Model 60-7 barrel length

[Waldmeister]

I am offered a S & W model 60-7 serial # BUB3806 and I thought it should have a 2" barrel!?

After measuring it looks more like a 1 7/8 barrel (47mm)?

Does this mean it's a Lady Smith? There is no engraving on the gun!

Thanks Waldmeister

 

[murphydog]

All "2" barrel" .38 Special J frames measure 1 7/8", give or take a few mm for production variation.

I recall there may have been 3" model 60-7s in the Lady Smith series, but those will also vary +/- 1/8" in length also.

 

[Waldmeister]

Thanks, so without the LS engraving it's definitely not a Lady Smith, just a regular 60-7.

 

[pasound]

1 7/8" is standard, going back to the original releases, the 36 and 38, and later the 60. Ladysmith refers to a lighter weight frame, usually aluminum alloy.

 

[Waldmeister]

What year of production would serial # BUB3806 point to?

 

[Alk8944]

S&W barrel lengths are nominal, they may vary in length from the length described by as much as 1/4", although 1/8" or less is most common. One exception to this is J-Frame 2" barrels that for some reason S&W determined to standardize at 1 7/8" as your gun as murphydog state. This 1/7/8" length is nearly precisely consistent for J-Frame guns of any caliber and sub model.

One exception to the common +/- 1/8" is a gun which a friend owns, it is a nominal 6" Model 27. The barrel on his gun is 5-5/8", a full 3/8" short of the nominal length!

If you want a barrel the length as described then buy a Colt. All the Colt revolver barrels I have had the occasion to measure, mostly curiosity, have been the described length within a few thousandths of an inch.

 

[mikerjf]

Buy it! Some think the 60-7 is the overall best J frame. Non-magnum frame, firing pin on the hammer, improved heat-treating, wider front sight, no lock… I’ll buy it!

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Ladysmith refers to a lighter weight frame, usually aluminum alloy.

That is not at all correct.

Lady Smith Chiefs Specials were all carbon steel or stainless steel
frames.

Your Model 60-7 is most likely a 1995 product, the year before S&W
introduced the J-Magnum frame.

 

[murphydog]

Although there are no alloy Chiefs Special Lady Smiths, there are alloy J frame versions - the 642 and 317 come to mind.

 

[stansdds]

The advertised barrel length is the nominal length, but due to each barrel needing to be hand fitted to each frame and the minor dimensional differences in each part, S&W revolver actual barrel length is typically the nominal length plus or minus 1/8", but can vary as much as 1/4".