple refer to all small arms, pistols and revolvers as “side arms.” They actually don’t have arms, either.
Fantastic shooter no complaints!! If your looking for a good home defense weapon this is one gun to look at. Lots of ammo down range can’t even remember how much but it’s accurate and reliable. Taurus makes great revolvers and the price can’t be beat. I have it in black matte 4 inch barrel.
I bought the M66 w/4″ barrel. It’s a great range gun, one of the most accurate in my small collection. I shoot .38 spl the majority of the time because it’s obviously cheaper, and keep it loaded with .357 mag for defense. I refinish older guns and rifles as a hobby, and I refinished my M66 with Duracoat combat green (frame) and combat black (everything else). It looks great.