[shooter429]

I will start with a brief description of the gun. It is a Smith and Wesson Model 60LS in SS, .357 Magnum with wood grips. It has a matte stainless finish that looks classy withought causing glare or reflection. The trigger I would estimate at under 11 LBS and butta smooth. But single action is really incredible, my guess is a glassy 3LBS. The gun weighs about 23 oz. loaded points naturally and, as you might imagine disappears discretely inside the pants when I hop out of the car to go do errands. I have had the little gun sitting around home for a few days after the obligitory test firing bone stock and have kept it in my pocket most of that time.

Well, today I decided to pack up the mildest to the wildest ammo I could stuff in the chambers, gave her a quick polish, grabbed some bean cans and headed to the range. (Stop laughing, my pepper poppers were not along, so I had to make do okay). JK Anyway start with some 110 Grain .357 Magnum at 5 yards. Boom-hit Boom-hit and so it went without a hitch. I moved up to 125 grain CB and got a nice boost in recoil and blast, making it almost as bad as a GP100. Yes, I mean the gun and grips work so well that I am more comfortable shooting this snub than my 4" 686!@!!!!!! Go figure. Go Pachmyer!

Now I load some really HOT 180 fmj bear loads (the kind you won't find in the manuals anymore) and I got nothing but 5 well placed but higher hits. No ILIF That is right, as I thought SS gun =0 ILIF!!!!!!!!!! So I decided to let some of the cans have it and blew away part of a 2x4 in the process, just obliterated the lumber. Very impressive and downright comfortable to shoot, and shoot I did. I ran 158s from 3 manufacturers through her one after another, then tried some wadcutters in .38. She fired and functioned flawlessly, and showed me what a wonderfully versatile this gun can be. Anyway, I was content shooting the S out of the Sprite can at 7 yards. Thats perdy darn good for a bug, IMHO.

To make a long story short the gun was 100% reliable. It was as accurate as I am and well regulated for 110-125 Gr. ammo. And it is just plain comfortable to shoot-sweet trigger, great ergos and balance. Now the down side: I burned up ~500 rounds of 180s, 158s, 130s, 129s,125s, 110s, without a single thing to show for it except a tumbler full of dirty brass and a smile from ear to ear.

This little gun is a real gem. Way to go S&W! If you are in the market, do not hesitate! These J-framesare sweet shooting little magnums. Now for the 3" PRO version :)

Shooter429http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e339/shooter429/Nae357.jpg

[Owen Meany]

Thank you for the review; I never get tired of hearing range reports about J-frames. I'm particularly glad to read one about a new, steel J-frame .357, because it irks me that the 60/649/640 line doesn't get more attention than it does. Most of the acclaim seems to be reserved for the lightweights, with many people of the opinion that, "Well, if I'm going to carry a gun that weighs 23 oz., it's going to hold more than 5 rounds."

I think that this rash and hasty kind of thinking has served to steer many people away from what is a truly excellent CCW choice. Even though the all-stainless line of J-frame .357s weighs almost as much (loaded) as the Glock 26/27, there is simply no comparison in terms of concealability. The Glock is WAY bigger and blockier.

The autoloader that is most nearly the fair competition for the 60/649/640 is the Kahr MK9/MK40 - a formidable competitor, to be sure, but the snubnose has several advantages over the autoloader (advantages we are both aware of and that need no re-hashing here) that, in my mind, compensate for the 2 and 1-round capacity advantages of the Kahr pistols.

At this point many would opt for the Airweight or Airlite series of J-frames, because why carry an extra 10 oz. if you can have the same power level and capacity in a lighter gun? But, for me, the weight is not something to eliminate if possible, or even something to be grudging tolerated; it's something to be thankful for, and to bond with and use to my advantage. The steel snubs handle vastly better in my hands than the light-weight ones, and if carry methods permit the weight of a steel gun, then far be it from me to sacrifice something that contributes to my ability to confidently deploy and practice with the gun.

Anyway, my own experience has been with the 640-3. It is far and away my favorite gun. There is nothing like the balance and shootability of this solid little snubnose revolver; it feels and performs just like a scalpel in my hands. The gun's inherent accuracy is amazing (I've spent a lot of time practicing with it and have gotten pretty good by my modest standards :). I never get tired of shooting it at the range.

