I recently purchased a used .357 S&W model 66.
The gun appears to be very tight, and is a real shooter.
Ive seen where alot of folks use the 38 special ammo for plinking, and the .357 for business.
Ive seen where some folks say certain gun frames hold up better to the mangum loads, etc.
My question is all .357 ammo considered to be harder on my model 66, or is just some of the hotter loads?
Beleive it or not, I really like shooting the cheap greenbox remingtons 125 grains in .357. And the 66 really likes them too (very accurate, and doesnt seem to have a whole of recoil)
Would shooting mainly this ammo be considered hard on my pistol?
Havent tried any 38 special ammo yet, what should I expect, better / worse accuracy, etc.
Thanks.

The model 66 is built on the K frame, which was initially designed around the .38 special. They are not as durable as the L or N frames.

Contact Smith and Wesson. They can check the serial number and determine when the weapon was made. The newer Model 66's are supposed to be able to handle more full power loads than the older ones.

You may want to consider handloading. You can reduce the magnum loads by about 10-15% and greatly increase the life of your weapon.

Check the Smith and Wesson forums for more info. I forget the URL, but it should pop up on a google search.

I doubt you or I will shoot out one. Unless you end up on the pro circut.
If you want to have fun though, try some .38 wad cutters in it.

What is a .38 wad cutter?

Quoted: What is a .38 wad cutter?

www.sb-usa.com/handgun_pages/handgun_sba03801_spec.htm
They are so soft shooting that I've started people shooting with my S&W 66 using them. There is almost no recoil and they make nice sharp holes in paper targets. (easy to see)
I usually look around until I find them on sale for $6-7 and then stock up.

The great thing about a .357 is that you can go from a .38 WC all the way through to a 158gr .357.

Isnt some .357 mag ammo considered to be hotter loads than others?
Will the lighter loads be okay to make everyday shooting with this 66-2, or is that still hard on it?
Thanks

357 loads will be harder on the 66 than  38's.  That's just the physics.  You will not find any great difference 357 loads.  The lighter bullets may be a touch softer to shot but not enough to worry about.

As a rule a steady full time diet of magnum loads in a K frame is not a great idea.   The gun will work loose.  How quick is hard to say.  It will likely take at least a few thousand rounds.  And if you're like most revolver shooters you won't shoot enough mag loads to make it an issue.  Mags are (a) more expensive and (b) not all that pleasant.  

Go ahead and shoot it to your heart's content.  You'll almost certainly end up shooting more 38's than 357's.

I would shoot the piss out of it, the manufacturer should stand behind their products. If it says "357 Magnum" and that was what you used and it broke....then it should say "38 special"

I picked up a Taurus 605 snubby mostly due to the warranty that goes along with it. I was told not to fire a lot of 357 mag loads out of it by the dealer. I told him that since it says 357 this is what I will use...and if it breaks then they should fix it! He said that it makes sense.