Poll: Customizing my 60-15

[ScottN]

I have decided to send my 60-15 3" in for customization. I'm going to get the action worked and various other stuff including barrel work. That's where the indecision comes in. I can't decide if I want the barrel ported (3 ports along the top side), or get it slab-sided, or get it ported and slab-sided.

I'm definitely going with one of those options so those are the only options I included in the poll. Feedback is appreciated on the reason why you voted the way you did.

The 60-15 will mostly be for target shooting but will be carried some OWB around my hunting property...and some BBQ events.

Thanks!

 

[zogger]

I have the same gun. Can I ask why you want to have it ported? IMHO, I don't see the need.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I Magna-ported a 3" 65 in the mid-80's............. along with an action job,DOA hammer, red ramp ........... oh ya.... Spegel boot grips.

Love the gun ..... qualified with it over 5-6 years at 95%+........ only regret was the porting ....................... doesn't do anything w/ P+ .38s which is what it's loaded with 95% of the time........... and too much "shock and awe" with full bore magnums!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


FWIW I have a 60-10 ....... micro 686 in .357........................ Spegel boot grips and polish the action .......... and you are more than GTG!!!! IMHO!!!

 

[ridgewalker]

Hey just curious why you don't get the 60 Pro which comes slab sided and as a bonus has a tritium night sight. Here is a picture of mine.

 

[ScottN]

I have the same gun. Can I ask why you want to have it ported? IMHO, I don't see the need.

Fair question...

I like this revolver but don't love it. I want to personalize it and up the enjoyment of it. I also have an itch to have a custom gun so it it seems to be the perfect storm.

I love my LCR 357 because of its trigger. I am falling in love with a recently acquired 327 PC 2" due to its trigger and 8 rounds of 357. I love my R8 as it seems to be the best home defense/target shooter out there. I love my GP100 MC because it's my first revolver and the trigger is fantastic after spring work.

I want to love my 60 but have not grown past the "I like it OK" stage. I've worked on the trigger but can't get it where I like it. The LCR DA far exceeds it in my opinion. I figure a "pro" can get it where I want the trigger and it snow balled from there. I want customization for some wow factor and want the upgraded trigger, cylinder work, and dehorning for the functionality. I also wouldn't mind shaving off some weight.

 

[SPDSNYPR]

Just say no to porting.

Just my personal opinion as most of my guns are for personal defense/LE use, but . . . . . .

Porting does nothing useful for me. It blows stuff upward, so if you want your sinuses cleaned out or glasses blown off your head, shoot a ported pistol with snappy loads in a close-quarters/retention position. Those upward jets of gas go right in your face and sure are noticeable. This is not just theoretical - I have shot plenty of ported guns during coursed that required one handed close-quarters positions, and the blast to your face is very distracting.

The recoil of the gun isn't that snappy to begin with. If your grip is nice and high (like it should be), porting doesn't do that much. Dry practice and whatever you would spend on porting being spent on practice ammo will do more to mitigate muzzle jump than the porting - as long as you're training to good effect.

Muzzle flash at night - instead of a little ball of flash in your vision down low, you get a little ball and a big "V" temporarily burned into your vision. There are more "blind spots".

The juice isn't worth the squeeze on porting from my perspective. I'd seriously try one if you can to see if it's worth it to you. You can't unport it once it's done. And you might end up seriously disliking it.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[ScottN]

Hey just curious why you don't get the 60 Pro which comes slab sided and as a bonus has a tritium night sight. Here is a picture of mine.

The Pro is a fantastic looking revolver but I'm not a fan of the front sight. Love the look of the barrel! I also never saw one in person to see if it spoke to me.

I was able to pick up my 60-15 used for a good deal and figured I could work the trigger to where I wanted. I just couldn't get it where I really liked the DA pull. The SA is great, the DA just wasn't where I wanted it.

 

[ScottN]

SPDSNYPR - Thanks for the honest feedback.

I have not shot a ported revolver but I have shot other ported handguns. You're right that felt recoil is not changed in a noticeable manner but it seems to me to help reduce muzzle rise. And, it looks cool in my opinion. The porting I'd have done is three ports along the top so it wouldn't have the V effect, more of an I effect I guess. And it's a moot point anyway as I have no plans to shoot it at night or inside. It would only be carried outside at my hunting property. The main use would be shooting targets, admiring it, and trying to decide which son would get to inherit it.

