Giving Smith a shot

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MidRoad

MidRoad

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Well as of yesterday I put a deposit in my first Smith and Wesson revolver . Im all for rugers usually, so i kinda feel like !'m cheating. Stopped by my LGS to have a look around. In the used case a nice little j frame was sitting there. I said would ya look at that 3" with adjustable sights, man what a handy little gun. I better not touch it. Defianetly should noooooot touch it .....ah crap the fellow behind the counter saw me looking,and he knows me to well.....EVERY TIME!!!!

He pops it out of the case and sets it in front of me ,i look at it a sec and say I better not.You know me to well. (clerk and i have a good relationship ) .I sigh and pickit up, fully knowing what will happen when i do. He grins as usual,and says you're going to love that one. He was right.... I did. Like new 60-15. Yes it's got a pimple on the side but that don't bother me much. Next to it in the case was a 2.25" 38 special sp101 ,which is the same size as what I CCW (mines 357), I put them next to each other for size comparison. Little skinnier ,little longer, little lighter, hmmm not to shabby his thing is pretty handy. I really dig the adjustable sights.Than i pull the trigger,o boy ,NICE! Now i thumb the hammer and pull on the trigger.,ohhh myyy lawwwd......SOLD!!!

Went home and had a long talk with my rugers, I hope they get along...... They'll have a few weeks to sort it out before I pick up the new to me SW


Edit to add:

I did go into the store not only to browse like usual, but to price out a model 60 pro. They've interested me for a while. I love the sp101 and have considered getting a 3 " as well . But i like the idea of adjustable sights. So when I saw the M60-15 behind the counter used I kinda took it as a sign and went for it. Few hundred bucks cheaper than the pro. Just missing the night sight and PC barrel, which is no biggy. And the Grips are easy enough to get. It also came with a holster to boot. Couldn't pass it up. Still debating if I want to buy it out right our trade something towards it.o_O
 
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I really like those 3" M60's

Everytime I see them though either their over priced or I'm broke.

One of these days I'll be in the right place at the right time for one.
 
I have a 60 Pro. Believe me, it is a nice revolver but that night sight is almost worthless. It is too small. It’s .050” in diameter. Oh, you can see it but while you’re trying to figure out where it is in the dark any added light washes it out. Since the rear sights are not night sights it’s pretty much worthless for aiming in the dark.
It’s not the gun’s fault so I don’t hold it against her. ;)

I did sent my revolver back to Smith & Wesson because the sight was dim and they replaced the sight. No change at all. Trouble is they replaced both sights and I lost the sight in work I had done to dial it in. But it was a pleasure getting her regulated again.

I too, had looked at a model 60 but the 60 Pro caught my eye and I “needed” it more. Besides, the model 60 I was looking at had been sold so there was only one thing to do. Buy the 60 Pro before it got away. :)

I think you made a great choice. Enjoy it.
 
Bones741

Excellent buy on the Model 60-15! Love the full lugged 3" barrel (bought a Model 638 for a friend of mine with a 2.5" barrel that also had a full lugged barrel and really liked the extra weight out there).
 
The model 60 with the 3” barrel and adjustable sights is a great Gun. Good buy
 
Neat gun! An acquaintance has a Model 60, 3", with adjustable sights. I don't recall the dash#. I like my Ruger SP-101, but, IMHO, the sight picture provided by the adjustable sights on his Model 60 is far superior to the fixed sights on my SP-101.
 
Congratulations. My 3" 60 is my favorite J frame by a good margin. The additional 1" of barrel and resultant sight radius is vastly different from the standard barrel length.

In my opinion , and for what it is worth , the 3" J frame is quite superior to the SP101 in terms of trigger , pointing , balance , carry ability , and aesthetics.

You have yourself a dandy handgun. Let's see it!
 
Waveski said:
Congratulations. My 3" 60 is my favorite J frame by a good margin. The additional 1" of barrel and resultant sight radius is vastly different from the standard barrel length.

In my opinion , and for what it is worth , the 3" J frame is quite superior to the SP101 in terms of trigger , pointing , balance , carry ability , and aesthetics.

You have yourself a dandy handgun. Let's see it!
Click to expand...

I'll post up some pics when I get her home .Hopefully by the end of this coming week. I still have to go down to the clerk's office so they can get it approved and added to my permits by a judge. That usually takes a day or two, sometimes up to 2 weeks depending on which judge you get. Gotta love NY!
 
