Hello,

I am interested in the revolver pictured here. Particularly if there is any chance the engraving was done at the factory for a special run. If so, I will likely order a letter for it.

Thank you in advance for any insight.

Model 60 (no dash)
S/N R222xxx

Attached Images

	Backstrap.jpg (67.1 KB, 223 views)
	Grips.jpg (149.6 KB, 165 views)
	LeftSide.jpg (155.9 KB, 212 views)
	RightSide.jpg (130.4 KB, 178 views)
	Crane2.jpg (79.9 KB, 165 views)

Howdy Steve, and welcome aboard from ol' Wyo.

Thanks for posting your curious Model 60. I'm eager to find out more.

It's unusual for that era to see the serial numbers stamped on the
frame in the yoke cut. Is it also on the butt?

Based on looking at a few others nearby it appears that one might
have shipped in 1978.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Hello two-bit cowboy. Thank you.

Yes, the same serial is stamped on the butt of this revolver. I just could not upload more than 5 pics to the original post.

Attached Images

Serial2.jpg (27.1 KB, 43 views)

Anyone know, if it is normal for the Mod 60 stamping to look much rougher than the S?N stamp?

I don't think S&W did the engraving, but a letter may be interesting. Most modern guns factory marked for an agency or gov't contract are stamped and not engraved. Perhaps a previous owners name was Pakistan!

I don't believe that gun could be imported as surplus for the US market. If it was, I'd expect to see importer markings.

__________________
"I also cook."

Welcome aboard...The banana grips always look more "hand friendly" than the tiny little Magnas on a J-frame......Ben

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Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

I didn't realize S&W imported guns from Pakistan. Interesting.

The MOD 60 stamping looks fairly normal to me, but the uncommon old school (for that model/ era) “Courier” font has me wondering…

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Stay Safe...
jd SWCA #3276

Interesting observation. The font is definitely different for the Mod 60 and the S/N.

They did not. I guess I wasn't very clear...
The only S&W firearms made in other countries were rifles and shotguns made in Japan,Turkey or Sweden. Some foreign governments purchased handguns from S&W and later sold them as surplus. The were sometimes purchased by US importers, who sold them in the US.

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"I also cook."

Gotcha. Thank you. That makes sense.

Back when the Orlando Gunshow was a real gun show there was a fella just inside the big room named Robideux or Robideau that would engrave anything you want while you cruised the show. Very nice work. My buddy "the Doc" has probably half a dozen guns "scratched" by him. He would put anything you wanted to pay for on 'em. Probably "Pakistan" would run $100, maybe less at the time. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Thank you everyone for the assistance. I ordered a factory letter to get to the bottom of this. Will advise when I receive it.

The Mod. 60 marking inside the yoke cut looks like a Laser etch cut marking.
The ser# above it is punched numbers.
Bbl is a roll die marking.

The ser# on the butt of the frame is kind of hard to figure from the pic.
It looks like either a Laser cut or might be cut with a HS Rotary Point using a Pantograph type setup.
The pantograph machines were kind of popular in the 80's and 90's for smaller shops and one-of jobs.
You can ID the work from one by very careful inspection of the letters/numbers that are cut.
They will display the swirling rotary point marks down in the cuts that are left as the point cuts them.
Also the ends and rt angle corners of the figures are always left with a very small radius. Never a squared off cut.
That's from the round point cutter and the rotary action of the point in cutting the figures.
The bottoms of the cuts will be round bottom as well in most all cases.
If Laser cut, they can be square cut bottoms to the figures though not absolutely clean cut. The Laser of the time left a bit of a ragged cut. Some were better than others.

..then it may just be a standard M60 butt stamp ser# stamp from that era,,but it looks a bit different to me.

Pakistan is cut with a narrow Flat graver.
Held up on one edge to cut the narrow thin lines. Then let the graver dip down gradually as you cut to allow the 'flat' to engage the surface,,that produces the flared, wider cut on some letters. Pull the graver back up as you reach the opposite end to narrow the flare back to a thin line again.
The full width of the Flat graver is used occassionally to cut the verticle line of some letters.
It's a slightly faster way to cut Script Lettering by using one graver.
The standard method taught is to use a V point for the first process and then a separate Flat graver for the second bold wider cuts.
I took up the faster method! and actually did my scroll engraving using this early on. It was much easier to sharpen a Flat graver than a V point.

Wow! 2152hq, that is a tremendous wealth of knowledge.
Thank you very much.