I have a friend that has the real deal, 66 357 3inch. Now he is thinking about selling it, and wants me to "just make me an offer" He will not price the gun, and I know he has very little in it. He and I both know it is a rare special gun. It has it all, box numbered to gun, unopened tool set, manual, papers, brown paper, original grip, PERFECT lock up and timing. Original owner probably fired less than a box of ammo, my friend has never fired it in the last 10 years. Condition is near perfect. So what do you think is a fair offer? Thanks.

I don't know what they are currently going for, but I wish he was my friend and needed a lot of ends and ends done around the house I could do, and now into the future because that's a nice gun to have!

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Vaya con Dios

If I were the friend doing the selling, I would want to know if you are keeping this for decades and decades because you love the firearm or if you are buying it because you see profit down the road. That would alter what I was willing to sell it to you for.

As to making an offer - - -

Well the "Good Buddy" deal price would probably be in the $800-$900 area.

The I want to get the money the market will bear price would be more like $1200-$1300

Then you have the "let's put it on auction and see what happens price"

If you get a couple of guys that "just got to have it" you never know. We have seen some bidding wars on semi-hard to find firearms like this one go through the roof.

I've been "kinda" following the 3" 66 threads ( I've got a couple) out of curiosity.............I've been seeing folks talking about market prices being $1,000 and up....... to $1,200-1,400

I'd do a search here for threads over the past year......

What's a "Friend's Price"? Good question!



Edit: Good advice from Colt SSA!

Start at $500.00 and go from there .

+1 for what Colt SAA said. split the difference and everybody gets treated right.

Roger,
Here's how I figure out "current market value" of a gun. Go to GunBroker, do an "advanced search" on "completed items", set the check box to ignore reserve auctions, and search on "firearms" only. That cuts out as much of the "chaff" as possible and leaves you with meaningful results.

Then sort by # of bids, and sort from most to fewest. That will give you a list of all guns that actually SOLD and what there selling prices were. Now all you need to do is figure out the gun(s) that match the condition of your gun as closely as possible, and bingo, you have "market price".

Subtract GB selling fees and make that offer to your friend. If he's the kind of guy who you know will dicker you up, then start 10% low (or whatever you feel is appropriate).

The advantage of paying market price is that your friend is given a fair deal on TODAY'S actual value of his gun, and your conscience will never bother you.

Good luck and show us pictures, please,
Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

I bought my NIB 66-4 F-Comp during August of last year for $750 from a dealer. I don't ever plan on selling it. If your friend's 66 is a revolver that you have been looking for, and you plan to keep it, I'd offer $700. If you are going to flip it, then offer more. Personally, I am more inclined to let a piece go cheaper when I know it is going to someone that will cherish it as much as I did, and not just put it right back up for sale. Just my experience, your's may vary. Good luck with your purchase.

I agree with Koz above,
Also saw one last year locally for $750 (gun only ) but passed as 3" shooters do not excite me enough to warrant the premium.

IIRC member "5 wire" tracks sales with analysis charts so a quick PM might be enlightening on sales.

No mention of the dash revision, IIRC there were a few different versions .

PS you might enjoy this thread:
The ultimate 3" picture thread. More three inch madness.

Engine guy is .....correct as usual

There are/were -2s, 3s and 4s.......about 5000 or so total and the -4s were about 1987-89.

There are also some newer PC guns and some with porting,

An online premium dealer in S&W revolvers currently has one matching what OP describes (as new, with all trimmings); it's been sitting for quite some time at $1650.

Saw an identical one at a recent gun show -- same deal, as-new gun with box, tools and docs. The ask was $1300 and it sold, though I don't know what it ultimately went for, in talking to the seller it appeared there was very little wiggle room, if any.

I think colt_saa nails the market average: $1200-$1300; anything less is the friend price.

3" 66s are super hot items right now. Personally if I owned the gun (and was willing to sell it) I would probably offer it to a friend for $200-250 less then what an equivalent one actually sold for on gunbroker.

I recently came into a position where the widowed friend of mine asked me to help liquidate her husbands possessions. She offered me first dibs and was willing to take less from me because she knew her husband would have wanted me to have it. As a friend the only thing I could do on some of the more valuable items was list them on gunbroker for her. Yes I wanted them all, but financially I couldn't give her even half of what some of the guns were worth in a timely matter.

If you are really good friends, and you never plan on selling it--ever*, offering what he paid plus inflation is not out of line. A good friend making a hefty profit off another good friend could leave a sour taste in the mouth--and this goes both ways--for both the seller and the buyer (if he turns it around for profit.)

*except back to the seller.

Wow...the things I learn on this site!
I just bought a 4" 66-4 for about half that of some of those figures posted above.
What a difference an inch makes...

Related: A friend sold me a 686-6. He made a little from what he paid for it and I could make a little if I sold it. Fair enough - but he knows I'll be keeping it for a while since I like it so much!

Good luck, sir!

