The Smith and Wesson .38 Chiefs Special Model 60 is a five-shot revolver that has been in production since 1965 and has the distinction of being the first regular-production all-stainless-steel revolver ever made.

The 1965 model’s stainless steel finish proved so popular that there was a waiting list at local gun shops for up to six months to purchase one.

S&W Notes

This particular gun was originally purchased and used by the CIA.

Smith & Wesson Model 60 factory box side Smith & Wesson Model 60 oblique view

Smith & Wesson

In March 2000, Smith & Wesson was the only major gun manufacturer to sign an agreement with the Clinton Administration. The company agreed to numerous safety and design standards as well as limits on the sale and distribution of its products.

Gun clubs and gun rights groups responded by initiating large-scale boycotts of Smith & Wesson, refusing to buy new products and flooding the firearms market with used S&W guns. After a 40% sales slide, the sales impact from the boycotts led Smith & Wesson to suspend manufacturing at two plants.

Smith & Wesson Model 60 right side
Right-side view of the stainless Model 60.

Smith & Wesson Continues to Sell Guns with Internal Locks

The success of the boycott led to a Federal Trade Commission antitrust investigation being initiated under the Clinton administration, targeting gun dealers and gun rights groups. The investigation was subsequently dropped in 2003.

The agreement signed by Tomkins PLC ended with the sale of Smith & Wesson to the Saf-T-Hammer Corporation. The new company, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, publicly renounced the agreement and was received positively by the firearms community.

Smith & Wesson Model 60 left side Smith & Wesson Model 60 barrel marking Smith & Wesson Model 60 grip medallion

Collector Takeaway

The Model 60’s place in S&W history begins with stainless steel.

Its status as the first regular-production all-stainless-steel revolver gives the Model 60 a special place among Smith & Wesson J-frame collectors.

Final Word

The Smith & Wesson Model 60 earns its place in a collector’s cabinet because it is both historically important and genuinely useful. As the stainless J-frame that helped prove the value of corrosion-resistant carry revolvers, it belongs in the same broader Smith & Wesson conversation as the K-frame Model 65, the N-frame Model 58, and even later rimfire training arms such as the M&P 15-22 Brace Pistol. Each represents a different era and purpose, but together they show how Smith & Wesson has continued to adapt classic American handgun and shooting traditions for new generations of owners, collectors, and shooters.