Square butt model 60 Smith and Wesson

heavyduti

heavyduti

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Although I’ve had this a while and it’s been fired, I have not fired it.

It has an A serial number, no pin barrel and is marked model 60 (no dash).

I’d never seen a square stainless J frame before but just read that they were made in 1984 for John Jovino.

Anyone have any more info on this model?

Thanks

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I've got a square butt Model 36 which is the blued j frame counterpart.

But most of the 36 & 60's I've seen were round butt configuration.

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NAA.
 
heavyduti said:
...It has an A serial number, no pin barrel and is marked model 60 (no dash). I’d never seen a square stainless J frame before but just read that they were made in 1984 for John Jovino. Anyone have any more info on this model?
Click to expand...

If you find yourself a copy of the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, you won't regret it.
 
A former S&W employee told me at the Tulsa gunshow in 2011 that the original no-dash Model 60 was the strongest .38 snubby S&W ever made. The original first-issue stainless steel was so hard it dulled the cutters. Starting with the 60-1 the steel was subsequently softened and thus less "stainless" but didn't do a number on the cutters like the first issue no-dash guns did.

True or not, the story spread around Mexico when I got back from the show and quite a few of the San Miguel/Queretero Club members on the inner-circle have acquired no-dash Model 60's. Our "issue load" is the Lee 158 grain tumble-lube SWC either powder-coated or lubed and 4.5 grains of Bullseye. It's quite a stout load getting over 900 fps. I don't have my actual load data and snubby chrono results here as it's down in Mexico (but I'll be there in 3 weeks, I can always look it up I suppose) but I think it's around 920 to 940 fps. If some pair of badguys are popping away at your friends with AK's at the garden party, you want to put them down with any hit you make so we tend to load hot.

My wife's no-dash Model 60. This is how we got it but now it wears Crimson Trace Laser grips. This is a round-butt. I never saw a square-butt Model 60 no-dash until the one posted here.
TjE60tC.jpg


My wife doing the two-gun thing using my Model 49 Bodyguard (no dash) and her Model 60 on the Queretero range.
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True or not may never be known, but it’s a very interesting story. It’s certainly going to stay in my modest collection.

I’ve had snubbies for as long as I’ve been shooting and I knew quite a few cops who carried the 60 as a backup in pockets and ankle holsters. I’ve always enjoyed shooting them, I’m sure I’ll enjoy shooting this one.
 
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