Hi guys. I haven't been on here in a while. I used to come here to discuss CS9 and BG380 stuff.

I recently picked up a really nice 439 and figured I'd grab a few extra mags for it. I can't find these anywhere except some really overpriced ones on Ebay and Gunbroker.

It appears I can use a mag for any SW single stack 9, including 39, 439, 3904, etc. I understand Smith stopped making these, but why have they suddenly dried up? Is it part of the Covid/Riot panic buying?

Any suggestions on good sources that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

Thanks,

David

It seems to be just the way it is. It is not Covid related because more than a year ago the true S&W OEM mags had dried up at most all decent sources.

There have been a ton of posts in the last few months. I overpaid (I thought) for an original black follower Model 39 on flea bay ($53) over a year ago, then found out that I was actually lucky to grab it at that price!

The bottom line seems to be that ProMag's suck most of the time, and Triple K is downright ******* right out of the package...both worthless as to reliability. MecGar doesn't manufacture the S&W line, so basically nobodies making a decent repop.

Best Advice? Jump back on Flea Bay and pay the price (if you even see a "buy-it-now") as there are a ton of bidders like you..want one and can't find it. It is for sure a Sellers market these days.

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

Gun sales started increasing dramatically last year. Along with new guns, used guns started flying off the shelves.

That has accelerated this year.

Along with guns, people are buying up ammunition and other accessories. Once acquired, people aren't letting them go.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Hello db, yes, arm and a leg! plus cash. Having the same problem.
You ought to try and find and buy the pre-39 mags with the ramp followers.
Have not seen any in years.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

They're in the safes of those who feel they need 10 mags for every gun or in the hands of the E-Bayer looking to make a buck. Because they are long out of production, there is no replenishment in the market.

I've been thinking about doing another S&W OEM mags for sale in the miscellaneous classifieds. I did one in 2019 and one in 2018, both went well. I probably do it after the Berea Ohio gun show at the end of August. There are some vendors there that are asking me to supply them mags. If the show gets cancelled, then I'd probably do it sooner.

Darn hoarders, er stockpilers, got them all

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These are “extra” magazines that I’ve accumulated, not hoarded OR stockpiled.

Many I got just a few years ago when they were available everywhere. There was almost a price war going on with them just getting cheaper.

The good news is I’ve sent some that I did not need/want to other Forum members. Kinda makes me feel a little less guilty.

Jim

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These days, those who have firearms and accessories are hanging onto them, so don't expect to find things like magazines for popular pistols that have been out of production for decades be plentiful. Watch eBay, they regularly surface, but expect to pay at least $40 for a genuine S&W magazine.

Steer clear of the ProMag magazines, they are cheap and often function cheaply. I have heard that replacing the follower and spring in a ProMag with S&W parts may yield a reliable magazine. My feeling is that by the time you spend money for springs, followers and ProMag magazines, you are knocking on the door of buying a real S&W magazine.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

i need 45 acp 8 round mags (4566) please ‼️‼️‼️

I was told 39 & 439 with thin flat metal base are same but 3904/3906 with thicker plastic base work but base sticks out slightly more than standard 39/439 mags

That is correct. the later production 3rd gens are 9 rounds, that's why a wee bit longer.

Create an in-stock notification for the currently produced magazine at Midway (they always seem to be the first to know when S&W magazines are discontinued).
Smith & Wesson Mag S&W 39 439 539 639 909 952 3904 3906 3944 3946 9mm

I purchased MegCar 15 and 20 round magazines for the S&W Model 469 I gave my grandson for very reasonable prices last year. Robertson's Trading Post had the adapters that fit the 15 round magazines that gave the 469 a full-size grip. I have to admit I didn't look for the single stack mags.

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

To be fair, MecGar makes 59xx mags, which can work in 69 pistols, and there is a supplier of 69 new aftermarket mags (KeepShooting.com), and Robertsons Trading Post sells modified KelTec P-11 mags with a fat base that work in a 69 flush.

If only someone would make 39 mags that are worth a dams.

You can also modify MecGar 92C 15rd flush mags to fit in 69 pistols by dremeling a new catch slot, and they stick out maybe 1/4 inch.

I was buying them cheap and stacking them deep the last 8yrs. The last deal I got was late last year early this year the 5 pack of 4006 mags for 60 shipped. Ended up buying 3 of those before they ran out and prices went up. Now I have 9 mags a piece for my 4006 and 4046. Should of spent some time buying 6906 mags but it is what it is.

For the last 30 years when I've run across one or more at a good price I've bought them.................

4T5Guy has made a good start on a stash....................

9 single stacks, 9 double stacks, 40 double stacks, 10 rd caps, 40 single stacks, 10mms, 45s.
The pic is from November so a few shows have added to it.

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So thats where they all went - thought of selling any?

