New .357

[Sandy 44]

Based on the great info I got here when I asked for revolver recomendations , and after trying a few during training ( thanks GFH , great group of guys , great individual attention to their students , top notch ! ) I had my mind pretty much made up on a S&W model 60.

 

And thank you Pizza Bob for spending your almost entire day showing me the ins and outs of revolvers and different handguns ,sharing your knowledge , letting me check out your collection , for taking me shopping to two different places in the Land Of The Free just over the most narrow bridge in the world , and for giving me a nice set of grips for my Colt .45 1911 that had the front checkering precisely removed I had a really nice day , and enjoyed the company with you , Sue , and pup Maggie

 

 

I see everybody sticking bullets through the trigger guard for photos , no idea why ..figured I would do it to though lol

 

 

I bought from Classic Pistol in PA . Great store , great prices , range there too..it was Presidents Day holiday though , so it was too crowded to walk on and shoot.

 

I hope to get to the BH tonight , if Pete's commute cooperates

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

It was my pleasure. Glad we were able to find something that fit.

 

Adios,

 

PIzza Bob

[lunker 274]

You got the Pro series too. Sweet.

[when_shtf 4]

I love my .357M. It's just an honest weapon that will never let you down.

 

Nice photography. Is that your day job?

[Sandy 44]

OH uh oh..jeepers...thanks to my husband for staying home alone with all 3 of our monst..er..kids from morning until late night. Since he is a member here I figured I would mention it lol . I really needed that "day off " . Phew.

[Sandy 44]

I love my .357M. It's just an honest weapon that will never let you down.

 

Nice photography. Is that your day job?

 

Thank you , yes ..I am a freelance photographer.

[Ian S 22]

I see everybody sticking bullets through the trigger guard for photos , no idea why ..figured I would do it to though lol

 

Haha... they take the place of those cheap Bic pens.

 

Really nice looking 60. I love wood grips on SS guns, all the model 60's that I see have the black rubber and there's just no character.

 

How did buying in PA work out for you? Do they do the paperwork? Or did you have to ship it to an FFL in NJ?

[Sigman 41]

Sweet shooter! I'm also looking into a new wheelgun and interested in the model 60. Did you compare it to the 3" full underlug model? Please post a shooting report. I bet 357Mag will be a handfull in that shooter. My 357Mag reloads feel pretty potent out of a 6" GP100. I would probably mostly shoot 38SP maybe +P loads from a J frame.

[autoxnyc 4]

Nice revolver. I'm sure your photos make the gun look even better.

[Sandy 44]

Haha... they take the place of those cheap Bic pens.

 

Really nice looking 60. I love wood grips on SS guns, all the model 60's that I see have the black rubber and there's just no character.

 

How did buying in PA work out for you? Do they do the paperwork? Or did you have to ship it to an FFL in NJ?

 

Oh , ok , the bullet is to prop the gun up lol . I have product brackets and stuff.

Buying in PA - worked out great. Credit card was charged in PA by the store , they shipped that day to my local FFL . True Value hardware in Lincoln Park. They charge 40 bucks for the check and handling. Other firearms dealers charged extra if it was a new gun ( since they sell their own new guns) ..but the hardware was store was 40 bucks period. From the shopping around I did , I think the prices were decent at Classic Pistol in PA. And they were very friendly even though they were pretty crowded and busy. That is nice. Plus , there is a range there. So you could make a day of it. I'll go back there for my next purchase. The range was crowded on that day ( atypical Bob tells me) but it was a holiday so maybe a few too many people thought it would be a good opportunity to hit the range .

 

Sweet shooter! I'm also looking into a new wheelgun and interested in the model 60. Did you compare it to the 3" full underlug model? Please post a shooting report. I bet 357Mag will be a handfull in that shooter. My 357Mag reloads feel pretty potent out of a 6" GP100. I would probably mostly shoot 38SP maybe +P loads from a J frame.

