View Full Version : S&W Model 39
As sort of a parallel thread to my inherited Colt Series 70 another one of my FIL's guns was a S&W Model 39.
After arriving home today I sat down, field stripped it and gave it a good cleaning and lubing. I don't know much about it other than the safety/decocker is kind of odd.
The gun is in fantastic shape and has a great feel and balance to it. I only have one nine (I think) round mag for it and a quick check to Brownells show they run around $44 each! :eek:
So my question is what should I know about this model and how did they perform back in the day? Anything I should keep my eye on or worry about?
It won't get shot much but va_dinger and I will take it out tomorrow and put a box or two through it to see how it does.
I'll post pictures tomorrow.
I find the grip on the M39 series to be one of the most ergonomic. That safety/decocker set up isn't "weird", that was standard on double action handguns since the Walther PP came out in '27 or so. :cool:
The M39 blended the double action of the Walther P38 with the a Browning style locking system and magazine release. Definitely an evolutionary piece.
The Illinois Highway Patrol adopted them in 1962 or something, way ahead of other agencies. The USAF bought some for their SP's and the US Navy SEALS bought some and added extended threaded barrels, and high profile sights, and used them with suppressors in Vietnam and called them "hushpuppies".
You've already found out it has a magazine safety.
Any current production S&W magazine will be for the 3rd Gen version, the M3904, and it will have a thick baseplate that will look kind of weird in the M39, but it will work fine.
Is the gun a M39 or a M39-2?
There aren't very many actual M39's running around out there, most are 39-2's.
Keep it well lubed and change out the recoil spring occasionally like anything else, and your son's kids will still be shooting it.
It probably won't like modern hollow point ammo with a sharp nose cavity, but the legacy hollowpoint designs like the Remington and Federal 115 gr. JHP's might work well.
Nice guns.
Templar, how do I find out if it's a M39-2? It says Model 39 on it.
Templar, how do I find out if it's a M39-2? It says Model 39 on it.
Must have been very cool to have a FIL that was a gun nut like it sounds like he was.
It would be marked 39-2 on the gun if it were a -2, just like S&W marks the different generations on their revolvers inside the crane.
Post a pic when you can......the M39 had a big fat extractor, the M39-2 had a much smaller profile one that they're still using today in their pistols.
I find the grip on the M39 series to be one of the most ergonomic. That safety/decocker set up isn't "weird", that was standard on double action handguns since the Walther PP came out in '27 or so. :cool:
The M39 blended the double action of the Walther P38 with the a Browning style locking system and magazine release. Definitely an evolutionary piece.
The Illinois Highway Patrol adopted them in 1962 or something, way ahead of other agencies. The USAF bought some for their SP's and the US Navy SEALS bought some and added extended threaded barrels, and high profile sights, and used them with suppressors in Vietnam and called them "hushpuppies".
You've already found out it has a magazine safety.
Any current production S&W magazine will be for the 3rd Gen version, the M3904, and it will have a thick baseplate that will look kind of weird in the M39, but it will work fine.
Is the gun a M39 or a M39-2?
There aren't very many actual M39's running around out there, most are 39-2's.
Keep it well lubed and change out the recoil spring occasionally like anything else, and your son's kids will still be shooting it.
It probably won't like modern hollow point ammo with a sharp nose cavity, but the legacy hollowpoint designs like the Remington and Federal 115 gr. JHP's might work well.
Nice guns.
Huh, I thought that IL adopted the 59? Didn't the hushpuppies have clean lexan grips, with widely cut out magazine slots so you could ealisy view how much ammo was left in the mag? I could be dreaming that up, but I swear that I have seen pictures of them in some Vietnam War pictorials through the years.
I believe that S&W did do a re-call on some of their older pistols due to some sort of chamber/barrel issue, but I can not recollect if it was the 39 or 59. I seem to be mixing up the history of these two pistols a bit, but it would probably be worth checking on if you plan to shoot your 39.
These pictures suck but you get the idea. I think think it's a regular M39 because it's not stamped with the -2.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee64/oclvtrek/100_8677.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee64/oclvtrek/100_8676.jpg
And yes Templar he was but sadly we didn't spend much time shooting together. Just wait until I post all his revolvers...I haven't even been through all of those yet!
Yep, that's the original M39. Fat extractor.
They only made those for something like two years or so before they switched over to the -2.
That's probably a pistol from 1955 or 1956, first or second year production.
Very cool.
The clear grips were done by Devel. I dont know if the SEALS used them. That is a very nice model 39.
As Templar said,that is a Mod.39. I carried a Mod. 39-2 on duty for several years in the early 70's. They were almost impossible to find but we located some at J.B.Maszk's Gun Shop in Bunnel,Fl. and bought them on a department letterhead for a whopping $89.00 each. I ordered two and sold the second one for $200.;)
There were eight of us who were training junkies and we all bought them. There was NO high performance ammo available then except for the 90 grain Super Vel HP and that's what we used. We didn't know then what we know today and we were light weight,high velocity freaks.
As far as running well,we had zero problems with those guns.
I still have a 39-2 and a 539,the later all steel version,and they run the 147 gr.Rangers like clockwork.
They are without a doubt the best feeling auto pistol to me ever made. I carry Glocks these days as a civilian,but I still shoot these guns especially when I'm feeling nostalgic for the good old days.
They were viciously maligned by many hard core 1911 men in those days but at least one of the great gunfighters,Col Charles Askins,was very attuned to them and his son carried one as a helicopter pilot in Nam.
The 39 should give you some pleasureable shooting. Congrats on finding that one.They are starting to show up more often now and while they may not compete with the new technology,they'll still do everything they always did.
