Congratulations on the new toy. After lusting for a few years I picked up a 60-15 pro series a few months ago to be used as a woods buming gun. As soon as my wife (who does not particularly care for guns) saw it, she started suggesting that it would be "her" gun. .38's are fine in it, magnums on the other hand are rather brisk in their recoil.
Bought my first IL gun today (Model 60-15)
- Thread starter muddocktor
- Start date
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muddocktor
Member
Thanks for all the replies, everyone!
Well, it's now time for a range report. My wife and I went to the range today; a bit chilly (to us at least) and with around a 15-20 mph N wind blowing, but had a great time! I found that this 60-15 handles some rather warm 357 Mags with no problems and the recoil was actually tolerable for me.
My wife absolutely fell in love with her new pistol. I started her off with a box of 148 grain wadcutters and got her used to shooting the pistol and handling the recoil. After she finished those off, I had her shoot a box of some reloads with some 110 grain Sierra Blitz that should be right under Cor Bon's loading of that bullet in 38 Special. After she burned through that box, I gave her a box loaded with some X-Treme 158 grain RNFP plated bullets loaded to +P specs. And she didn't blink an eye handling those either and burned that box up too.
I ran around 40-50 rounds of some fairly hot 158 grain Zero bullet 357 Mag reloads loaded with 296 powder and you definitely could hear those going off.
And I shot a box of some 38 Special 158 grain X-Treme plated SWC bullets loaded to +P and it was nice to shoot with and pretty darn accurate to boot, shooting on the 7 yard targets.
I really like wood stocks on my pistols, but I have to say that I was actually very impressed with the rubber stocks that came with this pistol. They were comfortable to shoot with and seemed to take some of the bite out of the recoil. All in all, both my wife and myself are really impressed with the new J frame and both of us are looking forward to the next range trip. My wife was gushing about her new pistol all the way home from the range; about 35 miles.
Well, it's now time for a range report. My wife and I went to the range today; a bit chilly (to us at least) and with around a 15-20 mph N wind blowing, but had a great time! I found that this 60-15 handles some rather warm 357 Mags with no problems and the recoil was actually tolerable for me.
My wife absolutely fell in love with her new pistol. I started her off with a box of 148 grain wadcutters and got her used to shooting the pistol and handling the recoil. After she finished those off, I had her shoot a box of some reloads with some 110 grain Sierra Blitz that should be right under Cor Bon's loading of that bullet in 38 Special. After she burned through that box, I gave her a box loaded with some X-Treme 158 grain RNFP plated bullets loaded to +P specs. And she didn't blink an eye handling those either and burned that box up too.
I ran around 40-50 rounds of some fairly hot 158 grain Zero bullet 357 Mag reloads loaded with 296 powder and you definitely could hear those going off.
And I shot a box of some 38 Special 158 grain X-Treme plated SWC bullets loaded to +P and it was nice to shoot with and pretty darn accurate to boot, shooting on the 7 yard targets.I really like wood stocks on my pistols, but I have to say that I was actually very impressed with the rubber stocks that came with this pistol. They were comfortable to shoot with and seemed to take some of the bite out of the recoil. All in all, both my wife and myself are really impressed with the new J frame and both of us are looking forward to the next range trip. My wife was gushing about her new pistol all the way home from the range; about 35 miles.
SuperMan
Member
The 60-15 is definitely one of S&Ws better ideas. I have two of the older 60-10s and love them. A friend shot mine and ran out and bought a 60-15.
I pulled the sideplate off for him, stuck in one of The Plugs from Bullseye Smith and also switched the stock trigger return spring for a 13# unit from Brownells...makes the DA pull much lighter without compromising trigger return reliability...
He bought a special order DeSantis Speed Scabbard for it but ended up getting a Simply Rugged Silver Dollar Pancake with IWB straps so he can wear it outside or inside the waistband with the same holster. I ended up with the DeSantis as they are my favorite carry holster.
Glad your wife loves the gun...she chose a winner...
Bob
I pulled the sideplate off for him, stuck in one of The Plugs from Bullseye Smith and also switched the stock trigger return spring for a 13# unit from Brownells...makes the DA pull much lighter without compromising trigger return reliability...
He bought a special order DeSantis Speed Scabbard for it but ended up getting a Simply Rugged Silver Dollar Pancake with IWB straps so he can wear it outside or inside the waistband with the same holster. I ended up with the DeSantis as they are my favorite carry holster.
Glad your wife loves the gun...she chose a winner...
Bob
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Thanks for all the replies, everyone!
Well, it's now time for a range report. My wife and I went to the range today; a bit chilly (to us at least) and with around a 15-20 mph N wind blowing, but had a great time! I found that this 60-15 handles some rather warm 357 Mags with no problems and the recoil was actually tolerable for me.
