S&W Model 61 Escort
Sub-Compact .22 Purse Gun or LE Backup Tool
Design changes: A nickeled 61-3 (top) and a blued 61-2 (bottom).
The 61-2 introduced a magazine disconnect safety. The final
61-3 also featured a forged aluminum frame.
The 1968 Gun Control Act put a serious dent in the availability of small imported pocket autos. Regardless of quality, the operative phrase was “Saturday Night Special.” In attempting to fill the resulting void with a domestic product, Smith & Wesson offered the Model 61 Escort from 1970 to 1973.
Ammo finicky? Absolutely! The Escort, particularly the nickeled
M61-3 delivered its best 7-yard results in terms of combined
functional reliability and accuracy with Federal 40-grain AutoMatch ammo.
One Of A Kind
Despite S&W’s stellar reputation for iconic double-action revolvers and full-size autos, the Escort was something of an anomaly. It was the only truly pocket-size, small-caliber auto S&W ever offered. In short, it was the company’s maiden — and final — voyage into the “mouse gun” market.
It was a fairly simple single-action blowback auto in .22 Long Rifle, featuring a 5-shot magazine. For those with an eye toward historical precedent, the M61 was basically an aluminum copy of the steel Bayard Model 1908.
The Belgian-made Bayard was produced until the end of the 1930s and could be had in centerfire persuasion of .25 and .32 ACP. The major feature both the Bayard and the Escort had in common was the fact the recoil spring was situated atop the fixed barrel in both guns.
Like its European predecessor, the Escort easily fits the definition of “pocket pistol.” The barrel length is 2 ⅛”, overall length is 4.2″ and weight is 14 oz.
Pocket-scaled as it was, the Escort was certainly not the smallest carry option, at least from a pre-1968 GCA standpoint. The Baby Browning .25 ACP had a 43-year jump on the Escort and weighed 9.7 oz., an OAL of 4.1″ and a 6-round magazine capacity.
Although its production life was relatively short, S&W produced a couple of versions of the Escort, ending with the final “dash-3” model featuring a forged aluminum frame (the frames of previous iterations were cast). Total production of the M61 was 64,936 units.
The blued Escort 61-2 we had on hand had the original S&W box from 1970 with the “period correct” price sticker of $53.50. Today, of course, you’re going to pay considerably more for one if you can find it.
What specimens we’ve seen ranged in price from $700 to just under a grand. In addition, we had a nickeled 61-3. The major difference is that the 61-2 is cast while the 61.3 is forged. The 61-3 generally commands a slightly higher premium.
During the rather lengthy R&D run-up toward the Escort’s introduction, Smith considered a .25 ACP chambering but opted for .22 LR, feeling the ammo price differential would help steer prospective buyers to the Escort. However, small rimfire autos are nothing if not “ammo finicky” and any new Escort owners would’ve been well advised to try several ammo types and brands to find the most reliable. In fact, Smith & Wesson recommended doing exactly that.
One of our shooting samples was this Model 61-2. Size-wise,
it fits right in with a handful of pocket change and a vintage
Hen & Rooster Vest Pocket Skinner.
Stripped down: The recoil spring was situated atop the Escort’s
fixed barrel as it was with the M1908 Bayard (right).
Choose Wisely
Our range session drove this advice home — and then some. In terms of accuracy at 21 feet, the nickeled 61-3 shot closest to point of aim. In terms of cycling reliability, however, the only load that worked consistently with either gun was Federal 40-grain AutoMatch. Everything else we tried — Remington hyper-velocity 36-grain Viper, Winchester 36-grain Super-X HPs, Federal standard velocity 40-grain Champion — simply would not run the gun.
Failure to eject was the culprit in nearly all cases, obliging us to knock the empty out of the chamber by means of a cleaning rod. Our suspicions were this could have been caused by the wax case lube in at least some instances. At any rate, if we had it to do over again, we’d have seriously bumped up our ammo inventory. If you acquire an Escort, we’d recommend trying out a bushel basket of different loads and once you’ve found the right one, buy a metric ton of it.
In terms of 7-yard accuracy, all loads were okay, running between 2″ to 3″. But again, the elephant in the room was reliability. Fortunately, the Federal AutoMatch stuff took top honors in accuracy and shot reasonably close to point of aim.
In spite of these negatives, the Escort had two things going for it. First the sights, consisting of a square notch and square topped posts front and rear, are small but reasonably easy to acquire. In fact, they were better than most “mouse guns” in the Escort’s class, certainly superior to such classic “pocket poppers” such as the Baby Browning.
Secondly, the trigger pull was a reasonably manageable 4.5 lbs. But considering the Escort’s purpose as a last-ditch defensive item, finding the best functioning ammo for it is the critical factor. An inch or three difference in group size at pocket gun yardage isn’t nearly as critical as the gun going “bang” every time.
The only real ergonomic gripe was the shortness of the grip, making it pretty easy for large hands to run out of real estate. However, the recoil simply wasn’t enough to render a three-finger grip much of a pain.
The Escort in any “dash” variant is an interesting little sidelight to a storied gunmaker, and as such, is likely to appeal to S&W collectors.
