Smith and Wesson model 39-2 - interesting history.

[Kanaloa]

http://americanhandgunner.com/historically-important-model-39/

So I was saving my pennies to pick up a weapon for sale on this forum, but I was too slow and it got sold. I found myself with a few hundred $$ available, that my wife had her eye on. But then this pistol popped up for sale. So it was either purchase this pistol or baby sit my kids while my wife and her friends gave it to the casino in Biloxi. Looks like Biloxi will have to wait. I purchased this one from a fine gentlemen who was the original owner. From what I can tell it was made in the mid 1970s. Georgous bluing job.

When I was reading up on this pistol, I stumbled across this article in American Handgunner. I didn't know the history behind this gun was so steep. I enjoyed it and thought someone else would as well.

 

[Midnight son]

Congratulations on the purchase! It's good someone will take it out and shoot it instead if languishing in a sock drawer somwhere. I have always had a soft spot for the 1st and 2nd gen smiths as they were most modern pistols if the era in which i grew up. I swore on my 21st birthday i was going to buy a 459. That was 31 years ago! Six months ago i found a like new 459 for $300 and jumped on it. While the design is dated, good work can still be done if you take the time to da/sa train. I even shot mine in a local idpa match. The trigger reset is second to none!

 

[Kanaloa]

Thanks. If I had to trust my life on a pistol, I would take something modern and newer with a higher mag capacity (this one holds only 8 rounds of 9mm ). But I prefer and appreciate the old school aesthetics and workmanship of the older stuff. I haven't fired this one yet, but the trigger feels great when dry firing. You got a good deal on a like new 459. Not makin' em any longer. These are like Pringles...can't just have one!

 

[Midnight son]

 

[MAXman]

Thanks. If I had to trust my life on a pistol, I would take something modern and newer with a higher mag capacity (this one holds only 8 rounds of 9mm ). But I prefer and appreciate the old school aesthetics and workmanship of the older stuff. I haven't fired this one yet, but the trigger feels great when dry firing. You got a good deal on a like new 459. Not makin' em any longer. These are like Pringles...can't just have one!

I'm not gonna admit to some of the neglect I've subjected a smith 39 to, but I can assure you that it can eat garbage that's been sitting spilled coffee after the piece took a dip in the gulf two weeks prior. In fact, my third gen 39 is carried daily now. If I had to pick something out of a pile to trust my life to, I'd look for a smith 39/59(perferably 39 since I have lil girly man hands.)


Eta* look up the mk22 and mod 0. I read a internet legend of one without any markings or serial, found at a murder scene in Brazil. Also heard an internet rumor the 39 was used for some of the early mercury missions, in case someone besides the navy fished the guys out of the drink. Also know a udt frogman who served in the 50s/60s who said he carried one in the service(I was showing him my 639). Also, if I remember correctly, the profile is very similar to a no tailed commander. You did good Kanola. I am be jealous.

 

[Kanaloa]

MaxMan - you shouldn't be jealous. It was a conversation we had about a year ago about yours, that got me interested in them. Unless you were exaggerating about the magic....LOL

 

[MAXman]

Yor results may vary, but personally they're about my favorite.

Midnight son, I absolutly love those sights. The tacti-tools go on and on about racking slides off of belts with rear sites, you can not only do that(off if just about anything with that bad boy) but also protect those adjustable target sights while your at it.

 

[oneshot]

Love the 39 series have had 3 or 4 and a couple of 59's still have two 639's Just my 5 cents jj

 

[oneshot]

Love the 39 series have had 3 or 4 and a couple of 59's still have two 639's Just my 5 cents jj

 

[Kanaloa]

MaxMan - finally got a chance to take the 39-2 to the range today. It did not disappoint. The trigger was fantastic and it has a superb Short reset. Just as good or maybe a little better than my Sig P226 SRT. This was my first time shooting one of these old school Smith semi autos and I was impressed. Too bad they don't still make these.

 

[MAXman]

Ya the reset on these is interesting.

 

[HayesGreener]

I grew up in the Illinois state capitol and was there when they adopted the M39. The troopers absolutely loved that pistol. Part of what drove them to the M39 was the contours made it more concealable than the duty revolvers they were using and they required their officers to carry their badge and gun 24/7. Same gun on and off duty made lots of sense for training. I had the opportunity to talk to instructors from the academy over the years as I managed my department's transition to the Model 669/6906 version years later. Most of the problems encountered with these pistols was ammo related. The ISP worked with Winchester ammunition, which is located in Illinois, to develop effective and reliable ammunition for the semi auto pistol. Many of the advances in modern 9mm ammunition grew from that collaboration. As an aside, the M39 series pistols have a magazine disconnect that disables the pistol when the magazine is removed. A number of troopers and officers from other agencies reported saved officers lives from their ability to hit the magazine release during gun grab incidents.