However, I do suspect that you and I may have slightly different philosophies when it comes to the way in which the steel J-frame .357 is deployed for defensive use. I notice from your review that you concentrated on .357 Magnum loadings, and eschewed .38 Specials. With the Pachmayrs installed, that seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do, since, with the larger grips, the Model 60 becomes a viable platform for the .357. If you can find a way to utilize the capabilities of the gun and shoot powerful Magnum loads out of it, by all means do so.

For me, though, the steel J-frame .357, despite its weight, is still a gun to be made as small as possible, and for that reason I went with wood boot grips. I also (gulp) only shoot .38 Specials (+P included, of course) out of it. If I can deliver 5 briskly loaded .38 +Ps quickly and accurately, such a defensive capability is sufficient for me, though it doesn't fall within my comfort zone by much, to be sure. If I could pack some extra power in those cylinders without drastically increasing shot recovery time with the existing boot grips or adding larger grips to absorb the recoil, I would. But I can't, so I use the .38 and hope for the best.

Wow, I was RAMBLING here! :o

[shooter429]

Your gun sounds nice (any pics? Anyway, I am very very impressed with the j-frames both the airweights and the all steel versions. I avoid the Ti .357s for reliability concerns such as ILIF and crimp-jump. I think there is a point in weight reduction where the costs start outweighing the benefits. In my mind, that is around 15 oz. I got rid of my Glocks and decided I'd rather have 5 .357s (for sure) than ten 9s any day. Call me old fashioned. Not only is the .357 a better manstopper, but it can be used against bruin in a pinch (with the right handloads).

Oh, and I don't think there is anything wrong with .38+p in a snub. In fact, for many, it makes more sense than the magnum. But I got the bigger gun with the intention of shooting full tilt magnum loads. I had a 442, and think if I were to get a second snub, I would likely go back to one and leave the stock grips on it and just shoot +P 158 LSWHPs.

I might get a 642 and a 3" J-frame so that my girls and I can go out shooting together with common platform and ammo. It makes a lot of sense, I think, to standardize guns and loads for a family situation, just like in military.

Well, perhaps we need to start the Model 60 club. I am sure there are more than two of us who admire these awesome little SS guns.

[papajohn]

I'm contemplating my next gun purchase with an eye toward summertime CCW, and I think a J-frame will get the nod. I don't need adjustable sights, and while I prefer three-inch barrels to all others, I might give in and get a true snubnose. I have a 3" M-65 I love dearly, but it's not all that concealable on my frame without a cover garment.

As to shooting 38's in 357's, I do it all the time. I carry a 38 revolver on the job by local edict, and have found that a warm 38 is a LOT easier to hit with than ANY 357 in rapid fire. I've been shooting 38 revolvers double-action for close to 30 years, and have gotten reasonably good at it. But nothing will slow me down like a magnum load out of a short-barrelled gun! I don't mind shooting hot loads from a full-sized gun at my leisure, but in a defensive situation I'm likely to have to shoot fast, and accurately. Call me a wuss, but I know which load works better for me at maximum, adrenaline-charged twitchy-fingered speed! ;)

FWIW, I carry the Speer Gold Dot 135-Short-Barrel load on duty, in a 4-inch M-64 HB, and I can reliably hit clay pigeons at 50 yards with it, as long as they aren't shooting back. It's VERY accurate......when I am!

Papajohn

[xring44]

I purchased a 3 inch model 60 this last monday. Ive been impressed with the accuracy. I have shot a few .38 specials in WWB through it but mostly .357 magnums loaded to about 1100 FPS. Recoil is very managable and for a three inch gun I shoot it very well, I managed to keep them all in the xring at 15 yards offhand the last day out.

I have other guns I carry but may use this one as a pocket gun in some jeans with deep pockets (carharts) At 24 ounces (empty) its do'able.

Mine came with the Hogue/S&W rubber grips, I'd like to have a set of the wood/micarta combat grips for it as they appear to be a bit smaller and might be less drag pulling it from a pocket.

[RobertFBurnett]

Not to get too far off topic, but I am looking into getting a S&W j-frame, is the only difference between the 60 and 640 the hammer?

RFB