 

[lrrifleman]

Scott,

I have a 36-6, the 38 Special carbon steel version of your 60-15. Forget the rare factor of the 36-6, I would not have a thing done to it, unless I weren't happy with the action.

I would not have any porting done, anywhere. Porting on the top, and you have gases blurring your sight picture. Ports along the top or anywhere else, and you have the powder flash at night ... yes, I know you don't plan on shooting it at night, but sometimes needs trump wants. I would not have the barrel slab sided, I personally don't like the look.

 

[colt_saa]

Porting is not for everybody and that is fine.

How people perceive recoil is different from person to person. Porting does not change recoil. However it does reduce muzzle flip. Many people believe that is a worthwhile improvement with a Magnum revolver and other do not think that it makes enough of a difference to spend money on.

I have a model 60 that came from Smith and Wesson already Mag-Na-Ported. It is a great firearm.

This is the Model 60 Small Hunter which was offered through Lew Horton. The porting is quite effective in reducing muzzle flip with the 357 Magnum cartridge.

My only other 3" J-magnum revolver is the Model 60 Pro so the comparison is not quite exact due to the weight differences from the slab sided barrel.

However, I have done direct comparison with ported and non-ported 2 1/2" Model 66s

I have also done direct comparison with ported and non-ported 2" Model 640s

I routinely carry a pair of Performance Center 940 Specials with their single chamber expansion port.

Or one of my other ported snubbies

I have fired many, many thousands of rounds of full power ammunition from ported revolvers over the decades and the reports of blowing the glasses off your face are exaggerated. I have never even felt my glasses shift in the least. Even if you are firing from retention, let's face it the muzzle is not under your nose, it is at your side. Plus it is 14-20 inches away depending on how long and wide your torso is. In that distance the gas pressure from the ports is significantly dissipated.

Then there is the muzzle flash myth. Most all premium defensive ammunition is loaded with low flash powder or flash retardant to minimize that possibility. So let's say you are carrying white/green/yellow box bargain ammunition that saved money by excluding a flash retardant. In that scenario any flash that would come out of your port, would be far more noticeable out of your barrel/cylinder gap since pressures are significantly higher at that point in the combustion cycle.

If you were in Florida, I would offer you the opportunity to try both and form your own opinion

 

[ScottN]

Thanks for sharing your experience Colt_SAA. Awesome collection you have there!

 

[SPDSNYPR]

They don't actually clean out your sinuses either in case you were wondering. Many people including me exaggerate for comedic effect. It's a thing.

 

[kaaskop49]

From personal experience, I've learned that the more you do to a gun in the way of personal mods, the less you like it when you're through. Also, the less it's worth when you try to sell it a year of two down the road. Very few people, if any, are going to like your mods: this kills the price in the secondhand market.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[silversnake]

From personal experience, I've learned that the more you do to a gun in the way of personal mods, the less you like it when you're through. Also, the less it's worth when you try to sell it a year of two down the road. Very few people, if any, are going to like your mods: this kills the price in the secondhand market.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

I agree. I would not get either modification, would rather chamfer the cylinder holes if I just had to change something. But hey, it's your gun, your money...

 

[Sal1950]

Your doing these mod's to make it "your gun" so what anyone thinks is irrelevant. People customize for 2 reasons, increased performance and improved cosmetics (in the eye of the beholder). Weather porting a 3" gun is effective or not I don't know, but I do think it makes a gun look "bad a-ss", so I'd vote yes on the porting. My V-Comp and 460V are both ported and I love em that way... Slabbing definitely makes the gun lighter and faster to handle so no denying the improvement. On the other hand I'm 50/50 on the cosmetics of slabbing. I'd love to see pictures of the gun ported both ways before making up my mind on slab siding..
Please yourself, it's your money.

 

[Green Frog]

To the OP; Read the first sentence in Post #15 (above) from Sal1950. While others can give you their experiences about the pros and cons of the modifications in question, it is up to you as to whether they will work for you, on that gun, in a way you desire. In my definition of the word, "personalize" figures quite prominently in the meaning of "customize." And you can only personalize it for yourself. I would make the comment that porting a gun should reduce recoil and make it more manageable while slab siding the barrel reduces weight and increases perceived recoil, so doing both should be something of a wash in the recoil department. The question is, what do you really want to accomplish through your modifications, and to that end, what will the modifications actually do to the gun's performance?

Froggie