As in my post#6, I'll be eventually putting a thread in the misc classifieds. Gotta do an inventory first.

There in lies the issue. All of my 3rd Gen guns are in good shape and can be used for self defense or any other lawful purpose. Still, without magazines, they are at best single shot pistols.

OEM mags are no longer in production for most 3rd Gens, and as we have discussed time and again, aftermarket mags are of generally poor construction.

Which is why I have a small cabinet stocked with 39xx, 69xx, 59xx, CS9, and 457 magazines. And a cigar box with springs, followers, and baseplates as well.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Realistically, how many mags would one need for a specific, single stack gun, to use in various Action Pistol style matches, etc? Two, 3, 4, 5, more? I can take the three Dad left me with his 39-2 that I can add to the “starter pair” for my built-up Model 639 Franken-Smith, but that is sort of a stop-gap. I’d like to put together a devoted package that can stay with this “working gun.” I know more is always better, but what would be a good, practical number for my range and defensive setup?

Froggie

PS I may end up starting over again with a 659, but for now, it seems like those mags are a lot more available around here at this time(?)

It's funny how much things changed in just the couple of years I wasn't paying attention. I assumed that when I bought this 439 that mags would be readily available like they were for my CS9. I figured the whole Model 39 platform was so plentiful that mags would always be available.

I will keep my eyes peeled for them now.

Completely agree with Best Advice. If you want the quality dsS&W mag, especially with the "X" follower, you have to pay for it. Others want them too. like other things, the price is forgotten with the piece in hand. Keep looking for "that deal" and you may never find it. Good luck!

I tried to trade off or sell my 'hoard' on this website just in the last week. Numerous factory mags at fair prices. Only one person bought any...all others who replied were tire kickers and low-ballers who had wrongly assumed that a $10 (or less) factory magazine could be had. Penny auctions on GB is the next step

I repeat, how many single stack mags does a person need if planning to use his 1st-3rd Gen gun for casual competition? This was not an idle question as I’m currently trying to get my Franken-Smith to a complete package that I can get a variety of uses from.

TIA~Froggie

I don't participate in competition shooting so for me 2 magazines (as they typically came with from S&W) per pistol is fine.
Other than that for the collection, one of every potential variety. Variations would be of follower style and color, spring baseplate metal or plastic, magazine baseplate color-metal-plastic, witness holes-few-many-both sides, upper vertical indentations, catch holes one side or both sides.
Then above that, buying virtually all I find at shows for shipping to members that can't find them. I sell them for $5 above what I paid to cover the shipping envelope and postage. I don't sell any of my current 10mm mags BUT about 2 years ago I picked up many 10mm mags from my main supplier as he found a stash hidden/unknown. He sold them to me at $40 and I resold them at $45 to members here and on the 10mm forum. Currently inventorying for a misc for sale thread.

Some care to ask why anyone would need more mags than what came in the original box of the gun. My #1 reason is that range time should be spent honing the shooting skills, not re-loading 1 or 2 mags.
The more important and downright scary reason is that there are people in power (via ignorant voters) who want ALL firearm magazines to be illegal to own. MOST gun owners know that and are wisely buying spare mags while they still can.

Honestly though, I would like all owners of the same models of guns that I own to have that '1 or 2 is enough' mindset. Sure would be easier and cheaper for me to 'hoard' more mags

i have "range only" magazines and "carry only" magazines. That way I don't have to empty my carry magazines when I go to the range. My range magazines sit in my range bag.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

I just put an ad in the classifieds misc for sale forum concerning OEM S&W mags.

Mr. Froggie, us collectors may stockpile gun accessories like grips,
parts, barrels, paper, boxes, etc. Why not mags? Call it collecting
or hoarding, I dont know. I have a few spare mas for the autos I have
and shoot.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

When I shot PPC you really needed at least 25 mags to shoot a match. Otherwise trying to change targets, get back to the line and reload a mag or 2-3 between phases didnt do anything for your heart rate. Wife shot also so there was another 27 or so. Used older ones for practice. Ive given alot of mags away to new shooters. And always 5 or so if I sold a gun. But now I keep the spare ones I have in case I buy a gun, I dont want to have to chase magazines. Glad I got them years ago. Wish I had more mag parts.

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Magazines are considered a wear item. Followers will wear, springs will weaken the more they get used, and feed lips will eventually start to lose their shape. Every time they get bent back, they lose it again just a bit sooner. These aren't .556 AR magazines where they will be making them for the next century.

A 5906/4006 might last another 100 years, but will there be magazines? In just half a decade 69xx mags became scarce. 10xx almost unobtainable.

Thanks! I hope my request got in early enough for the Armalloy Mod 39!