My wife absolutely fell in love with her new pistol. I started her off with a box of 148 grain wadcutters and got her used to shooting the pistol and handling the recoil. After she finished those off, I had her shoot a box of some reloads with some 110 grain Sierra Blitz that should be right under Cor Bon's loading of that bullet in 38 Special. After she burned through that box, I gave her a box loaded with some X-Treme 158 grain RNFP plated bullets loaded to +P specs. And she didn't blink an eye handling those either and burned that box up too.
I ran around 40-50 rounds of some fairly hot 158 grain Zero bullet 357 Mag reloads loaded with 296 powder and you definitely could hear those going off.
I really like wood stocks on my pistols, but I have to say that I was actually very impressed with the rubber stocks that came with this pistol. They were comfortable to shoot with and seemed to take some of the bite out of the recoil. All in all, both my wife and myself are really impressed with the new J frame and both of us are looking forward to the next range trip. My wife was gushing about her new pistol all the way home from the range; about 35 miles.
As I wasn't too concerned about concealment, I put a set of Pach Compacs on mine. Makes for a great handling revolver, especially with the .357s. I found the stock grips nice, but a little too narrow.
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Simlar story....
My wife loves my 686 with target ammo. It's going to be tricky getting her a carry gun but a mod 60 might be a good try.
Nice looking gun. About a year or so ago I took my wife to the LGS where the salesman and I convinced her she should have a little .38 spl J-frame 642 with a shrouded hammer. It's nice and light plus it fits her hand perfectly. Just one problem. She hates to shoot it (felt recoil and a heavy DA pull). I even added a CT laser to it. To make a long story shorter she ended up with a little 9mm SCCY autoloader, but the best part of this story is that I have a .357 mag 686+ which is a heavy gun, but my wife absolutely LOVES to shoot because loaded up with .38 spl there's hardly any felt recoil. Hey, at least she's out there having fun and I now have another carry gun!)
My wife loves my 686 with target ammo. It's going to be tricky getting her a carry gun but a mod 60 might be a good try.
at_liberty
Member
Thanks for all the replies, everyone!
Well, it's now time for a range report. My wife and I went to the range today; a bit chilly (to us at least) and with around a 15-20 mph N wind blowing, but had a great time! I found that this 60-15 handles some rather warm 357 Mags with no problems and the recoil was actually tolerable for me.
My wife absolutely fell in love with her new pistol. I started her off with a box of 148 grain wadcutters and got her used to shooting the pistol and handling the recoil. After she finished those off, I had her shoot a box of some reloads with some 110 grain Sierra Blitz that should be right under Cor Bon's loading of that bullet in 38 Special. After she burned through that box, I gave her a box loaded with some X-Treme 158 grain RNFP plated bullets loaded to +P specs. And she didn't blink an eye handling those either and burned that box up too.
I ran around 40-50 rounds of some fairly hot 158 grain Zero bullet 357 Mag reloads loaded with 296 powder and you definitely could hear those going off.
I really like wood stocks on my pistols, but I have to say that I was actually very impressed with the rubber stocks that came with this pistol. They were comfortable to shoot with and seemed to take some of the bite out of the recoil. All in all, both my wife and myself are really impressed with the new J frame and both of us are looking forward to the next range trip. My wife was gushing about her new pistol all the way home from the range; about 35 miles.
If your wife didn't get to try 357, then you might have to admit that the 357 Magnum option was for you in HER gun.
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muddocktor
Member
SuperMan, thank you for posting about the Wolff trigger rebound springs. That is the one thing I'm not completely satisfied with, the double action pull with this 60-15. And I also have a Model 27-5 I acquired around the first of January that I find the double action pull a little heavy on too. I read on the Wollf spring website that the J, K, L, and N frame pistols all use the same trigger rebound spring so I think I will order a 12-16 lb rebound spring assortment kit from them for $9.
@petepeterson, some wider grips would do me better too, but not my wife. It looks to me like the stock grips that came on the pistol are just about right for her.
@Richard44, We ain't no spring chickens ourselves; I'll be 59 in a few months and my wife is 61. But the recoil of the loads we shot respectively didn't bother us at all. Since you reload, you might try some of the Sierra 110 grain Blitz bullets loaded up with around 6.5 grains Unique, which should make it just a little less potent than the Cor Bon defensive load. BTW, Cor Bon uses that same bullet. The recoil from that was about the same as the 148 grain Hornady wadcutters my wife started off with and pretty mild.
@rwsmith, if you have a LGS that has some 60-15 pistols in stock, bring her there and let her handle it and see how she likes it. For a small pistol, it handles recoil very well and part of this is probably due to it weighing 24.5 oz instead of being lighter like the shorter barrel and scandium models.
