The Smith & Wesson Model 60 revolver is a classic in the law enforcement world. Like nearly all other "J-frame" Smith & Wesson revolvers, it has a 5-round capacity in a swing-out chamber, and features an exposed hammer. The Model 60 has been in production since 1965, and holds the distinction of being the first regular production all stainless steel revolver ever made. However, its predecessor “The Chief” has been around since 1899 and was basically the same gun except it was constructed out of blued steel. The S&W .38 Special revolver served as the standard weapon of United states law enforcement from 1920 to 1980 and has become a major icon in law enforcement. This model has been copied by other makers, but its reliability has kept it selling over the years. For this reason, this review also applies to most of the Model 60's third party clones.

	The Model 60 .38 revolver

There is really one word to describe the Model 60: simple. The Model 60 is known almost globally for its incredible reliability and simplicity. With minimal moving parts, it's far more reliable than any semi-automatic pistol, and cleaning requires little more than 5 seconds and a can of WD40®. The probability of this gun jamming is basically zero, and that's extremely important when your handgun is the last thing standing between you and a painful initiation into the zombie family. Also something to keep in mind is that this gun has NO SAFETY, so should you be caught by surprise by a hidden zombie, that first shot will never be delayed by a forgotten safety.

Due to the short barrel length, this gun is incredibly difficult to wield effectively in anything but close combat. Its 2 inch (5.08 cm) barrel version is one of the preferred backup and concealed carry weapon for law enforcement officers and for civilian use. Practice is required to achieve precision shooting at mid-range, which is why it is commonly referred to as a "close quarters gun" or as a "belly gun", as some people claim it is best for being pressed directly against the target's belly and shot. So if you happen to obtain one of these on your journey to the resistance hold-out, keep it as a backup unless it's your only option. If it is your only option, don't bother using it until a zombie is within 10 yards (9.14 m) because odds are you'll miss and waste precious ammo. With that being said, once a zombie comes within 10 yards, by all means send him a message in the form of a 10-gram piece of lead flying at a speedy 1,000 feet per second. If you can hit your target, the .38 special should provide adequate stopping power for any zombie you may come into contact with.

	A Model 60 with Speedloaders

The .38 special is a great round. It's been around for over 100 years, and it was the primary choice for law enforcement for over 60 years. In fact, some law enforcement agencies still use it throughout the country. If you haven't gotten my point yet, what I'm saying is it's fairly abundant. Should you come across any sporting goods store or police station on your way to the resistance hold-out, there should be plenty of .38 ammo to go around if it hasn't already been looted. Also, beyond its abundance, the .38 special round is a flexible and powerful round. It has the same diameter as the .357 magnum round, so if you have a .357 magnum in your arsenal and you find .38 ammo, you can use them as well. Basically, the .38 special is a low-carb version of the .357; it's the same bullet with a smaller charge behind it which is good for helping to limit recoil. Unfortunately, due to its size and power, it's not recommended to use .357 rounds in your .38 revolver because the recoil can get excessive, and NOT ALL .38 REVOLVERS CAN ACCEPT .357 rounds; some .38 revolver cylinders are too short, causing obvious fitment issues.

The model 60 comes in two flavors, the 6.6 inch (16.76 cm) model with 2 inch (5.08 cm) barrel, and the 7.5 inch (19.05 cm) model with 3 inch (7.62 cm) barrel. Both are compact and light, weighing in at about 1.4 lbs (0.64 kg), so portability is a strong characteristic of the Model 60. Also, the gun is self-contained; you won't have to carry any magazines or anything, just extra ammo in your pocket.

The Model 60 is an ideal weapon for zombie combat, unfortunately its lack of a magazine system hurts it slightly. Although a magazine free system can be a good thing, since most people are used to Hollywood movies where the good guy has tons of pre-loaded magazines that he/she can just drop and forget about when empty. When the horde finally comes, you'll have to remember to pick up your empty magazines if you want to be able to use them down the line. Also should you run out of full magazines, it's a bitch to reload a magazine especially in a pinch. So its nice that the Model 60 is all self-contained, as there are no magazines to worry about dropping or reloading. Unfortunately the lack of a magazine system leaves the Model 60 with a weak 5 round capacity, which really hurts its practicality despite its obvious advantages.