A friend is sort of looking for this pistol, and has a vague recollection of it. He believes it to have been a 59XX pistol, possibly between 2nd/3rd generations or maybe just 3rd generation; dark in color (matt black?); fixed sights. His recollection was that it was for a trial in South America.

Knowing that this is the place to come seeking folks with serious nerd skillsets regarding S&Ws, I came in to ask. Any of that ring a bell?

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NHI, 10-8.

Maybe he's thinking of the 5906M. It was made only one year, 2001. It's stainless, but with a Melonite finish so it's dark in color. There were also other versions made earlier that were also in Melonite, but don't have a separate model designation. I think there is a thread about them somewhere in the forum.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

I agree that he is probably thinking of the 5906M, which was stainless with the melonite finish. Some of these were marked "Modelo Militar" which simply means "military model." I have never heard that the ones so marked were for any particular military trials. I had always understood they were marked that way to sell them in export markets. In the US, that model was the 5906 Military, which would account for the foreign language translation, I suppose.

It would certainly be interesting if someone had concrete information that the 5906M was tested anywhere for military trials, but I have never heard of it.

Thanks. I'll touch base and see if that matches his memory. If he was right about the time line (between the 2nd and 3rd generations) it would have been long before 2001. However, he is close to my age, so memory is open to debate.

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NHI, 10-8.

I have an old magazine with all the test guns and what was done from the 1980s also picked up a mint like new 459 matt finish and stocks that was a contract gun for someone maybe FBI gun its serial number is in the FBI range.