M60 no dash question

[retired2006]

Would a M60 no dash have a pinned barrel ? There is a M60 advertised as a no dash on GB that does NOT have a barrel pin, and also has the smooth combat style trigger.
What dash would this be ? Serial number is ANN21**. This was also advertised for while on this website.
Any help appreciated.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

The one you're looking at is a Model 60, likely from about 1986. S&W deleted the pinned barrel on Model 60s during the Rxxxxxx serial number era in 1980-81.

The 3-letter, 4-number serial numbers for Model 60s began in 1983, and the earliest smooth combat trigger I've seen shipped in summer of 1984.

In 1971 S&W produced the parts for a limited number of Model 60-1 Chiefs Specials with 3" Heavy Barrels and square butts. Except for a few early experimental models, the company assembled the parts and shipped 171 of those in June 1978.

In 1985 S&W produced and shipped 660 Model 60-1 Chiefs Special Target models with 2" lightweight barrels and round butts.

The 60-3 came out in 1988 to replace the Model 60.

Hope this helps.

 

[John Patrick]

FWIW, I ran across a 3” M60 with a HB and with fixed sights for sale on line a couple days ago. The add called it a Chief’s Special. I don’t recall for sure if it was 38 or 357, but I think 38. I’m almost positive it has a SB.

Would that be one of the 71/78 revolvers?

I’ll have to go look for it.

 

[GerSan69]

A 3" is still a Chiefs Special. It would most likely be a .38 Spl.
If it's a square butt, then it's probably a Jovino, one of the guns special-ordered by the John Jovino Company in NYC. There are a couple of threads here on the forum about those, so I won't try to duplicate. I recommend a search for "Jovino Model 60."

 

[flintsghost]

At the end of the no dash production, many of the revolvers still received the R prefix serial and had no barrel pin. Any of the revolvers with the three alphabet letters and 4 numbers should be a later run. However in later runs, S&W used up frames that my have been left over from the prior run. As an example, I once purchased a 6" model 66 that was marked both on the frame and on the box as a no dash. It was a rarity and I sold it to someone on this forum from S Carolina. However it was undoubtedly a left over frame from the no dash product when the -1's came out. The reason is that no 6" barrels were made during the 66 no dash production. Only a factory letter would be able to tell

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Would that be one of the 71/78 revolvers?

Not if it was a Model 60.

GerSan69 nailed it.

At the earliest a Chiefs Special in .357 would be a Model 60-9, 60-10, or later.

 

[John Patrick]

Not if it was a Model 60.

GerSan69 nailed it.

At the earliest a Chiefs Special in .357 would be a Model 60-9, 60-10, or later.

Here’s the gun. No shot of the box label, but the paperwork reads both M60 and Chief’s Special.

38, SB, 3” HB, fixed sights, no pin.

First M60 I’ve seen for sale with fixed sights.

 

[JP@AK]

the paperwork reads both M60 and Chief’s Special

First M60 I’ve seen for sale with fixed sights.

John
First, the Model 60 is by definition a Chiefs Special. It is simply the stainless version of the Model 36.

Second, by far the majority of Chiefs Special revolvers, whether carbon or stainless steel, had fixed sights.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

First M60 I’ve seen for sale with fixed sights.

Are you sure you're not confusing the Model 60 with the Model 66?

S&W launched the Model 60 in 1965. Twenty years later the company made 660 Chiefs Special Target models (the 2" Model 60-1 I mentioned earlier).

Between 1990 and 1995 S&W made a limited production Model 60-4 with a 3" barrel and adjustable target sights. The .357 Magnum Model 60-10 came out in 1996 with target sights. There might have been other target models between 1996 and 2000, but they are rarely seen.

The target models with adjustable sights make up a pittance of the total Model 60 production through those first 35 years. I don't track the 2000 through 2022 models so I have no idea what any of them are.

 

[John Patrick]

Thanks for the education, definitely not confusing the M60 and M66. Just ignorant about M60s and I guess J frames in general.

I have a half dozen J frames though my interests lay primarily with K frames, but the M60 I posted photos of really is the first (at least that I recall) fixed sight, 3” HB, SB I’ve seen for sale. I’ve seen a variety of photos of different M60 configurations posted here by members and always thought fixed sight M60s of any configuration were kinda rare. And the same with SBs.

When I was looking for my own M60 I wanted a 3” and it seemed all 3” had HBs and adjustable sights. I finally narrowed my choice down to two, both with HB, adjustable sights, one 38 and one 357, both RB. I picked the 357, and it’s shown in the photo below.

I’m thinking you can determine which J frames I have just looking at the photo below, but they’re an M51-? , M30-1, M 37 no dash (those two might be in opposite order, any difference in shade of the frame/cylinder/barrel of the M37 is just lighting and the two look identical to me,) m317-?, M638-? and the M60-? I’m going to have to find time today and re-aquaint myself with my J frames.

 

[murphydog]

John, the guns in the photo are (from top left to bottom right):

Model 317-3 (adjustable sight with IL)
638-3 (Airweight Bodyguard with IL)
60-10 (3", adjustable sight, integral frame lug, no IL)
51 (there was no -1)
30-1 (six round cylinder; there is no six round J frame .38)
and 37 (five round cylinder)

Cool guns.

 

[Foolonthehill]

I have a model 60 with pinned barrel and case hardened hammer and trigger. This makes it pretty early I understand. It looks to have never been fired.

 

[rbmac52]

The deletion of the pinned barrels across the S&W lineup did not necessitate an engineering change (i.e.; change in dash#).

 

[H Richard]

My no - Mod 60 is pinned, and the ship date is May 1976. It's all going to depend on when it was made. It is late enough to have the flash chromes hammer & Trigger.