I have long wanted but not been willing to pay the price for an earlier 3" Model 66. When I quit looking at them they were going for over a grand. While ready availability of 2 3/4" 66-8s probably has reduced demand for them a little, I doubt their prices are down much. I would appreciate knowledge on their current values from those who still watch them.

A local gun store put out a lightly used 3" Model 66-6. That's the first one with a lock keeping its price down to $550 out the door. It passes all the used revolver tests with flying colors. Apparently the dash 6 is in the position of Model 29-3s, too new to have features collectors pay more for but too old to have improved durability. Locks in shooters do not upset me as much as some members so I'm tempted.

Alternatively the new 2 3/4" Model 66-8s are available for about $800 out the door. They have the redesign to eliminate forcing cone cracking. However, which ever one I buy might never fire a store bought bullet so forcing cone cracking is not a big risk for me. I mostly shoot home cast bullets at reduced velocity and I do not own a light .38 bullet mold. However, S&W no longer sells replacement one piece barrels so the dash 8's reinforced forcing cone is significant. Spending the extra $250 would not force me to live on beans and noodles. It would only put off buying a few other guns that I would eventually like to buy.

I do not sell guns so the amount my heirs would get is not much of an issue.

I'm curious which of the two you would choose.

Of the two, the 3” 66-6 sounds to be a bargain, IL and all. If you buy and don’t like it for any reason you could easily sell it for more than that, and buy a current 2.75” model 66 (nothing against one of those either). Good luck in your decision.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

...are rather overwhelming

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

This makes sense to me -- buy it, try it, and if it doesn't work for you, put it back on the market for around what you paid for it!

If you like it and decide to keep it, then you can always put a plug in the hole, if that bothers you (I've got one revolver with a plug, and a couple without. Enough said).

The 2.75" New Model 66 is very appealing, but it is a different gun in many ways.

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S&W Rover

I only own one of the Model 66s from the -6 engineering revision and it is an F-comp so not really a fair comparison.
I do love shooting the 125 grain JHPs over a full charge of H110. I have put tens of thousands of them down range over the decades.

In my younger days I believed the urban legends of forcing cone destruction from this type of load. In fact I believed it so much that I bought spare 2 1/2" barrels for both my model 19 and 66 plus one for my 4" 19. Those barrels are still in my workbench
Your choice is a bit hard because of the pricing difference. If they were priced the same, I would go with the 2 3/4" -8 because of the new barrel design. Not so much for durability but for the accuracy advantages.

With a $250 difference in price, I would grab the 3" -6 without hesitation.

Whichever shop is trying to get $800 for a new 66 snub should be ashamed of themselves. You can buy them for the upper $600s any day of the week.

I assume you think or have found the -8's are on average more accurate because their barrels are under tension. I did not think of that. If they exist I'd like to test that theory with a 2 piece 8 3/8" barrel Model 629-?. With the shorter barrel I'm a lot less likely to be able prove there is an accuracy advantage. However, it is one more thing to consider.

A local store wants a bit over $700 for theirs. If my memory is correct it's $740 plus tax or $804.21. You did not write how high in the $600s you are seeing them your in local gun stores so I can only guess $50 to $80 less. Assuring myself that revolvers have early carry up which both the Model 66s offered locally have is worth that much to me. However, perhaps later in the year the local price will go down.

Order one from Buds, you can snag them from $660-$690 if you watch them, no sales tax unless you live in Tennessee and free shipping to your FFL. I like supporting my local shop too whenever possible but when the difference approaches $100...
Right now they are $666.00, my FFL charges me $20 for a transfer, and if I opt for the optional shipping insurance its $7, so $693 out the door.

If we bring something traceable in from out of state then Washington charges use tax in the same amount they would have charged sales tax if we had bought in state. $666 + $7 insurance +$30 at my FFL + 8.7% use tax on everything = $764.16 out the door (OTD). That still leaves the used Model 66-6 $214.16 less.

I would rather pay the extra $40 for a 66-8 that I know to have early carry up than take my chances with a 66-8 that I can not handle. Besides, my memory of the local 66-8s price could be off and if I buy locally I can use lay-a-way.

Obviously I should have written in my poll that the prices were OTD and could be put on lay-a-way for months. I can not change the way my poll is worded.

I would go with the 66-8 for the durability upgrades.

As stated above they are kind of different guns. I would get the 3" without hesitating and disable the goofy safety. You will ALWAYS be able to buy a new production 2 3/4" I think the new guns are great, by the way. But the old ones are only going to go up in value and when you find a deal like that, grab it! Heck, I'll buy it if you don't!!

Also after tens of thousands of rounds through K-frame smiths I've never cracked a forcing cone. Choot it!!

I gave the shop a C note to shuffle the 3" Model 66-6 into lay-a-way. While they allow you to drag lay-a-way out to 5 months, I expect to have it home within 2 weeks.

Thank-you for the help making a decision.

I just picked up a new 66-8 at $671, the used ones in my local gun stores usually hit the $600 mark. It was an easy choice to grab the newer model.

Not very many people can outshoot any smith, especially not the 66
just saying...

Same here. Though I shoot a 4” -6 in IDPA and it’s just fine.

I’d still have a hard time walking away from a 3” at that price.

Grab a Gun often has them for under $700. Unfortunately being a Texas resident, I have to pay sales tax.