[Storm]

I have a chance to pick up a like new S&W five inch Model 60 with wood grips. The price is $429. Is that a fair price? Is this a good shooting gun?

Any thoughts would be appreciated as I may well be putting it on layaway after work today.

[Matt Almeda]

Hi,
I think the price is fair.
With the five inch barrel, it should make for a comfortable shooting gun with 38 specials.

[Standing Wolf]

If you can hang on to it well, it will be a fairly good target pistol. The grip frame is small, so you may need to consider buying third party stocks for it.

[Seven For Sure]

I've got one and it's a nice gun. Had a Mernickle holster made for it. I put hogue grips that cover the backstrap on it and it's still too small for my hand. I'll be looking for larger grips. The bore axis is very low which makes it a great pointer in 5". My girlfriend usually shoots it with .38special. I paid $510 new + tax.

[shooter429]

That having been said, nice .38 target gun. Price is good, assuming the revolver's condition is too.

Shooter429

[BlindJustice]

I really like my model 60-15 3" Bbl. .357 Mag. I find it has
great balance and lends itself to DA shooting - the stock rubber
grips are a copy of Uncle MIke's I think, cover the backstrap and
are just big enough for my little finger to get a grip unlike the usual
snubbie Boot grips. Also, another advantage of the 3" Bbl.
compared to shorter 2 /14" or 1/7/8ths inch Bbl. is
that the 3" has a full length extractor. I paid $550 for mine new
last fall. Take a look at Gunbroker and search for like 60s at
auction for an idea on the price, but I think it's a fair price.

I like the .38 Spcl.+P 125 gr. Speer Gold Dot JHP @ approx. 970 fps
but .357 Mag chambering offers versatility.

[don95sml]

The price sounds OK. As other posters hinted at, a lot depends on the size of your hands. The J frame fits me well, but if your hands are larger I'd look at a K or L frame. The 5" barrel should give good accuracy at the range, although the my 3" barrel seems adequate and adds concealability.

[Cron]

These S&W Combat grips are discontinued but still available new if you search. I have fairly large hands and they fit me very well.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g92/RonJ_2006/SWs010.jpg

[Storm]

Thanks for all of the good advice. I ended up putting the gun on layaway. I love layaway as it gives me something to dream about for a bit ;) They had a nice Model 66 HIVIZ that tempted me, but the 60 is unique and adds to my collection. Plus, with that low bore access I expect a nice shooter.

I expect that I'll end up acquiring some combat grips for the gun but the wood grips as they are really don't bother me despite the fact that I have larger hands. It's about like holding my Airweight Centennial and that only tales some getting used to with a finger wrapped under the grip. On the other hand, rubber mnight be good for absorbing recoil as this is a very light gun.

Also, this will be a good gun for my wife to shoot. Most of her time shooting has been spent behind an AR15 (she is intimidated by pistols) but I think this will be a fine gun for her to start with. It will also be a fine gun for my father-in-law to shoot when he visits as he has smaller hands and prefers revolvers. I think this is a gun that will shine with .38 Special.

The gun itself is in LNIB condition. I dealt with the owner of the shop who is tough on judging gun condition and he thought it was a good deal. I tend to agree. A gun like this one is going for a good bit more on gunbroker.