TNWNGR

Graycrait has done his usual excellent job of locating and posting current bluebook price ranges on the S&W M-60 in question here. I will point out that these are merely recommendations or more precisely guidelines as store prices can and do often exceed these. Since this is your friend I’d say show him the information you have and ask him what he’ll take for the revolver? If it sounds reasonable to you then buy it, if not just pass on the deal another opportunity will come along later. From your description I’d say the M-60 is pretty darn close to 98% and since it’s a pinned barrel model I would suggest a $365.00 – $380.00 price range as being very fair to both of you.

I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for one to show up in the nearest gun store...just seem's plain silly for a JMB designed pistol...

Is it a five or six round revolver? 38 Special or 38 S&W? Rounded front sight like half of a dime on it or a ramped/serriated front sight? If it's a 6 round in 38 Special or 38 S&W with the rounded front sight then it's a S&W M&P (pre-model 10). Ramped & serriated front sight 6 round as already mentioned then it's a Model 10. The five round is either a Chief's Special J frame or a Model 36, unless it's a S&W Terrier. The Terrier look's like a Chief's Special but it's a little smaller and will be a 38 S&W.

Sound's good to me. I'd wondered about the bore axis and grip set up on the pistol, someone did their research design homework.

The Colt Anaconda never competed well against the S&W M-29 or Ruger Redhawk, it was horribly expensive and wasn’t an attractive design. Given Colt was in serious financial difficulties it was too little, too late. Those who had the foresight to purchase Anaconda’s for investment/collectors purposes were prudent. A letter to Colt will tell you if yours went through the custom shop. I own an early 1950’s Colt 357 Magnum 4” blued steel “pre-Python” the Colt Custom Shop restored for me. Those folks are amazing and well worth the time and money to have do your Colt repair or restoration work.

That’s a pistol worth consideration; it has every possibility of developing a huge market share here in the U.S. The grip angle and beavertail should give it good ergonomics, I’ll wait a bit until more user information develops but time will tell. By all means post a range result’s report when you have an opportunity to do so.

Negatives are its less than glamorous looks, it’s a bit ungainly and bulky too. Positives though are reliability and decent combat accuracy, lots of aftermarket hammers, spring and triggers kits are available for it as well. The NIB price on these is good but used prices are so good it’s really prudent to purchase one for a teaching/training tool. Most folks who bad mouth these pistols’s do so because the ergonomics or triggers pull can be so off setting to them. It’s really too bad because taking the time to learn how different pistol’s shoot is beneficial to your training.

If you find yourself in a lethal force self defense situation the only thing that’s going to matter is having a reliable handgun on you or in your hand. We can do the barrel length; overall size and caliber dance until we’re blue in the face and prove nothing. All that will matter in the end is your skill set and decision making ability under pressure. Invest in top quality training and practice, make certain your equipment and holster(s) are in good repair and 100% reliable and drive on.

If its a blued finish Taurus 1911 it should be priced faily under the $600.00 price range. Stainless might be at or slightly over the $600.00 price range. I suggest you find someone who has a Taurus 1911 pistol but want's a S&W M&P 9 and do a face to face trade. You'll probably find out the two of you can agree to a very fair trade.

The Don Hume J.I.T. Belt Slide OWB holster is well worth considering for your 1911 Commander clone. It’s all leather and cost’s less than $30.00 which is a very fair price for a good quality holster. As to your pistol’s sight’s, use contrasting paint on the front and rear sights for now, then when time and money allow replace them with a set of fiber optic sights. Tritium night sight inserts are nice but pricey as well as over rated. I have them on several pistols but still have a so-so opinion on them.

RebelWAC, You’ve already figured out what your problem is and it’s the front sight you selected. Parallax problems make it horribly difficult to shoot accurately. Find someone who has an LCR with the standard front sight on it and run a box of ammunition through it to see what happens. Once you’ve proven the front sight to be the problem either trade the LCR for one with a standard front sight or replace the front sight. I’ve had nearly the same problems with shotgun bead front sights and rifle sights with the worst problems with large aperture rear peep sights. The human eye and its focal planes are far too complex for some rudimentary fixed optical systems to interface properly. Nothing is broken or wrong, it’s just the way things are, regroup and use something else.

All parts are not created equally and all should be viewed skeptically until proven otherwise. I’m not sure if another pistol has had more junk aftermarket replacement part’s produced for it than the 1911 GM. Learn what to look for and which companies can be trusted as well as who you trust to do repair work for you.

It’s all about personal preferences and what you want in a pistol and many more women shoot the 1911 GM pistol well than realized. The 1911 platform can be the go to gun for pretty much anything simply by using different ammunition or springs. Going to an alloy frame can reduce weight and still be a controllable pistol with the right loading. It’s a true multi function, multi mission pistol platform. None of this means it can’t be a problem ridden safe queen either, understanding how the pistol works is mandatory. Overwhelmingly most problems don’t require a gunsmith or someone smarter than the owner/shooter. Don’t try to make the pistol feed something it doesn’t like and if a magazine doesn’t work right try a new one. Would I rather run a Glock or other striker fired defensive pistol most of the time instead of a 1911 GM in .45 ACP? Yes, I would. If the 1911 GM .45 ACP was all that I had would I feel less comfortable or confident? Nope. Let the end user decide and use whatever revolver or pistol best suits them.

