Well.... I'm no expert either but I recently purchased both a new 66-8 and a 69. I trust the engineering at S&W and that was the basis for my decision to make the purchases. That combined with my excellent experience with S&W's life-time warranty sealed the deal.
Any change or deviation from what we all have become used to can cause some apprehension and such is the case with the two piece barrel.
I'm very impressed with the fit, finish and over-all quality of both guns. Time will tell if there are any unforeseen problems that emerge and if there are, I'm convinced S&W will address them and correct them...
I believe both guns will become hot sellers for S&W and that may bring about more barrel length options in the future...