Regards,
Froggie

I just purchased a 15 round Mec GAR magazine for my 5906 from Galati International online. They offer a lot of magazines from their online website and it only took 3 days to arrive. Very impressed.

On average, I keep five mags per gun if they're strictly range toys. My social guns have more mags of course. I have about 25-30 8rd 45xx mags and I have a 4506-1, 4566, 4566TWS, WVSP 4566TWS, and a 645. So that equals about the same general layout for my range toys. My 4040PD, I have like six mags for it. My 909 is at four or five. My 6906 is like a fifteen. But that's because I kept my 5906 mags and got the grip spacers for them. Same with my 4013 TSW. My 3913 is at like eight magazines.

I realize this post is about mags for S&W pistols out-of-production for a while and we are bemoaning paying $50 to $75 for an old original mag to some Flea Bay Seller.

For those of you that collect, shoot and enjoy mil-surp 1911A1's when is the last time you saw a genuine lip of floorplate marked C-R (Colt-Risdon), L (M.S. Little Co.), R (Risdon), or that ever elusive GS (General Shaver) for your classic WWII treasure at less than $100?

The days of shoe boxes full of these guys at local gun shows is long...long...over. I've even seen totally rusty specimens that wouldn't clean up with $50 stickers on them. Believe it or not some are showing up in antique stores marked as "vintage WWII memorabilia"....still priced out of sight, but that way they can get around booth owners association rules about no gun stuff.

If you have them....enjoy them....if you need or want one or two keep looking, but be ready to pay the fiddler.

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

Well, thanks to oldman10mm I’ve got a third “dedicated” mag for the Franken-Smith project gun, so that should be enough for even casual competition, and I still have the three with the 39-2 I can “borrow” if needed. Not that I wouldn’t pick up a couple more at a favorable price.

Now to concentrate on getting sights I like installed and getting it to shoot to suit me.

Froggie

There is part of the answer. Many S&W enthusiasts including myself don’t have just 2 mags per gun as issued.
I believe done have realized their inherent value as a commodity unto themselves and have many ( 100s) to supplement income. After all it’s much easier to sell 5 mags at $50 each to anyone anywhere in the country ( almost anywhere) than to try to sell a used $909 or 457. The 2nd requires either a transfer or local buyer interested in a purchase who is local ( in my state.. it’s even harder in many states)
So it then becomes simple economics of supply and demand. The $20 mag days for a used S&W are long gone. I would even say in certain cases you might pay as much for an oem mag as for the gun itself.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

My HK SLB2000 cost me $800 NIB. The 10rd factory magazine cost me $250 NIB.

I purchased a second Star PD .45 for $400 since the gun came with four extra magazines. The OEM mags alone are usually about $80 a pop.

Added some 59 series mags to the my thread in 'misc for sale' OEM S&W magazines.

They're still out there! Be patient and consistent. I recently found these after a few months of searching. 9 rounds, and a great fit in my 39-2.

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Yours have the early version of the 3906 magazine base plate which has a small step at the front edge of the base plate, making it fit properly in 1st and 2nd gen 39 series pistols. The later version lacks that step and those base plates do not meet the bottom of the receiver nearly as well as the early design.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Yes, and thanks to you, jsbethel, ACEd, Sevens, and other members for the great info and pics posted of these. It's funny, I'm now familiar with both versions of the 3906 magazine but haven't found a pic of this style magazine/base plate inserted in that model. The two base plates seem different enough that it's hard to visualize both being a proper fit in a 3906.

I have several of each 8 round model 39 and 639 mags but couldn't resist the idea of a 9th round in a well-fitting factory magazine. The fact that they're a bit uncommon added to the allure.

That's because the magazine with the stepped baseplate will not lock into a 3906 - it will only work in the 1st and 2nd gen pistols.

I just found and bought a few of these on Ebay:



Hopefully they will fit my 439.

David

Some 9mm single stack pics

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That makes more sense! Thanks - the comparison pic you posted in other threads was clearly labeled but my brain focused on the mags themselves. So these are longer 639 mags, not 3906 mags.

To OP David, sorry for a bit of thread drift but it brings up a good point. When searching online, make sure you use the right model designation! Of course thats assuming the sellers are listing their items under the proper names too. And what some consider a Model 39 mag may be listed as for a 439, 539, 639, etc. Your ebay purchase should function just fine, just stick out from the bottom a little.

David,

Thanks for coming back and reminding me.
I have only the 2 original mags for my 4006.

My plan was just 3 for anything I have but due to no new production on these I just grabbed 2 VG condition from GB...

Can you clarify:

- mag body (B) is for the 3913TSW pre-rail; the regular/railed 3913TSWs take the (8)rd. mags, right?

- what model is mag (C) for? It's labeled as a (7)rd. but it appears to be the same length as the (8)rd. mags.

.



.

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Waiting for the break of day