New Smith & Wesson Model 60

reconseed

reconseed

Joined
Sep 23, 2006
Messages
1,524
Just got back from the local gun shop... Picked up a new S&W model 60, .357magnum. this gun just felt great in my hands, so i ended up buying it. i was originally thinking about getting another glock but when i saw this and looked at it, my decision was made. Any other board members have one of these great revolvers?
 
I've had a model 60 since 1976. It's been a great little gun. It's in .38spec, but thats enough for me. In 31 years of use, not one single malfunction. Of course thats normal for revolvers.
 
jackknife said:
I've had a model 60 since 1976. It's been a great little gun. It's in .38spec, but thats enough for me. In 31 years of use, not one single malfunction. Of course thats normal for revolvers.
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I was just reading about the Model 60 and i did not know that it was a .38special before they made it a .357mag. mine is a .357 of course, but i carry a M638 airweight .38special+p piece. great firearm and yes you are right, the .38special is plenty. i love this .357 magnum though. it gives me the option of going .38 or .357, either or. i like that. great piece. thanks for the response.
 
Not the model 60 but do have a 686p and love it! The best trigger in any revolver and great quality to last a lifetime! Is it 2" or 3" barrel? Enjoy that great piece and keep us updated.
 
superduty truck said:
Not the model 60 but do have a 686p and love it! The best trigger in any revolver and great quality to last a lifetime! Is it 2" or 3" barrel? Enjoy that great piece and keep us updated.
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superduty - i have the 2 inch barrel model 60. it actually is the model 60-14. i think after a certain model, SW started encorporating the integral locking system for safety. i think the idea sucks but SW seems to dissent with me there. either way, you are right, SW revolvers are top of the line. they are sooo reliable and not to mention, sexy :cool:
 
Yes mine also has that lock, never engaged it and plan not to. 686-6 is the model. I would like a model 60 3" as my ccw pistol. The wife perfers Ruger and has a sp101, I thinking of letting her look at the new .327 federal magnum sp101. Now if smith makes one of they models for the new cartridge, I will be in line to get one.
 
the sp101 is a nice piece. i considered one of those a while back but passed on it. i have always been a smith man myself.. as far as revolvers go, thats all i have ever owned. i have shot rugers and dont have a bad thing to say about them, as in they are quality. i just dont think they look anywhere near as good as the smiths do. the model 60 is regarded as one of smiths best models. it has been around for years and makes for a great ccw piece. either .38 or .357 - doesnt matter. both can be shot out of this one. :)
 
I have in my possesion my father's Model 60 in .38. He carried it as his main duty gun when he was a detective. He purchased it in 1967 as his off-duty gun when he was on patrol. The gun is immaculate.
 
superduty truck said:
Not the model 60 but do have a 686p and love it! The best trigger in any revolver and great quality to last a lifetime! Is it 2" or 3" barrel? Enjoy that great piece and keep us updated.
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Ken C. said:
I have in my possesion my father's Model 60 in .38. He carried it as his main duty gun when he was a detective. He purchased it in 1967 as his off-duty gun when he was on patrol. The gun is immaculate.
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Ken, how does the trusty ole SW 60 shoot these days? I have a feeling it still shoots the same it did back when your ole man was packing it on the streets:thumbup:
 
The gun fires great and shoots tight groups at 7 yards. My father took great of his carry pieces. When the department switched to autos they chose the Beretta 92S. He bought his gun back when they were still made in Italy. When he retired he passed it on to my borther when he got on the force. My brother is one of 6 cops who own and carry Italian made Berettas.
 
As memory serves, the Model 60 was introduced in 1965 and it was the FIRST stainless steel handgun. Many soldiers in Vietnam wanted one and they were scarce for quite awhile.

I favor the older S&W's, before the stupid safety. When they made the Model 60 into a .357, they took away much of it's appeal as a lightweight carry gun. If I'm going to pack something as heavy as the .357 version or the Ruger SP-101, then I want something more than 5 hard to hit with shots in a gun that kicks like hell.........but that's just me!

Solid guns, tho.

.
 
Ken - that is interesting about him being one of 6 carrying an authentic Italian piece.

David - there are a few people who have knocked the locks on the newer makes of the 60. however, it is all up to personal preference. SW swears by the locks and in all of my shooting of my 638, 637, and 642, i have never had any failures with the integral locking system SW swears by.
 
i fired my friends 2 1/4 sp101 with 125gr .357s and could not believe how easy to control the gun was.it kicked and jumped way less than his 4'' smith mod 19.
 
