There was some 2-toned nickname for them in the brief time Smith was selling them, and that date you mention is just when there were big changes in their line as for gun construction, the snubbies were enlarged, etc, and I always figured they were doing the pinto/whatever guns to not be throwing good parts in scrap pile...I always found my model 60 fun in my mid-20s, but shooting the later all steel ones in late 30s/early 40s was no fun at all...had an SP101 where I rapid fired through first cylinder and was done for the day when the neoprene grip grabbed heavy callous in web of hand at base of thumb and ripped it wide open, and sold the gun right after that.
Was just again this week considering getting another older M60 with smaller frame/thinner topstrap and 1 1/8th" pencil barrel, but at current prices for the older, you can get a huge variety of circa $1000 things from which to choose, and I picked item #762X39. But the older guns sure fit in a pocket better than newer and kinder to liners.
A maglight always made a good nightstick, but I HAVE seen the batteries come right out through reflector and lens with a good enough lick.
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