Hooray!!! Brand New S&W Model 60 .357 Mag

[Ian11]

Just picked this beauty up and I love having a snub nose revolver again. Gonna take it out shootng tomorrow. I got a some boxes of Federal 130 grain FMJ's, Winchester 158 +P LSWCHP's, CCI 158 +P FMJ's, and Winchester SXT 130 grain +P's, and a few .357 Mag reloads. You can say I was prepared.

And I have to say the stainless snub in a pocket holster isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Its definately doable though not as ideal as an Airweight model. But the fact its more shootable with +P ammo than a 15 or 10 oz snub is more than worth it. And getting it out fast out of the pocket is no big deal. For me anyways, I had no probs with the hammer snagging. And the barrel is rollmarked not laser engraved. Not a big deal but I prefer the traditional rollmarks. Cool.

One question. First time shooting lead bullets out of a gun. Does it require different solvents than if I was shooting FMJ's? I use MPRO-7. How well do those lead removal patches work?

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's Again Ian11-

Congrat's on your purchase of a S&W model 60 .357 magnum!

A co-worker had his original S&W model 60 (.38 Special with 2" pinned barrel and "R" serial prefix) stolen last year, and the old
insurance company was to darn lazy to look for a replacement
of the same exact thing; so they allowed him to purchase a NIB
S&W model 60 in .357 magnum. After carrying his original model
60 for nearly 22 years; he dearly loves the .357 magnum version.

As for me, I still prefer the original S&W model 60 in .38 Special;
cuz it was the weapon that started all the stainless steel craze!
I carry mine at times when my SIG-Sauer P220 seems a little out
of place; or even the 9m/m SIG-Sauer P228 seems a bit large.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Arub]

I like your choice in snubbies. I carry mine in a IWB holster, just can't get used to having something that large in a pocket (that's why they make Kel-Tec P32s).

I don't shoot lead, just jacketed, so have no experience with cleaning lead out of a bore.

 

[WebHobbit]

Does it have the "kiddie lock"?

Be careful as the J's will not take a lot of Magnum use. The forcing cone will erode. By a "lot" I mean 500+ rounds.

 

[MR.G]

I recently bought a 1996, .357 model 60. It came unfired, in the original box, with all original papers. Would love to fire it, but but don't want to get it dirty. This one has the frame mounted firing pin, and no mim parts. I didn't think that they used the FMFP until about 1999, but S&W CS verified the mfg. date. They said that the .357 J frames had the FMFP in 1996. Can someone tell me when the first .357 model 60 was made ?

 

[Ala Dan]

Mr. G

The Smith & Wesson model 60 in .357 magnum was
introduced in 1996; per The Standard Catalog Of
Smith & Wesson, 2nd edition by Supica & Nahas.

* FootNote- Product code 102414 with 2-1/8"
barrel.


Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Standing Wolf]

My carry gun is a pre-agreement model 60 in .357 magnum with Badger stocks. I sent it to the good folks at http://www.magnaport.com to have the barrel ported and crowned, the exterior bead-blasted, and the trigger and hammer jewelled. It's a pretty good shooter, and surprisingly easy to shoot with full house magnum rounds.

 

[Ian11]

Great BUG

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Just came back from shooting it and it is a lot easier to shoot and hit "black" with than any other J frames I've tried. +P's were a little sharper but absolutely no problems and I feel confident hitting where I'd need to in a defensive situation. Its probably the combination of the sligtly heavier frame and the "Combat grips" that came with it. I used to have the "boot grips" on my old J frame and let me tell ya it was not a fun gun to shoot after 50 rounds. And for me, forget the alloy or titanium frames. I'm not going there. I didn't shoot any lead rounds though. I don't particularly enjoy cleaning revolvers and it just didn't seem worth it to do any extra work for a few rounds. I did try some Winchester SXT 130 grain +P I bought. I think I'll go with these for now.

So its not as slim as a PPK or SIG P232 and slightly bigger and heavier than something like a S&W 442. But its got the "punch" I want in a small reliable package and I'm actually looking forward to shooting this J frame again. Perhaps, I'll work up to Magnum loads but I like the fact I can practice consistently with what I use for defense.

And yes, its got the "kiddie" lock. It almost made me go with a Ruger SP-101 but I'm glad I didn't. Great BUG.