Fire some .357 Corbons out of it raid fire THEN tell me how manageable it is ! :D :D :D

.
 
reconseed said:
David - there are a few people who have knocked the locks on the newer makes of the 60. however, it is all up to personal preference. SW swears by the locks and in all of my shooting of my 638, 637, and 642, i have never had any failures with the integral locking system SW swears by.
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I don't like the looks of them. Lint/dirt/grit over time could cause a major problem.

Besides, if it has the lock, it ALSO has the MIM'd gun parts, which I'd prefer not to have.

.
 
David E said:
As memory serves, the Model 60 was introduced in 1965 and it was the FIRST stainless steel handgun. Many soldiers in Vietnam wanted one and they were scarce for quite awhile.

I favor the older S&W's, before the stupid safety. When they made the Model 60 into a .357, they took away much of it's appeal as a lightweight carry gun. If I'm going to pack something as heavy as the .357 version or the Ruger SP-101, then I want something more than 5 hard to hit with shots in a gun that kicks like hell.........but that's just me! Solid guns, tho.
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I agree with you on all counts above. I remember reading about the S&W M-60 they they first went into production. Jeff Cooper was a fan of them for backup use. The earliest ones were polished, rather than satin I believe. For awhile in the late 1970s I carried one in my jeans pocket, but finally decided it was a bit too heavy. I didn't know about good pocket holsters then. I switched to the M-38 Airweight Bodyguard for a number of years, and I still have two of them. One in each front pocket is not a bad way to go sometimes. While carrying an M-38 Airweight I once had to take someone at gunpoint and hold him until a deputy arrived. Since that is not my normal line of work, I was shocked to see how much my hands shook. Not good! That experience steered me back to a somewhat heavier piece for a steadier hold. Now I carry another M-60, but it's not a recent one. Anytime I have my jeans on it's in my right front pocket in a stiff, round-surfaced, leather holster that doesn't let it print. All of the Smiths I've mentioned are J-frame 2" .38s. None of them have that BS safety lock on them. For any who don't know, the M-60 is simply a stainless M-36 Chiefs Special, and those have been around for many decades. For pants pocket use a J-frame 2" .38 is a wonderful weapon. For a compact belt gun (or a lady's purse) the 3" version is a fine piece, too. I have a 3" heavy barrel M-36 that is a little beauty with perfect balance. Any of these guns will give great peace of mind if you have it with you. From my perspective, a compact .38/.357 revolver is the best carry gun. Put a +P .38 JHP or two in the right place and it will be sufficient. Remember that anything you put into your pocket must be able to come back out quickly and easily, too. A small, smooth, lightweight revolver does just that. I find that few -- if any -- automatics will. I can actually hide a Glock 19 in my jeans pocket, but it does not come out smoothly. In this climate and for my build and my wardrobe, a pocket gun beats a belt gun, unless I was seriously expecting the STHTF imminently, in which case I'd rather have a compact long gun anyway.
 
superduty truck said:
Yes mine also has that lock, never engaged it and plan not to. 686-6 is the model. I would like a model 60 3" as my ccw pistol. The wife perfers Ruger and has a sp101, I thinking of letting her look at the new .327 federal magnum sp101. Now if smith makes one of they models for the new cartridge, I will be in line to get one.
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I thought that .327 above was a typo until I Googled it up and read about it. I like the sound of that new .327. I've always had a fondness for .32s of all kinds, probably because Dad brought one home (a CZ-27) that he took from a pile of captured German pistols in the big war. I realize its limitations, but a .32 ACP JHP is more effective than most people give it credit for. My .32 Beretta Tomcat is a great little pocket gun. I'm experimenting with a .32 Kel-Tec, but it may be just a little too small for my hand. The jury is still out on it. I much prefer the Beretta's controls, too, but the Kel-Tec is feather light.
 
a heavy bulky SP101 in .32 now thats an idea lol.

i think i'll stick with my keltec P32.

let me tell ya something else, a .357 mag scandium "j" frame with hot loads is a handfull, and i shoot a lot of large calibre stuff, my bud has a "j" as described and also has a .500 S&W w/a 8" bbl, after shooting both i am not sure that the .500 isnt more pleasant to shoot FWIW, not that the "j" is impossible to shoot well, its not, but with hot ammo i dont think its a good choice for the novice lol..
 
.327 is a new round by Federal and Speer has a load coming. This new round is above .38+p and slightly below the .357 with 20% less recoil. The pistol is coming in 2008. I still perfer .357 but if time test this new round and holds true to the claim it might be a great ccw without the harsh recoil of a full load .357 in a light revolver.
 
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