S & W model 60 No Dash

lig66

What does the No Dash mean? Thanx.

charliemeyer007

No design change.

Txs

Per Standard Catalog of S&W 3rd Edition:

M60:1965 Introduction of first stainless steel revolver.
1968 delete diamond grips
M60-1:1972 3" Square butt, heavy barrel version.
1982: Delete pinned barrel
M60-2: 1987 2500 produced as 2" DAO for NYCPD. It is believed that all were returned to S&W and sold to the civilian market, most converted back to traditional DA/SA operation. Some were also rebarreled to 3"
M60-3: 1988 New yoke retention system
M60-4: 1990 Limited production of target model with full underlug.
M60-5: 1990 DAO produced for NYCPD
M60-6: 1989 LadySmith version
M60-7: 1990 Sight width increase to 1/8", and heat treat package
M60-8: 1990 New width sight and heat treat package for NYCPD guns.
1992: discontinue 3" barrel
1994: Rosewood laminate grips on LadySmith. Change extractor; introduce synthetic grips.
M60-9: 1996 Change to J Magnum frame and cylinder for all fixed sight 2" frames in .357 Magnum
1996: discontinue .38 Special
M60-10: 1996 Target version in .357 Magnum
M60-11: 1996 New frame design for .38 Special version
M60-12: 1996 New frame nose cut
M60-13: 1996 New frame for .38 Special Target Version
1997: .38 Special reintroduced
1999: .38 Special discontinued
M60-14: 2001 LadySmith with ILS
M60-15: 2001 3" Target with ILS
M60-16: 2001 .38 Special 2" fixed sight with ILS
M60-17: 2001 .38 Special 3" Target with ILS
M60-18: 2005 .357 Magnum 5" Target with ILS w/ 2 piece barrel.

nmyers

When you swing the cylinder open, stamped on the frame will be "MOD 60", plus an assembly number. When S&W made the first significant design change to the Model 60, the stamp on the gun changed to "MOD 60-1"; so, none made after this point can be called "no dash".

The model & design change will also be shown on the box end label.

Neal

EDIT: R in the stocks box indicates "regular". Or, maybe, "round" (as opposed to square). I don't thing that we know for sure, but it was used for standard grips. This 60 no dash was made in 1969:

asop

OK, so I bought one in 1987. Has the MOD. 60 stamp on the frame seen when the cylinder is open. The cylinder swing arm has the ser.#39---, B23 and maybe a 10 stamped on it. Now the box. Ser# is listed as AYA5453?? *.#102302 and Spec. Ord.#7254. Never before compared revolver ser# with the one listed on the box, which is different?? There is also 450 on box label. What does this all tell you?

Herschel

The number stamped in the butt of the pistol grip is the serial number of the pistol. It should match the number on the box. If it doesn't match then the pistol is not on the box in which it left the factory.

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by lig66
What does the No Dash mean? Thanx.


It just means the original version of the gun, before later Smith design/manufacturing changes.

Over time, after introduction, Smith has gradually altered how it built its guns, usually to simplify (ie cheapen) manufacturing. So while there are all basically the same gun, with each new change, the model gets a "dash" version (eg 60, then 60-1, 60-2), etc.

With the Smith model 60 in particular, many of the changes were pretty minor and basically amounted to model variants, not really design changes.

By definition a lower dash number means an older gun. While lower dash numbers don't necessarily mean "better" guns from a functional standpoint (and arguably some of the later dash improvements actually do make better guns), in *general* the lower the dash number the more desirable a gun is to a collector.

lig66

My mod. 60 is a No Dash and has large wooden grips with no checkering. They completely cover the ser. non on the bottom. They have the S&W logo and looks like Rosewood. The serial no. is R 196 XXX. What's this all about?

lig66

In addition, the box label is marked R in the "stock box".

asop

Bean-Thanks. Can't believe the box ser# doesn't match the gun, how in the heck did that happen![xx(] The ser# on the crane of the cylinder matches the one located under the grips. So according to TXS info listed that does that mean a no - model was then mfg. prior to 1972??

beantownshootah

quote:Originally posted by asop
Bean-Thanks. Can't believe the box ser# doesn't match the gun, how in the heck did that happen![xx(]
Simplest way is that someone put the gun into the "wrong" box (by accident, or on purpose).

Just make sure you're looking at the correct serial number (butt of gun).

Other marks on the gun could indicate lot numbers or other manufacturing details.

quote:
The ser# on the crane of the cylinder matches the one located under the grips. So according to TXS info listed that does that mean a no - model was then mfg. prior to 1972??


Although 60-1s and 60-2s started to be made in the early 1970s, those were basically limited release number variants of the "no dash" gun. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think "no dash" models 60 were still made all the way up until the 1980s. . with "dash" variants ALSO being made at the same time.

So I think you could have a "no dash" gun made AFTER 1972.

If you have the serial number, you should be able to get the year of manufacture, if you are so interested.

Edit: Not sure I answered your question. If the gun was manufactured prior to 1972 is HAS to be a "no dash". . .Smith didn't make any of the "dash" guns until later.

If the gun was manufactured AFTER 1972, it might NOT be a "no dash". . .but it still might. If you open up the cylinder and look on the frame under the rear most part of the barrel, the specific model number is usually written there.