* Statistics interpolated from Dr. Roy Jinks book, History of Smith & Wesson
** Inferences I make about the third production run come from my observations.
S&W produced 39 stainless steel Model 60s by the end of the summer of 1965. Consistent with the company’s J-frame introduction in 1950, S&W introduced the .38 Chiefs Special Model 60 at the 72nd annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in October 1965. I’ve not seen one of the first 39 Model 60s.
The second Model 60 run, where parts also had a bright polished stainless steel finish, produced 897 revolvers. From the left, the first Model 60 in the photo is from that run, and it shipped in March ‘66.
Jinks said, “… the hammers and triggers were not sufficiently hardened,” so the third run’s hammers and triggers were “case hardened producing a dark finish.” During the third run the bright polished finish changed to a satin finish. Also during this run the process for hammers and triggers changed from case hardened to a heat treated then flash chromed stainless steel, which became the standard for future production runs. The second Model 60 in the photo has the satin finish and case hardened hammer and trigger; it shipped in November ’66. I’ve seen examples from this run with the bright polished finish and case hardened hammer and trigger and others with the satin finish and flash chromed hammer and trigger. There were 5,000 Model 60s in this run.
The fourth run produced 1,504 Model 60s with the standard satin finish and flash chromed hammer and trigger. The third Model 60 in the photo shows the 35th serial number in the fourth run, shipped in March ’68.
Fifth and subsequent runs also had the standard satin finish and hard chromed hammer and trigger. My example from the fifth run (1 of 4,000) still sports the diamond grips, shipped in January ’69. My sixth run’s example (1 of 6,550) does not have diamond grips, and it shipped in August ’68.
Jinks has been quoted as saying the Carpenter Steel Company logo on the box end labels of those early Model 60s was “the first use of another company’s logo on a Smith & Wesson product.”
The boxes for my Chiefs from the second and fourth production runs have the original Carpenter Steel Company logo, and the box from my sixth production run Model 60 has the second version of the logo, with the text, “made to serve you better.” The box for my fifth production run Model 60 does not wear the logo.
The seventh and eighth production runs produced 3,000 and 250 Model 60s, still in the original Chiefs Special serial number series.
The R-prefix serial number for the Model 60 began at R1 in 1969.
Thanks for letting me indulge in and share my passion. Let’s see your early stainless Chiefs.
** Inferences I make about the third production run come from my observations.
S&W produced 39 stainless steel Model 60s by the end of the summer of 1965. Consistent with the company’s J-frame introduction in 1950, S&W introduced the .38 Chiefs Special Model 60 at the 72nd annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in October 1965. I’ve not seen one of the first 39 Model 60s.
The second Model 60 run, where parts also had a bright polished stainless steel finish, produced 897 revolvers. From the left, the first Model 60 in the photo is from that run, and it shipped in March ‘66.
Jinks said, “… the hammers and triggers were not sufficiently hardened,” so the third run’s hammers and triggers were “case hardened producing a dark finish.” During the third run the bright polished finish changed to a satin finish. Also during this run the process for hammers and triggers changed from case hardened to a heat treated then flash chromed stainless steel, which became the standard for future production runs. The second Model 60 in the photo has the satin finish and case hardened hammer and trigger; it shipped in November ’66. I’ve seen examples from this run with the bright polished finish and case hardened hammer and trigger and others with the satin finish and flash chromed hammer and trigger. There were 5,000 Model 60s in this run.
The fourth run produced 1,504 Model 60s with the standard satin finish and flash chromed hammer and trigger. The third Model 60 in the photo shows the 35th serial number in the fourth run, shipped in March ’68.
Fifth and subsequent runs also had the standard satin finish and hard chromed hammer and trigger. My example from the fifth run (1 of 4,000) still sports the diamond grips, shipped in January ’69. My sixth run’s example (1 of 6,550) does not have diamond grips, and it shipped in August ’68.
Jinks has been quoted as saying the Carpenter Steel Company logo on the box end labels of those early Model 60s was “the first use of another company’s logo on a Smith & Wesson product.”
The boxes for my Chiefs from the second and fourth production runs have the original Carpenter Steel Company logo, and the box from my sixth production run Model 60 has the second version of the logo, with the text, “made to serve you better.” The box for my fifth production run Model 60 does not wear the logo.
The seventh and eighth production runs produced 3,000 and 250 Model 60s, still in the original Chiefs Special serial number series.
The R-prefix serial number for the Model 60 began at R1 in 1969.
Thanks for letting me indulge in and share my passion. Let’s see your early stainless Chiefs.
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