 

It was the grips that sold it for me. They take a little distance off to the trigger and feel great. The model 60 I actually shot had the rubber grips which were nice..but these wood one were more fitting to my hand at least. Not sure about the 3" full underlug model. I kind of knew this gun with these grips were right for me. I shot .38s out of the other model 60 that I tried. It was fine . I probably will be squinting the first time send a .357 out of it . I'm sure it wil take some practice and getting use to but will be fine in the end. I shot .357s out of my husband's 686 6 inch and I honestly did not notice I was not still shooting .38s ((shrug)) .Pete did notice I took a little extra on the recoil though lol , but I did not notice on my end . He said " those were .357 magnums" and I just said " oh " . Longer heavy gun , I know. I don't mnid feeling it a bit though I'll let you know If I still have flat palms after trying magnums out of it lol

[lunker 274]

Sweet shooter! I'm also looking into a new wheelgun and interested in the model 60. Did you compare it to the 3" full underlug model? Please post a shooting report. I bet 357Mag will be a handfull in that shooter. My 357Mag reloads feel pretty potent out of a 6" GP100. I would probably mostly shoot 38SP maybe +P loads from a J frame.

 

I feel like the full underlug on the 357 wheel guns makes them very nose heavy. I much prefer the partial underlug on the Model 60. Now if I were going hunting with a 8" 357, then I would want it for the weight and steadiness on longer shots.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Very very nice. Congratulations and good luck.

 

(null)

[matt6669 71]

Pretty sure my brother is going to buy the exact same gun so his wife can use it if the need arises.

[Sandy 44]

If your sister in law has small hands , I think she'll appreciate this particular model in this configuration. I shot the model 60 with the rubber grips and found it nice , but the pro series definitely gives me better reach to the trigger.

[matt6669 71]

She's a small girl all around. So the reduced weight, smaller grips, among the fact that she can shoot .38's to practice makes it the perfect gun.

 

Bob also helped me with the choice as well. That guy Bob, I swear, he's just the man.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

wow, that is a beauty!

[Sandy 44]

Nice revolver. I'm sure your photos make the gun look even better.

Thanks ! I did go through the trouble of getting out my product photography lightbox and gear for it , seemed worthy

[DargZ 5]

That's a great looking gun and great pictures. My wife is an aspiring photographer but hates guns.

 

You also answered a question I had on my mind about buying a gun in PA. I travel there quite often as my in laws are out there. Having to go thru a FFL does take away from that instant gratification. I suppose if you find a good deal, it would not matter and it will not deter me from looking now.

[gunnarsport 13]

Great looking gun, expect that darn trigger lock really takes away from the lines and beauty of the gun, just my opinion.

[Texas Shooter 35]

Sweet wheelie! Can't go wrong with a S&W revolver.

 

Is the whole going through an FFL when buying in another state, a federal law or some Jersey thing?

[lunker 274]

I am not an S&W hater, but their revolvers with locks can be problematic. If you do a search on Smith&Wesson Internal lock problems, you will see a LOT of results. Of course some of it is the internet amplification effect, but it is real. I had a Model 629 lock seize on me while shooting at Shore Shot. At the range, it's no big deal. Using it to defend against an attacker, not so much.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Nice gun, 6 for sure!

 

Have you tried rubber grips? They might help you with the 357 fodder.

[diamondd817 828]

I see everybody sticking bullets through the trigger guard for photos , no idea why ..figured I would do it to though lol

 

 

 

Sticking bullets in the trigger guard is used to hold the gun up at an better angle to take a picture. That's why they are usually a much larger caliber like a 50bmg. But otherwise, looks great and good luck.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Nice gun, 6 5 for sure!

 

Have you tried rubber grips? They might help you with the 357 fodder.

 

Fixed it for you - it's a J-frame. Full length rubber grips cover the backstrap thus increasing the LOP - something critical for people with small hands. The Altamont wood grips that came on the Pro series 60 are full length and have an exposed backstrap.

