pinned barrel Model 60 and +P

[padwan]

A friend recently passed away and left me his Model 60 in .38 Spl. I took possession of the revolver last week and noticed that it had a pinned barrel and chromed hammer & trigger.

This is different from the Smiths I've owned as all of them had case hardened hammers and triggers and none had pinned barrels. (They all had hammer-mounted firing pins though and no locks.)

Based on the limited research I was able to do, this is a pre-'82 production but where between 1965 and 1982 it falls, I cannot tell. SN range is R175xxx.

Would this be safe to use with +P? I've been trying to look for Nyclads in my area but to no avail. The only available fodder is Federal 129gr HS and Blazer 125gr JHP.

I don't intend to shoot +P exclusively but I wanted to know if it was safe to run a couple of cylinders of the hotter stuff every few months.

[Frailer]

The Official Smith & Wesson Answer is "no," as Model 60s weren't rated for +P prior to the 60-4 variant.

But I wouldn't hesitate to fire +Ps on a semi-regular basis through *any* Model 60.

ETA: based on the serial number, your revolver was made between 1974 and 1977.

[padwan]

Thanks Frailer! It's nice to have a revolver that's about my age. Way cool.

I picked up an HKS speedloader today. Still looking for Comp 1s as I'm more familiar with Safarilands but some practice with the HKS should make the situation workable.

[CAVDOC]

over at smith and wesson forum the prevailing wisdom is any gun that is marked with a model number would be safe for plus p. Considering most people (I imagine you would be no excetion) plan on shooting a box of carry loads to confirm poa/poi and function then maybe shoot a box of plus p a year , the gun should last about 100 years or so.