@at_liberty, she still liked the feel of the gun better than the 38 Special models. And while she hasn't tried out 357 Mag rounds yet, she is also considering them later on as she gets more practice with this pistol. Plus, I reload so I can load more moderate rounds with lighter bullets to keep recoil from getting too severe. I actually asked her yesterday if she wanted to run a few towards the end of our range visit and she told me "not now, but later when I have more practice I might shoot some". So it's nice to have the option for her later.
@petepeterson, some wider grips would do me better too, but not my wife. It looks to me like the stock grips that came on the pistol are just about right for her.
@Richard44, We ain't no spring chickens ourselves; I'll be 59 in a few months and my wife is 61. But the recoil of the loads we shot respectively didn't bother us at all. Since you reload, you might try some of the Sierra 110 grain Blitz bullets loaded up with around 6.5 grains Unique, which should make it just a little less potent than the Cor Bon defensive load. BTW, Cor Bon uses that same bullet. The recoil from that was about the same as the 148 grain Hornady wadcutters my wife started off with and pretty mild.
@rwsmith, if you have a LGS that has some 60-15 pistols in stock, bring her there and let her handle it and see how she likes it. For a small pistol, it handles recoil very well and part of this is probably due to it weighing 24.5 oz instead of being lighter like the shorter barrel and scandium models.
@at_liberty, she still liked the feel of the gun better than the 38 Special models. And while she hasn't tried out 357 Mag rounds yet, she is also considering them later on as she gets more practice with this pistol. Plus, I reload so I can load more moderate rounds with lighter bullets to keep recoil from getting too severe. I actually asked her yesterday if she wanted to run a few towards the end of our range visit and she told me "not now, but later when I have more practice I might shoot some". So it's nice to have the option for her later.
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sawlog
Member
I have the 60-15 pro. its my edc gun. I really like mine. its my carry gun and as of lately the only one I really take out shooting. best of both worlds.
I found the entry concerning 357 and 38 spl loads interesting. I have 3 S&W revolvers that shoot both: 686P 6", 686P 2 1/2", and a 327 5" (M&P). I know several active and retired police officers including one that in charge of a NJ state police range. They all have told me I can practice at the range with cheaper loads (I use semi wadcutters) but that I should fire one cylinder of 357 FMJ rounds at the end to " blow out" any residual from the inferior shells. Does this make any sense? Am I harming my guns? Note: I clean my guns thoroughly each time they are used. Thanks...
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muddocktor
Member
I would rather not try to clean lead out of my barrel that way. First of all, shooting a bunch of 38 special rounds in your pistol then trying to chamber some 357 mag rounds can be problematic. The case is 1/8" or so shorter on the 38 special and can build lead and powder buildup in the cylinder that would be covered by the 357 case. That can make the 357 rounds go in tight and cause issues trying to eject the casings. I ran a bore snake through my cylinder before going back to 357 mag rounds after shooting 38 specials. Second, I've heard and read that trying to shoot leading from lead bullets out with jacketed rounds can cause very high pressures because of extra resistance in the barrel and also that it can really bind a slight bit of lead into the grooves of the barrel. I don't know about the lead in the grooves thing, but if you have a leaded barrel and then try to shoot some full fledged 357 Mag rounds through you will definitely see higher than normal chamber pressures which can make for difficult case extraction at least.
I generally shoot only jacketed or copper plated bullets to get around having leading issues. I had bought the hollow base wadcutters to play with, making some home made defense loads with the bullets loaded with the hollow base facing the front. Also, I only loaded them to around 700-750 fps too, to cut down on leading issues. They worked OK like that for close range, but would start tumbling after around 10 yards or so from what I saw on targets. I am about to try some of the Hi-Tech coated lead bullets soon as I have heard that this coating pretty much eliminates leading issues up to 1500 fps.
Mediumbore
Member
My Model 60 with KB mini cokes:
Who is KB? Those are great looking grips.
M3Stuart
Member
Oh man, I want one of those! It's been on my short list for awhile. I would already have one but I keep running across other 3 inchers like the 36-1...pfffftttt. Oh well.
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muddocktor
Member
M3Stuart, definitely keep it on your short list!
We are going to make another range visit tomorrow. The wife wants to shoot some more. And my daughter is coming too. She'll probably shoot the 60, but I imagine she's going to want to bring my 629 too.
We are going to make another range visit tomorrow. The wife wants to shoot some more. And my daughter is coming too. She'll probably shoot the 60, but I imagine she's going to want to bring my 629 too.
My 60-14 is a definite keeper, even as other pieces come and go. Several thousand rounds through it, the IL is a non-issue in my book. It just feels indestructible, which is more than I would say for my Model 15 snub, even though I love that one dearly too.
Beautiful gun. I have a 640 (2.12 inch) and a 65-5 (3 inch), and would love to own exactly the gun you guys bought.
There is no real need to remove the IL -- every expert I've read on the topic says that problems with the IL are rare and limited to the very light weight snubbies, e.g., pretty much the scandium variants.
