Model 60 Turns 50 This Month

357-RevolverGuy · Sep 4, 2015

Just thought I'd share.

"The Model 60 turns 50! In the fall of 1965, Smith & Wesson introduced the Model 60, the first stainless steel production revolver."

It's definitely become one of my favorite snub nose revolvers and I'm sure many would agree. Here's an ad from 1967-68 that will take you back...

As noted by other members it was introduced as the first "stainless steel" revolver at "$90 retail. Tax included."

TAROMAN · Sep 4, 2015

Time to party.

By the time I purchased mine, the price had jumped all the way up to $123.

arjay · Sep 4, 2015

$175 used

THE PILGRIM · Sep 4, 2015

I bought the first one that I ever saw.
In 1967, I think.

Ranger514 · Sep 4, 2015

I just finished reading a Feb. 1966 issue of Guns & Ammo that was stored away in a moving box. The inside back cover is a full page ad for the new Mod. 60 Stainless Steel Chief's Special with an advertised price of "$85 retail, tax included." Elmer Keith's "Gunnotes" in the same issue gave a short write up of the new Mod. 60, and also listed the price of $85. Sorry, but I can't include a pic of the page, but maybe somebody can chime in with an explanation for the difference in pricing. No offense intended, but I'm wondering if the ad and price posted by the OP might originate from a later date.

jtcarm · Sep 4, 2015

Well, I paid $400 earlier this year for my no-dash.

According to the Feds CPI calculator, $100 in 1965 = $750 today, so I guess I didn't do too bad.

This is my first J-frame in 40 years of owning/shooting Smiths.

Always knew if I ever owned one, it would be a Model 60.

Now, someone HAS to post a video of a birthday cake with a Model 60 shooting out the candle.

jtcarm · Sep 4, 2015

Ranger514 said:
Elmer Keith's "Gunnotes" in the same issue gave a short write up of the new Mod. 60, and also listed the price of $85.

I'm surprised Keith even acknowledged it. Maybe he was forced to. Or maybe an editor did it for him: from what I was told by a gun writer who was a contemporary, Keith's writings required a significant amount of editing.

I seem to recall another GA review where they froze a Model 60.

raylan007 · Sep 4, 2015

Model 60-7 2"

This is a model 60-7 I was happy to have payed $450 for this year. Unfortunately it didn't have the original grips. These are going up in price retaliative to most in demand S&W revolvers, and who doesn't love a snub nose M60. I will be shopping for some correct grips sooner or later.

Engine49guy · Sep 4, 2015

Ranger514 said:
I just finished reading a Feb. 1966 issue of Guns & Ammo that was stored away in a moving box. The inside back cover is a full page ad for the new Mod. 60 Stainless Steel Chief's Special with an advertised price of "$85 retail, tax included." Elmer Keith's "Gunnotes" in the same issue gave a short write up of the new Mod. 60, and also listed the price of $85. Sorry, but I can't include a pic of the page, but maybe somebody can chime in with an explanation for the difference in pricing. No offense intended, but I'm wondering if the ad and price posted by the OP might originate from a later date.

If you look closely at the OP's ad the pictured Model 60 does not have diamonds on its magna grips ,
deletion of the diamond occurred sometime around 1966-67 ,
Also IIRC flash chromed hammer triggers appear around 1968-69 ish

Not sure what year this ad appeared but it is wearing the pre 1966 diamond grips
Ad says $90 retail with tax included .

THE PILGRIM · Sep 4, 2015

Engine49guy said:
If you look closely at the OP's ad the pictured Model 60 does not have diamonds on its magna grips ,
deletion of the diamond occurred sometime around 1966-67 ,
Also IIRC flash chromed hammer triggers appear around 1968-69 ish

Not sure what year this ad appeared but it is wearing the pre 1966 diamond grips
Ad says $90 retail with tax included .

I think that I paid about $100 out the door.
And mine has diamond grips.

JP@AK · Sep 4, 2015

I have had several Chiefs Special revolvers over the years, but never a Model 60. I came close once, but opted for a .22/32 Kit Gun (made prior to model numbers) instead.

Perhaps this would be the year for me to acquire one - on the 50th anniversary of its introduction.

Ranger514 · Sep 4, 2015

Engine49guy said:
If you look closely at the OP's ad the pictured Model 60 does not have diamonds on its magna grips ,
deletion of the diamond occurred sometime around 1966-67 ,
Also IIRC flash chromed hammer triggers appear around 1968-69 ish

Not sure what year this ad appeared but it is wearing the pre 1966 diamond grips
Ad says $90 retail with tax included .

That's identical to the ad in the back of the Feb. 1966 Guns&Ammo I was referring too, except for the price. Too funny. Good catch on the diamond grips.

357-RevolverGuy · Sep 4, 2015

Sorry I didn't mean to confuse anyone. After some research I believe the ad I posted was circulated 1967-68. According to the older ads which you guys have shown, it was introduced at $90 retail. Tax included. I'll correct the original post to reflect this.

THE PILGRIM · Sep 4, 2015

Tax included? What tax?
Federal excise tax?
They couldn't know or compute everybody's local tax.

Texas Star · Sep 4, 2015

The years have flown past...Yes, I guess the M-60 is now 50 years old! It brought us other stainless guns and revolutionized the handgun industry in that regard.

I still think it's the best basic snub .38 revolver, and the full-lug three-inch barrel version sold as the M-60-4, was the ultimate small trail gun, if you don't need .357 power, which is a little too much for most people in that size gun.

I read Harry Archer's comments in, Gunfacts about the M-60 and how it performed in wet South American jungles, even firing very hot handloads. He was very clear on how much better his stainless gun fared over his nickeled three-inch M-19 and various blued guns. That convinced me to buy a M-60, although finding one then and getting it at "list" price was an achievement!

To say that the early M-60's were in high demand is a significant understatement!

Engine49guy · Sep 4, 2015

Being the first SS S&W revolver the Model 60 had an interesting evolution, Im sure someone here has collected each change ,

IIRC the earliest examples were all SS which they kinda quickly found out was not necessarily a good thing due to short tooling life and parts galling, The first major change switched to case color hammer trigger, Sometime just after the grip diamond dissappears the "Flash Chromed" hammer trigger combo becomes standard so that by the time the Model 66 and 64 are introduced in 1970 they have the then standard Flash Chromed hammer trigger combo,

Interestingly S&W changed back to case colored hammer triggers years later to simplify production.

Lobster Picnic · Sep 5, 2015

I think a ND with the flash chromed trigger & hammer would be the best choice. I guess the full stainless ones are most valuable.

jtcarm · Sep 5, 2015

THE PILGRIM said:
Tax included? What tax?
Federal excise tax?
They couldn't know or compute everybody's local tax.

Prior to 1968, guns could be shipped directly to non-licensees (was there even such thing as an FFL before 68?) If they were being purchased directly from S&W or an out of state distributor, there wouldn't have been any state taxes.

I can't speak for other states, but Texas wasn't very strict on collecting sales taxes until the 70s.

Model 60 Turns 50 This Month

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