I came across a 61-3 in one of my favorite semi local gun shops. He’d gotten it without the magazine and ordered one for it. It had arrived that morning and he’d just put it out for sale priced at $189 out the door.
They are unusual, I didn’t have one, and the price was right, so I had him set it back behind the counter for me.
The Model 61 was S&W’s response to the immediate lack of small .22 LR pocket pistols after the passage of GCA 1968 and its related import restrictions.
Just in case anyone forgot or never knew, the import restrictions on revolvers and pistols contained in the GCA of 1968 were championed by American gun manufacturers as a means to eliminate less expensive foreign competition. Calling those inexpensive weapons “Saturday night specials” was mostly spin, it was mostly about making money.
Price wise the Model 61 sold for $74 in 1971 when the 61-3 was introduced, more or less the the middle of the 1970-1973 production period and about 2/3rds of the way (40,000) through the 65,000 production run. $74 in 1971 equates to $551 today, so the Model 61 was not exactly an inexpensive pistol.
Normally the No dash and -1 S&Ws garner more interest but not in my case. I like to shoot the guns I own and the Model 61-1 had serious reliability issues. Those issues were mostly resolved with the -2 and -3 models, although both are somewhat finicky when it comes to ammunition.
The Model 61 was based on the Pieper Bayard 1908, a pistol made in .380 ACP pistol, .32 ACP and .25 ACP. The design placed the recoil spring and guide rod above the barrel which gave it a comparatively low bore line which theoretically reduces muzzle rise.
In practice though, the space required for the enclosed hammer and room for the breech face portion of the slide to recoil means the back strap is fairly short and puts the hand quite low on the grip. It also means there isn’t as much vertical space available for the magazine, thus the short 5 round magazine. There’s only room for about 1 1/2 fingers on the front strap. The tiny Beretta 950B still lets you get 2 fingers solidly on the front strap. In my opinion the low bore height goal might have made sense for a small .380 ACP blow back pistol, but for a .22LR the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze given all the compromises required.
The 61-2 added a magazine safety and a barrel nut that allowed for more precise barrel placement. The 61-3 incorporated a forged aluminum frame rather than cast.
S&W discontinued the Model 61 after just three years and 65,438 produced. While nicely made, reliable enough from the -2 forward, and quite accurate for the type, it wasn’t particularly small for the type and wasn’t all that affordable. It also had a 5 round magazine when its competitors had 7 and 8 round magazines. In short, it was a comparatively large, heavy and expensive 5 shot .22LR pistol.
So, not one of S&Ws winners, but still an interesting handgun.
Given its post GCA ‘68 anti Saturday Night Special origins, I thought the $189 price was ironic. It’s now very much a “Saturday Night Special” as $189 in 2023 is equivalent to just $25.34 in 1971 dollars, about 1/20th its retail price in 1971.
Beretta 21A and Beretta 950B for size comparison:
They are unusual, I didn’t have one, and the price was right, so I had him set it back behind the counter for me.
The Model 61 was S&W’s response to the immediate lack of small .22 LR pocket pistols after the passage of GCA 1968 and its related import restrictions.
Just in case anyone forgot or never knew, the import restrictions on revolvers and pistols contained in the GCA of 1968 were championed by American gun manufacturers as a means to eliminate less expensive foreign competition. Calling those inexpensive weapons “Saturday night specials” was mostly spin, it was mostly about making money.
Price wise the Model 61 sold for $74 in 1971 when the 61-3 was introduced, more or less the the middle of the 1970-1973 production period and about 2/3rds of the way (40,000) through the 65,000 production run. $74 in 1971 equates to $551 today, so the Model 61 was not exactly an inexpensive pistol.
Normally the No dash and -1 S&Ws garner more interest but not in my case. I like to shoot the guns I own and the Model 61-1 had serious reliability issues. Those issues were mostly resolved with the -2 and -3 models, although both are somewhat finicky when it comes to ammunition.
The Model 61 was based on the Pieper Bayard 1908, a pistol made in .380 ACP pistol, .32 ACP and .25 ACP. The design placed the recoil spring and guide rod above the barrel which gave it a comparatively low bore line which theoretically reduces muzzle rise.
In practice though, the space required for the enclosed hammer and room for the breech face portion of the slide to recoil means the back strap is fairly short and puts the hand quite low on the grip. It also means there isn’t as much vertical space available for the magazine, thus the short 5 round magazine. There’s only room for about 1 1/2 fingers on the front strap. The tiny Beretta 950B still lets you get 2 fingers solidly on the front strap. In my opinion the low bore height goal might have made sense for a small .380 ACP blow back pistol, but for a .22LR the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze given all the compromises required.
The 61-2 added a magazine safety and a barrel nut that allowed for more precise barrel placement. The 61-3 incorporated a forged aluminum frame rather than cast.
S&W discontinued the Model 61 after just three years and 65,438 produced. While nicely made, reliable enough from the -2 forward, and quite accurate for the type, it wasn’t particularly small for the type and wasn’t all that affordable. It also had a 5 round magazine when its competitors had 7 and 8 round magazines. In short, it was a comparatively large, heavy and expensive 5 shot .22LR pistol.
So, not one of S&Ws winners, but still an interesting handgun.
Given its post GCA ‘68 anti Saturday Night Special origins, I thought the $189 price was ironic. It’s now very much a “Saturday Night Special” as $189 in 2023 is equivalent to just $25.34 in 1971 dollars, about 1/20th its retail price in 1971.
Beretta 21A and Beretta 950B for size comparison:
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