And don't forget, you can grind off the stud on the flag that locks into the hammer, and the IL will be neutered -- and the gun will look exactly the same. No need to remove the flag - doing so will leave an empty pivot hole and slot next to the hammer. No need to use the "plug," although that's fine if you want to. Just neuter the IL internals.
Finally, I load and shoot 125 grain RNFP lead bullets from Rock Rim over 4.2 grains Trail Boss, essentially a "cowboy" shooting bullet, for practicing with my J frames. Sounds like you are okay with more powerful rounds, but my load can be shot all day in the Airweights and is a joy in the stainless J frames (e.g., my 642).
Great buy, good luck with it!
There is no real need to remove the IL -- every expert I've read on the topic says that problems with the IL are rare and limited to the very light weight snubbies, e.g., pretty much the scandium variants.
And don't forget, you can grind off the stud on the flag that locks into the hammer, and the IL will be neutered -- and the gun will look exactly the same. No need to remove the flag - doing so will leave an empty pivot hole and slot next to the hammer. No need to use the "plug," although that's fine if you want to. Just neuter the IL internals.
Finally, I load and shoot 125 grain RNFP lead bullets from Rock Rim over 4.2 grains Trail Boss, essentially a "cowboy" shooting bullet, for practicing with my J frames. Sounds like you are okay with more powerful rounds, but my load can be shot all day in the Airweights and is a joy in the stainless J frames (e.g., my 642).
Great buy, good luck with it!
at_liberty
Member
But this is just one side of the same old ILS debate...one opinion deserves another...pro, con, bitterly bigoted, apologist, or otherwise. It's kinda like...hey, I just bought a new S&W, most of which include the ILS by default. Introducing another backdoor ILS debate is not constructive here. We don't need to make excuses to the anti-ILS bigots about wanting and buying a new production gun. Enjoy it.
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muddocktor
Member
I got my Wolff rebound springs in and took the pistol apart and installed the 13 lb rebound spring. But, when I was going back together with it, the double action sear fell out of the hammer and the spring that tensions it just disappeared! 
I had no idea where it took off to, so I got online and started checking around and found that Brownells had the sear spring in stock and called them up and had them send me 2 of them (in case I would lose the new one) quickly.
On my N frames, the double action sear is held captive by a pin but on this J frame it is held by spring tension alone.
Anyways, the sear springs arrived today and I installed that little sucker inside a gallon zip lock bag in case it decided to launch when dropping the sear back in the hammer (didn't happen though). I got the pistol buttoned back up and tried out the double action pull and the lighter rebound spring made a big difference in the double action trigger pull. It is now lighter and much smoother. It also probably didn't hurt that I worked on the rebound slide a little with a finish stone and knocked some sharp edges off the side that goes down to the frame when looking at it with the sideplate off and also the bottom of it. The rebound slide wasn't nearly as well finished as the ones in my old N frames from the 70's and 80's, but it's smoothed up now. And it also feels like the single action trigger is crisper and lighter too, with the spring change and stoning the rebound slide, and it breaks like a glass rod. I think that now, the trigger on this new pistol is as good as anyone can expect without spending money to get a qualified gunsmith to work it over. I can't wait to get my wife back out to the range and see what she thinks of her new pistol now.
I had no idea where it took off to, so I got online and started checking around and found that Brownells had the sear spring in stock and called them up and had them send me 2 of them (in case I would lose the new one) quickly. On my N frames, the double action sear is held captive by a pin but on this J frame it is held by spring tension alone.
Anyways, the sear springs arrived today and I installed that little sucker inside a gallon zip lock bag in case it decided to launch when dropping the sear back in the hammer (didn't happen though). I got the pistol buttoned back up and tried out the double action pull and the lighter rebound spring made a big difference in the double action trigger pull. It is now lighter and much smoother. It also probably didn't hurt that I worked on the rebound slide a little with a finish stone and knocked some sharp edges off the side that goes down to the frame when looking at it with the sideplate off and also the bottom of it. The rebound slide wasn't nearly as well finished as the ones in my old N frames from the 70's and 80's, but it's smoothed up now. And it also feels like the single action trigger is crisper and lighter too, with the spring change and stoning the rebound slide, and it breaks like a glass rod. I think that now, the trigger on this new pistol is as good as anyone can expect without spending money to get a qualified gunsmith to work it over. I can't wait to get my wife back out to the range and see what she thinks of her new pistol now.
shooter1911
Member
Great guns. I bought my 60-10 when they first hit the market. It's my go to field carry gun when I'm not in bear country, which is most of the time.
Bill Douglas
Member
Nice.
And just think how happy you will be by the time you have bought about a dozen S&Ws
And just think how happy you will be by the time you have bought about a dozen S&Ws