The clear grips were done by Devel. I dont know if the SEALS used them. That is a very nice model 39.
Those clear grips were on the ASP model right?
Edited to add: Found this picture on Novak's site. This gun supposedly belongs to Ken Hackathorn. A 39 built by Charlie Kelsey.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/devel_m39-l.jpg
MarshallDodge
05-15-10, 11:15
Very nice! Love the 39!!
I purchased a 39-2 about 10 years ago and it has a great trigger as well as being accurate. They are so nice and slim that I think they would be a great carry gun. My wish would be to carry mine once in a while but it fails to extract every 25 rounds or so. I took it to a gunsmith to fix and he "sharpened the extractor and test fired" for $75. Instead of failing to extract every magazine it is now once every two or three mags. :rolleyes:
It may be something as simple as the extractor spring that needs replacement so my next step is to get a replacement spring and extractor to install.
My uncle has a steel framed 39 which are really rare and told him so but he didn't really care. It is just a house gun that he leaves laying around. I am going to have to see if I can make him a deal on it.
For magazines, mine came with a Pro-mag and I picked up a used S&W mag. The Pro-mag seems pretty nice, works the same as the S&W, and are much less.
Those clear grips were on the ASP model right?
Edited to add: Found this picture on Novak's site. This gun supposedly belongs to Ken Hackathorn. A 39 built by Charlie Kelsey.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/devel_m39-l.jpg
Thats what I was thinking. I saw that photo on Novaks site a while ago. I believe that weapon had a shorter slide. The pre cursor to the 3913 I suppose. I belive Hilton Yam collects the Devel guns. He might be a good source of info
varoadking
05-15-10, 16:06
I've owned 4 or 5 model 39-2's over time. I kept this one - a nickel model with black controls and Kieth Brown stocks. (and some smudges)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22/varoadking/Mancave/39004.jpg
It's a wonderful piece...
Sidewinder6
05-15-10, 20:54
Put the thing in a glass case and run and then, persuade yourself not to carry this. Smith is the finest revolver company in the world. Underscore that.
Although it represents a piece of history in the evolution of SA/DA, it is a dog. I carried one for a while until it disintegrated. Frame cracked and I had a problem with the barrel. I never bothered to figured out which came first.
This is why I have a bad taste in my mouth for M&P's.
You can make anything work for you if you put enough into it, but back in the days when budgets were smaller, that is not how we spent our spare change.
I have to agree with Templar, I really like the grip on these. Always thought they were neat. If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that there was a small run of the 1st generation of these with steel frames. Anyone?
MarshallDodge
05-15-10, 21:46
If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that there was a small run of the 1st generation of these with steel frames. Anyone?
Yes there was. I mentioned that in my post above. ;)
Ah... Model 39s are cool.
My dad had one; I shot it some as a kid. Now that my dad is gone, my brother has it.
Yes there was. I mentioned that in my post above. ;)
Guess I missed that. :D
Anybody have experience with mounting a set of Crimson Trace handgrips to a Model 39? I have not been able to figure out if they produce anything that fits this particular firearm.
A couple guys at a Crimson Trace dealer told me the 1911 grips would work but I don't 100% trust their expertise. I also have not found anything specific on their website.
brushy bill
12-22-10, 18:50
Here's a link from Smith and Wesson Forum. Mentions the extractor breakage issue that I recalled reading/hearing was sometimes a problem with the model 39 but supposedly not as frequent with the -2.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/165037-what-s-wrong-model-39-a-4.html
Doubt it on the CTs and I sure wouldn't trust a gun shops answer. Send CT an e-mail and see what they say but given the age and popularity (or lack of) with the M39, ??
The Model 39 is a beautiful pistol with a lousy extractor. I had one while in college and ran lots of lead bullet reloads through it. The powder charge could be reduced so much that the empty case would literally brush my knuckles as it fell out the ejection port with perfect reliability. So the recoil mechanism was well designed.
Who ever designed the extractor(s) though was apparently ignorant of elementary geometry, as if it had to extract it would not. Some of the previous posters have confirmed that. The second model (-2) extractor would not break, but it still would not extract reliably. If you decide to use this weapon for personal defense, I suggest that you lube the ammo.
Another weak point on the early guns was the case hardened sear and hammer. The impacts of firing would sometimes break the hammer's small sear engagement surfaces or the thin tip of the sear. They should not have made those parts like they do their revolver's.
It is a beautiful gun with a great grip and action. You had to be lucky to get one that was reliable though.
1911 grips and S&W 39 grips are very different and will not interchange. I carried a 39-2 for a few years back in 1973 as my duty gun. Extraction problems started after a few thousand rounds. Luckily, I was sent to the S&W armorer's school and took the gun back East with me. We replaced the early 70s extractor with the 1982 version and the gun ran like a champ. I believe the improved extractor had a small punch mark to differentiate from the earlier version.
I foolishly sold the gun when it became unfashionable to admit you owned a 9mm. I regretted selling off my first duty gun. A few years ago I found a new in the box 39-2 shown below. It gets a few hundred rounds a year through it for nostalgia but it is too nice to carry. The grip feel is the best I've ever experienced.
Your version has the first generation wide extractor. Some of these broke and S&W moved to the -2 type within a short time after release of the pistol. If you plan to shoot it you might want to seek out a replacement as S&W no longer has them. I believe Jack First made some replacement extractors and might still have them in stock. Good score on a great old pistol. Think of it as owning a 57 Chevy. Fun to take out once in a while but too valuable for daily use.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/akviper/100_2545.jpg
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