[Sandy 44]

Well , shot it last night.Love it. Even for my first try I am more accurate with it than with my/our other guns.

 

I have no nits about it whatsoever , the grips allowed me to actually REACH the trigger , subsequently I pulled 50 rounds in double action with 38s , 50 in single action . Just testing things. Did great in double action , very great in single. Then on to the .357 magnums. Ok , yep , more kick to it than my husband's 6 inch 686 with the Magnums lol

 

But , I shot 50 to 70 rounds of Magnums through it . Double and single action. When I could not pull double anymore , I only pulled single. I was happy with the results , and had to cut my 1 hour of range time down to 50 minutes because my thumb was bleeding and the .357 rounds had blown off my last bandaid and I was out of .38s .

 

A big +1 to the nice RO at BH who had bandaids behind the counter

 

Yeah , ok I won;t be putting 100 rounds of .38 then 50 plus in .357 on a regular range trip. The husband gave me hell over it , fingers looked a little hard ridden. But , it was my new gun!! I wanted to shoot it! Ok , so I had to open the cap on the gallon of milk this a.m with my teeth. I won't always shoot it so .357 round intensive. Costs too much anyway .

 

They way I look at it if I can shoot 50 .357s out of it with decent accuracy at SD range , that will pay off if God forbid I have to only shoot 5 to make it count.

 

After finally shooting it I would definitely recommend it to a person with very small hands . It has , to me at least, a very mild recoil in 38s . I am able to put proper finger placement on the trigger without rotating my grip to reach , so my grip on the gun is solid . I can cock the hammer for single action no problem . Keep in mind these are all things that gave me problems on most other revolvers ( except a light double action snubnose I shot ..but that was unpleasant in .38 ..I would not want to send .357s out of it for more than 2 or 3 rounds ) . It is a really nice compromise between size , weight , looks , and stopping power capabilities. I would thing that even someone that does not have umpa loompa hands would appreciate the agility and feel of it. My husband has large hands and he said it felt good in his hand .

[Sandy 44]

Fixed it for you - it's a J-frame. Full length rubber grips cover the backstrap thus increasing the LOP - something critical for people with small hands. The Altamont wood grips that came on the Pro series 60 are full length and have an exposed backstrap.

 

Ray - tried one with the rubber grips. It was great , but the grips did add a little critical distance for me. The exposed backstrap is a bit harder on the hand , but it feels like a much better fit. I'm willing to sacrifice a little comfort for good form

[Ronald Silver 2]

Is that a J frame? If so, check out the beautiful VZ grips for the J S&W frames. You'll want them, trust me :-)

[Sandy 44]

I am not an S&W hater, but their revolvers with locks can be problematic. If you do a search on Smith&Wesson Internal lock problems, you will see a LOT of results. Of course some of it is the internet amplification effect, but it is real. I had a Model 629 lock seize on me while shooting at Shore Shot. At the range, it's no big deal. Using it to defend against an attacker, not so much.

 

I did read up on it , but it seemed rare and over internet reported. How long had you been shooting your 629 before it happened ? I will keep an eye on that for sure though. Hence the importance of practicing often with your guns

[lunker 274]

It was only my second or third range session. The problem is the safety flags range of motion is directly in line with recoil motion. Other companies like Ruger and Taurus have ILS too, but you never hear complaints about them. A lot of S&W owners drill out the locks.

[Pizza Bob 1,488]

Is that a J frame? If so, check out the beautiful VZ grips for the J S&W frames. You'll want them, trust me :-)

 

They are nice and I've already stated my taste for G-10 grips, but these are for concealed carry in a boot-grip configuration for a snubby. Only two fingers around the grip, pinky underneath. The full-length grips that came on her gun are better suited to her intentions and a gun with adjustable sights and a longer barrel than most J-frame snubbies.