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Ruger 101 or S&W 60 with adj. sights. Whats your pick?

Have had a couple of SP-101 and they just feel like a brick and the trigger pull both SA and DA are heavy....all were sold off...

Have two of the S&W 60-10 .357s and they are one of the best "little" guns I have ever owned... If I were in the market for a small .357 I would find a used 60-10 but I have friends who have the 60-15 and 60-15 PRO and they ae fine shooting guns despite The Hillery Hole....

Bob

I really like my SP101 2 1/2" barrel Trigger pull double action is smooth and the revolver is easy to hit with.

SMART MOVE. Be sure to get something with ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS or you will be looking for a "load to hit to sights". It will be an elusive and mind twisting adventure otherwise.

Both equal in their own right. If your priority is concealment, then the 60. If your priority is shootability, then the SP101.

I bought both in .357 magnum. I bought the Ruger first, then polished internals and experimented with trigger springs, and while it was better than stock, I just didn't care for the trigger pull. It seemed to "stack" a lot just before breaking. Then I bought a 3" model 60, which I've wanted for years, worked over the trigger on it and really liked it. Found no real difference in accuracy between the two guns, but I liked everything about the Smith better. The looks, the lighter weight, and the trigger pull. So I sold the Ruger to a friend. He thought it had one of the lightest trigger pulls he ever felt- but then he's never shot anything but a stock trigger before, and only shoots single action.

I also widened the rear sight window a little on both to be able to see a little light on each side of the front sight and added some white outline. The 4.2" Ruger had a nice fiber optic front, the 3" Smith doesn't. I painted the Smith's hot pink with my daughter's fingernail polish to make it stand out better. I also changed grips on both guns to something that suited me better. The stock Smith grips have a deep curve that made the recoil hit me in the most tender part of my hand.

Ignore the Ruger front sight here. I was in the experimental stages of cutting it off and JB Welding it back together. Hogue wood grips here.



The Smith with it's .22 twin. Shows the front sight and Altamont grips.

What will you be using it for?

I am done with the new Smith and Wesson revolver guns. They have lost the art. If you do buy a smith get one with the barrel sleeve, they routinely over torque the std one piece barrels on their new guns. I no longer feel any pride of ownership, so don't post pictures of my beautiful guns, I prefer dead animals and holes centered in paper, all else is twaddle.

How large are your hands?

S&W J-frames are too small to fit my hand comfortably and look odd with over-size grips on them. For me, a 2.5" or 2.75" S&W 66 would be a better fit.

Needless to say, any recommendation of S&W on my part is referring to pre-82 S&W revolvers. Post-81 S&W revolvers will often have defects that require a return to the factory for correction or replacement, or possess undesirable features.

I like old S&Ws as much as anyone and don’t care for the guns with the lock. But S&W made some pretty cool stuff after 1982 that wasn’t available before. I’m curious as to the 1982 cutoff date TRH?

I got a 2 1/4" SP 101, .357 Mag quite a few years ago. At the time, I was putting in a lot of time between the wheel for work and I probably dry fired it a few thousand cycles. That smoothed out the double-action trigger pull an incredible amount. I shot it quite a bit and it was a handful with full-house 125 loads. My younger son liked it so much he eventually got one just like it and it's seldom out of his reach. My brother liked mine so much I haven't seen it in probably 20 years. He's a city court judge and it's his "bench gun." That's okay, these days I'm very happy with my Sig 365.

That the Rugers are rock solid revolvers goes without saying.

I'm a big S&W fan and have many more Smiths than Rugers. That said, for a snubby, I'd take the Ruger over the M-60.

I think adjustable sights are an unnecessary complication on a snubby.

The OP doesn't make clear whether we're talking about a snubbie or longer barrel.

IMO, the 3" 60as is one of the most useful and shootable for size revolvers, ever. But if you intend to shoot heavy loads or otherwise abuse it, you're better off with the Ruger.

For a kit gun I went 4" SP101 in 32H&R and a Smith 4" stainless 22LR but I didn't want that heavy a chunk for concealed so I've got an Airweight 32H&R snubbie and a stainless 38 snubbie.
Why choose one, get some of everything!

They did make a lot of good stuff after 1982, but 1982 was the beginning of their descent in quality control. Increasingly, after that date, they put out problematic revolvers. At first the rate of descent was slow, but increasingly it became a problem thereafter. Add to that factor that they began also incorporating unpopular features, such as reduced quality of polish and blue, incorporation of MIM parts, elimination of the hammer mounted firing pin, and the incorporation of key locks. All along this time frame, general quality also deteriorated. So there are lots of well made S&W revolvers, with cool features, made after 1982, but that was the date (the elimination of the pinned barrel being the mark of the dawn of that change, even if that's not an important feature in itself) that marked the beginning of their decline in quality. Buy if shopping for a gun made after that date, you would do well to exercise more care in your selection, the later the date of manufacture after that date, the more care that should be exercised, is all I'm saying.

Not looking for concealment have J frame snubby for such things.Trail, truck type gun using light 357 loads.Close range pest control skunks, coons, real dumb yote wounded or sick animal. Do not see any new Smiths or Rugers on small frame with adj. sights with barrel shorter then 3". What adj. sights for ease of load change. Never had Ruger 101 or 100 their full break down seem nice and easy.

The S&W 60-15 and 15 PRO are still being made...there are plenty of them on GunBroker for sale...

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/855062121

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/846119994

Also have you looked at the UgglyDuckling...

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/848500529

..because there never has been one.... There was the Model 36 and 60-1 Target model but were made a long time ago.... I have one of the 60s but it is .38 Special only...

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/850627413

Having owned them all...for a field gun you want a 3" .357....

For that use, I'd go SP101 and at least 3". But I'd also give the LCR a close look.

I got rid of my SP pretty quickly, but I wanted it for CCW and IMHO it was too heavy for my purposes. As always YMMV.