IMO there is nothing "Magic" that makes the 3" better than their 2.5" or 4" counterpart (except resale prices).
Some will say the full length ejector rod paired to the RB frame makes them preferable but I personally have not had any problems with the shorter ejector rods and so always prefered the 2.5" as a CCW and the 4" SB for a holstered sidearm and range gun .

Clean 3" versions priced right and in high condition are better investments with the emphasis always on "Condition" and originality of package.

The driving force is supply and demand,
When the 3" guns were in production my guess is sales were lower as a 3" is less concealable than the 2.5" and not up to the minimum standard 4" duty length for patrol use.

FF to today collectors want lower production "Less common" guns and are willing to pay a premium .

When comparing the performance on the range between the 3" Model 66 to the 2.5" there is no discernable difference ,

When comparing their performance in the online sales arena collectors will pay a premium and so it is a different market.

Please, for the sake of my and several other's infraction statuses, don't pitch a...ahem...softball like that one again.

And yes, in the sometimes bizarro world of S&W revolvers, smaller is often more desirable.

Back in the late 80s I got 2 3" 66s w/ the actions polished (a $30-40 value) for around $270 OTD each..... figure $230 for the gun.......most people wanted 2 1/2 inch 19/66s. The story was these guns had been sitting on a Harrisburg Pa. distributor's shelves for over a year........ maybe two.

I liked the idea of a full length ejector rod ( I had a 3" 65 and a 2.5" 19 at the time), knew I could get a 3" IWB holster for it from Milt Sparks. A few months later I grabbed a second........my first back-up!!!

$1000 is fair.

If he'd take $850, consider it a Christmas present.

Just start counting out $100 bills until he slides the box over.

3 inch don't know.

Have been pricing 4 inches that SOLD on GB
$700 and UP

My estimate for 3 inch is $1000 and UP.

Those prices are without box and tools.

Depends on which dash and version it is. I was at a gunshow last week and there was a later 66 with the 3 1/4 inch barrel, internal lock, and hi-viz sights. Guy was asking $500 for it with no takers. Seems like the dash 2,3, and 4's are more sought after. I know people who have shied away from the k-comps as well. Other folks snap them up.

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Expect no quarter.

It depends on how much you want to buy it, and as others mentioned whether you plan to keep or sell it. If he settles on anything at or less than $750 I would offer to give the seller right of first refusal if you decide to sell it later. Please let us know what happens!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Since he knows it's a rare special gun, I find it odd that he won't give you a price. Usually when I run into sellers like that, they are either looking for a free appraisal, or a $figure they can tout to another buyer to try to get more.

Well good luck, let us know if you make an offer and how it turns out.

I think that a real friend would just price it and not try to be coy.
He has a number in his head.What is he hoping for? You,to say a higher number?
Personally,I think that he should say," I think this gun is worth x amount.What do you think about paying that price minus z amount? and then proceed from there.
If he wants top dollar,he should put it on an auction site,and take his chances,pay the fees of the site and FFL.
An easy FTF between buds should be a different price.

I just saw a very nice 66-1 in 2" in a local LGS. $795.

It's a cool gun,with some of that same premium pricing as a 2 inch 63,but it's still just a 66,not a RM.

Model 70, A short barrel 66 would be either a 2.5 or 3 incher,not a 2 incher.

I paid about $700 plus tax for a 66-3 3" shooter in about 95ish% condition a year ago.

Everybody said that was a great deal.

However, I would not have bought it above about $850ish. So that would be my limit.

So my answer is $750 plus another $50 for the box and stuff. So, $800.

This assumes he's your friend and he thinks you'll enjoy it for however long.

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But then, what do I know?

I 100% agree with hapworth and colt_saa.

with the box, tools and papers and condition you describe it would go for $1200-1300 fairly quickly here on the forum.

if it didn't have the extra goodies, it would still bring $900-1000 here on the forum.

i think part of the friend deal is even getting the chance to buy it. a lot of guys here on the forum will never have the opportunity to see one for sale in person.

if you really want it, i wouldn't offer less than $1200. maybe you'll get lucky and he'll drop the price a bit for you.

Thanks to all. I will let everyone know how the deal works out.

Assuming you are close, long term friends and you are going to keep it I would expect you would get a significant discount. This is also assuming that you are both well off financially and a couple of hundred dollars either way isn't going to be felt by either. Then maybe take him out to dinner.

In 1998 (got married, wife didn't want guns in the house, but she was fine with me buying a R1150GS) I sold a NIB Colt Gold Cup and a nice Ruger GP100 to my best friend for $500. He was my best friend for 10 years. He still is. He is far better off than I financially, and I'd say over the years if you added everything up, which we don't, I'm way ahead.

Me too. I thought the 3" should be worth less, because it gets no love due to recoil at that length...bad enough at 4". I was thinking it might be worth $700.

I was also thinking that friends should not share guns, used cars, horses, or women.