A quarter of an inch on a 6" 66-no dash

[Mstorm]

Recently acquired via auction a S&W 66 no dash with a 6" barrel that was advertised by the auction house as a 6 1/8" barrel. I discounted that and assumed they'd just made a mistake. But days later I went to my old version of the S&W "Bible" (Standard Catalog of S&W, second edition) and read: that no, lo and behold S&W did in fact for a brief period early on produce a 6 1/8" barrel version in the Model 66 and learned that what S&W buyers generally term a 6" barrel is actually 5 7/8".
So off I went with my measuring stick and sure enough my Model 19 in 6" is actually 5 7/8 and my Model 66 in 6" is actually 6 1/8. The catalog actually goes on to say that this 1/4" difference demands a 20% premium, I guess due to "rarity"???, who knows.
MY QUESTION is do any of you wise folks know how many of these ever so slightly longer barrel, 6" Model 66s Smith and Wesson made??????

 

[Brian Parrish]

Also curious

I remember being told that my Smith Model 29 had the 8 3/8ths inch barrel because of competition rules. Can someone confirm this? Was it silhouette shooting categories?

 

[CH4]

I remember being told that my Smith Model 29 had the 8 3/8ths inch barrel because of competition rules. Can someone confirm this? Was it silhouette shooting categories?

It’s true. I believe it had to do with the sight radius. Before they were 8 3/8, they were 8 3/4.

 

[murphydog]

Recently acquired via auction a S&W 66 no dash with a 6" barrel that was advertised by the auction house as a 6 1/8" barrel. I discounted that and assumed they'd just made a mistake. But days later I went to my old version of the S&W "Bible" (Standard Catalog of S&W, second edition) and read: that no, lo and behold S&W did in fact for a brief period early on produce a 6 1/8" barrel version in the Model 66 and learned that what S&W buyers generally term a 6" barrel is actually 5 7/8".
So off I went with my measuring stick and sure enough my Model 19 in 6" is actually 5 7/8 and my Model 66 in 6" is actually 6 1/8. The catalog actually goes on to say that this 1/4" difference demands a 20% premium, I guess due to "rarity"???, who knows.
MY QUESTION is do any of you wise folks know how many of these ever so slightly longer barrel, 6" Model 66s Smith and Wesson made??????

I doubt anyone knows the production number. My recollection is they were made due to proposed legislation banning handguns with 6" or shorter barrels, similar to the reason we have 4.25" current model 19s and 66s.

 

[murphydog]

I remember being told that my Smith Model 29 had the 8 3/8ths inch barrel because of competition rules. Can someone confirm this? Was it silhouette shooting categories?

Yes, 8 3/8" barrels get you to a maximum 10" sight radius. It was one of the bullseye target shooting rules of the day.

 

[CHARLIE699]

To the O.P.'s question. How many early model 66's were made with a 6 1/8" barrel before 5 7/8" became the standard? Was this true of the early model 19's too?
I had to get out my own 9K 66 no-dash to check. AhhhhYup. It measures 6 1/8"

 

[Mstorm]

But it may have been on the first few

to Charlie699---the way I read it only a few of the early 66's were this extra 1/4", wonder if it was all of the 66-no dash run or just part of the 66 no dash guns---and did it revert back to the standard length with the 66-1s???????? No mention of this same thing when the book discusses the model 19. The mystery continues --now I'm even more curious about this than when I initially posted the observation.
Also now wondering if any smith collectors even place any extra value to this rarity (as the writers of the 2nd edition did) or is it not of any consequence to anyone. BOOK says: " Small group made in 1970's with 6-1/8 barrels....Worth 20% premium." Or if the most recent edition of the "BOOK" still says that, who knows.
So you (Charlie699) and I have two between us and there are "####" others out there in the world --apparently no one knows the number that would go in that slot, unless perhaps the folks a S&W.

 

[s3dcor]

Mine was made in 1978 with a 36KXXXX serial number and 6 1/8" bbl.

I had noted the rarity of it for some time.

 

[Mstorm]

interesting

Mine is 9K814XX (which I thought meant 1975 or 76) so that's three we've accounted for. Perhaps I'll just ask Smith & Wesson some day -- again I wonder if this was all the 66 no-dash copies or just some and if this for sure ended with the 66-1 (which was my reading of the book, but who knows)

 

[Mstorm]

Even stranger

If the 66 was introduced in 1970 then how were any of ours "early versions"???? unless the 66-1 didn't come along until after 78. I'm confused -- but still happy with the rarity (perhaps they just needed to use up the long barrels)

 

[rct269]

Yes, 8 3/8" barrels get you to a maximum 10" sight radius. It was one of the bullseye target shooting rules of the day.

There was more to it than just the sight radius---the combined length of cylinder and barrel entered into it as well. I don't recall the nits and lice particulars, but I'm pretty sure that's laid out in Jinks' initial treatise on the Registered Magnums.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Nframe_is_no1]

I have one of these with the 6 1/4” barrel. It’s a 66-1. My understanding from reading on this forum was that at the time there was a law under consideration in Canada that would have banned handguns with barrels 6” and under. The factory was trying to be proactive and get around the proposed ban by adding the extra 1/4”. When the law was not adopted, they went back to 5 7/8” during the run of the 66-1. These are uncommon but I don’t know exactly how rare.