I’m betting it’s not the last S&W you buy. I am not a collector and have 8. And would make room for more!

Congratulations on having the good sense to buy a great firearm.
 
Good choice! I traded a S&W Sport, AR 15 for an M60 Pro about 5 months ago. I also have a 2.25 inch SP101. The M60 has a better trigger but the extra 3 or 4 ounces in the SP101 tames the recoil of a 357 better
 
Well picked her up today. Don Hume 715ms holster came yesterday and a nice set of Altamont altai grips should be here next week. This thing is sweet,and the holster makes it super comfy. Wood grips will be better yet. It conceals great even with the pachmayrs. Hopefully get a chance to go to the range this weekend !
KIMG0671~2.JPG
 
I am a solid S&W fan and all my revolvers are Smiths, but when you are talking something like the J frames, have you checked out the Ruger LCRs? Nice trigger. A fellow shooter let me try his out and I'll have to say that if I go for a backup carry for my 4" S&W M66, the LCR would be the first one I'd revisit.
 
Guy B. Meredith said:
I am a solid S&W fan and all my revolvers are Smiths, but when you are talking something like the J frames, have you checked out the Ruger LCRs? Nice trigger. A fellow shooter let me try his out and I'll have to say that if I go for a backup carry for my 4" S&W M66, the LCR would be the first one I'd revisit.
Click to expand...

I've looked at them. The weight is nice for carry , but can't imagine it's nice for .357. I would have considered it more if the LCRx was offered in 3" 357 rather than just 38 +p. I had a 2.25" sp101 and it carried well,and shot 357's well, so the LCR didn't make much sense for me. However I was thinking about picking one up in 22 LR. The 3" with adjustable sights would be a fun handy gun I could throw in my hunting pack or plink with. My LGS had a 22 mag,but I would prefer a 22 LR. Next time I'm down there I'll handle it if it's still there. I have a ria xt22 I'm trying to sell and once that sells I'm in the market for a 22 revolver. Was also thinking about a 317 Smith because it would be just as handy as the Ruger,but could double as a training piece for that model 60 :thumbup:
 
Was able to do some shooting with the new gun today. It shoots excellent. Recoil was softer than my 2.25" sp101, I believe because the big ugly pachmayrs help soak it up and the gun weighs 26oz with them on. While the sp101 was 24 oz and had wood gripsnkb it. The altamont wood Grips for the M60 should be in my mailbox tomorrow after work . Really looking forward to them. Here's a decent group shot at 10 yards standing in supported . 158 gr federal jsp in 357 mag flavor. The wood behind the target is a little beat up so it tore kinda weird,there's 5 shots and I pulled the one on the right a little. Extremely happy with the little gun!
 

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A beauty! And those grips look fantastic, nice choice. :thumbup:

I have the .38 SP101, and I found the sights so hard to use I painted the front white then blaze orange with Testors model paint. At least now I can pick up the front...

Man I wish that same J frame came in a 4” 6-shot chambered in .327...If it could handle the pressure I think it would make a perfect little field gun..

Stay safe!
 
I like the looks of that a lot. I have been in the market for a SP101 or 3” GP100, but now am considering giving a Smith a try. Always been a Ruger guy but may have to join you in trying out the dark side!
 
I have had both the standard and Pro versions of the M60-15. I prefer the standard version. I like the barrel and finish better. Seems to have better balance, also. I have tried K and L frame Smiths, but the J's fit my hand better. I also had a dash 10 (pre lock) that I unfortunately sold.
I am undecided about the front night sight. They tend to show up a lot better after the eyes get dark adapted. I don't want lighted rear sights. In a night time gun fight, I do not think I would have time to line up three glowing dots. Just put the front sight on the center of mass and shoot. Probably as good as it gets. Tritium has a half life of about 13 years, so night sights will dim over time. Probably better to use LASER sights if "night duty" is contemplated.
My M60 constitutes half of my carry arsenal, and mine gets carried in a Lobo Gunleather Original Pancake holster. I put the Altamont grips on it, similar to those shown above. I believe they are the same make as used on the Pro model. I find them to be just right. They are a good fit, and cost $50. About a one month wait.
Carry ammo is BB 158 gr FBI load, non plus P. My speed strips are loaded with the BB 158 gr "Outdoorsman" rounds, for a little "Ammo diversity".

Best,
Rick
 
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