1979 seems a likely date. S&W came up with this pistol around 1955 and we have MANY fantastic threads and discussions of it’s early days, such that I would embarrass myself if I tried to tell the tale of the Model 39.

Fast forward to about 1970, S&W redesigned the extractor and the pistol became the Model 39-2. As it was such a phenomenal design, the buying public loved them and S&W answered by building some 347,000 of the Model 39!

These were in production to as late as 1982 or 1983. The 39’s, 59’s and 52’s are all lovingly referred to as “1st Gens” and this model was superceded by the 2nd Gen Model 439.