As far as I can recall it’s the only known revolver capable of being threaded for a suppressor to produce significant noise reduction. The barrel cylinder gap in other wheel guns releases a significant level of blast and noise, just look at some stop action pictures.

Don’t get in a hurry on picking out a training gun for your wife; just use what you or your friends already have. Let her take the HCP training course and apply for her carry permit for now and spend your money on ammunition. When she’s ready let her pick out the handgun she likes best and just give her the money to buy it. This is all about helping her to learn her way about the legalities and responsibilities of firearms ownership and self protection. Trust her on this and she’ll make you proud.

The 938 look's like it will prompt a lot of people into giving it a serious study and consideration. I don't know if it's going to be a "pocket gun" prospect but do see it as a good IWB/OWB carry pistol. The 238 didn't make the cut with me due to weight and cost for a .380 ACP but the 938 will be on my research list. I started out with SA pistols and still prefer them when possible.

JAB offers good advice on not airing intent to disobey or ignore a law or ordinance. The reality is that people do so all the time and plead ignorance or simply admit to doing so. By all means take your own counsel in this but in doing so recognize and weigh the risks and consequences. I’m a LEO and have to abide by the same laws as others along with a lot of departmental rules and regulations that are more restrictive. I consider the “shall issue” handgun carry permit as well as the “Castle Doctrine” law as this state empowering its citizens. As to the comment on police not wanting to go out and catch vehicle burglars. Well, unless you catch them in the act it’s not quite that easy. Good surveillance cameras or witnesses help a lot but absent that it comes down to fingerprints, DNA samples, pawns or catching the criminal with stolen property and such. It’s always great though when someone they’ve offended reports them to us and we get to stop their crime spree for a while. I had a perfect Series 70 Colt Combat Commander with fixed Millet Sights, beavertail safety, long trigger and holster stolen from my truck 19 years ago and never recovered it. So I can relate to how the original poster felt.

I own a 92FS which has performed well every time I’ve had it out and shot it, while it’s not my favorite pistol it is functional and reliable. My only issue with it is its overall size and bulk, plain and simple it’s a service pistol so bulk was a non-issue. I carry and shoot a Glock 22 and 27 as duty pistols and have years of training with them. While I know firsthand how well they work I have little love towards them or any other polymer gun for that matter. The point here is I may not care much for a particular pistol but if I know it works well and it’s what I have to use then I will. Some people like to make themselves appear to be subject matter experts but aren’t even close to any level of knowledge so just tune them out.

Either a Ruger LCP or a Glock 27, often as not both. I'd carry my Lc9 but my agency only allows us to qualify with three handguns, the Lc9 isn't as pocket friendly as the LCP.

I'm very pleased with the Lc9 and LCP pistol's. The LCR in 38 Special is really beginning to catch my eye as well. If the trigger pull on the Lc9 is bugging you there is an aftermarket kit avaiable for it now. Take your time and try to shoot as many of the gun's that like as possible so that you'll be happy with your purchase.

I can't tell if your M-36 has been refinished or not and really didn't care because it look's like a perfect cayy gun to me. The rest doesn't matter because you got a great price on that gun, I'm very picky about used gun's and I'd have bought it myself. If you want to know the original finish either write S&W and request a history or check in one of the better S&W collector's book's. Your a lucky man for having a wife who allow's you to be a gunnie and for finding such a nice older M-36.

Well in all honesty neither, I’ve had to use 38 Special, 9x19 and .45 ACP rounds from service handguns to kill a lot of injured deer over the year’s but always preferred a 12 gauge shotgun. The .22 Magnum out of a rifle will certainly do the job if the distance and shot placement are right. It would always make a tolerable survival rifle if that’s the direction this thread is going, but in reality whatever’s in your hands at the time will have to make do for you.

Good for you. Taking the time and effort to obtain a carry permit is a big deal. It was not so long ago that only a very few folk’s in Tennessee could only legally carry through some very convoluted means. A lot of people exerted a great deal of effort in order to break through that. Even though Tennessee is a Shall Issue State never forget that your carry permit is a privilege to you and others who have gained them as well. Carry your firearm with maturity and wisdom as well as pride in having earned this privilege to do so.

That look's like some first class work on both of those slide's and the price was very fair as well. When you get a chance to run some round's through them can you let us know if you see an improvement in how the cycle round's?

You've got a good looking pistol there, very nice finish and all of the right feature's. Take that puppy to the range and run a couple of hundred round's through it the first chance you get. If possible an after action report with picture's would be really nice.