I have a nickled slide with a sliding ejection port cover. It locks on the slide release and reciprocates with the slide, opening and closing the port. Any one every come across one of these, and who might have used them?

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

I have a nickled slide with a sliding ejection port cover. It locks on the slide release and reciprocates with the slide, opening and closing the port. Any one every come across one of these, and who might have used them?

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

It was designed in anticipation of military contracts for the M39. I never heard of one in nickel, though.

The cover is documented in certain editions of Small Arms of the World by W.H.B. Smith.

I see you only have 3 posts, so you get a little slack this time...PHOTOS are mandatory!

Sorry, could'nt find the hook up on my Kodak Retina. I'm lucky to get the computer to work.
could ya show some pictures of the ref book so I know what to look for? Thanks
SOF

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

DV, thanks for the info, I thought it a bit of an oddity as I've never run across one either. I guess now I need to find the bottom end and see if I can complete it. I also found a purple? box with a date in it of 1925. good shape, for a 22/32 heavy frame target, 4". patent date of box 1920. one piece hinged type, with english and spanish. Kinda neat. If I can get some pictures, I'll email you some just for the practice. thanks again for the reponse.
SOF

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

I have been shooting for a long time and have only ever seen and actually touched just one. My shooting buddy worked in a gun shop and 'found' it for his 39.
From what I understand, they are very hard to find and carry a hefty price tag to procure.
Good lucK in your quest!

thank you gentlemen, Its amazing what a little piece of odd detrius in the parts box can turn into. I notice there is a difference in the magazines from civy to military issue, never new that either. I suppose I should try to find out if the nickled finish is proper or if it was done after the fact. thanx again.

AL N....SOF

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

SOF,
"Drain ports" to let the water "out", that you usually end up standing waist deep "in"?

retina?

I thought I had the only one left in the world...

Chuck

MLFOX - Very nice. That's a fairly rare 39 in nickel?

__________________
Pete T.

How can it reciprocate if the slide stop holds it and the slide stop is stationary during shooting?

If the cover reciprocates with the slide, how would the empty case get out?

So, doesn't it just stay in one place, covering the ejection port while the slide is forward?

That is correct. It is stationary.

__________________
Pete T.

A photo with the slide locked back would be a public service.

I've also seen only one. A ISP armorer GAVE one to our gun guy.

I'd say it's a desirable collectible to be sure... I wish it were mine.

Regards,
mlfox

In one of George Nonte"s classic books there is a picture of his personel m 39 that has one installed. Nonte thought very highly of the m 39 and said at one point that it was the best pistol S&W ever made. He said that if the chips were down this is the one gun he would want.

__________________
Danny A.

In the last thread on this subject back in October, I asked about installing the shield, but got no answer. Now here is a picture of a shield installed on a Model 39, a nickel one no less.

My shield is spring steel of such strength that I cannot spread it wide enough with my fingers to slip it over the slide. To install it, I would have to force it over the slide and it would scratch the heck out of the slide to do so. I have thought about applying enough force to spread it enough to open it up permanently, but I assume the extreme tension is necessary to keep the shield in place when firing so that is probably not a good idea.

Is there a trick to installing the shield without scratching the slide? mlfox, how did you do it?

It comes right off the front of the slide, move it forward, up the sight ramp and lift it off. Done carefully it shouldnt scratch. slide removed from frame.

__________________
Shooter Ready
Standby

SOFM, that is the way I assumed it would have to go on, but the spring pressure is so strong that I feared scratches. After reading your explanation and looking at (and feeling) the inside of the shield, I concluded that it is so smooth inside the shield that it MIGHT not acratch the slide if forced onto it in the fashion you suggested.

I selected a blue Model 39 (no dash) with a tiny bit of high edge wear on the front of the slide and carefully started the shield on the slide. It took quite a bit of force to get it started, but it slid down the slide into approximate position, all the while streaking the oil on the slide but apparently not actually scratching the slide surface. I then slid the slide (!) onto the gun and slid in the slide stop (! again) through the hole in the shield, completing the installation. (Whew! That is a lot of slipping and sliding!)

Cycling the slide streaked the oil on the slide flats but did not appear to scratch the slide. The shield is really tight and form-fitting to streak the oil on the entire flat surface! I think if one were to shoot the gun with the shield in place, the slide would soon have wear marks on it, but there would be no dust in the ejection port! It really fits tight.

I note with interest that my Pre-Model 39 does not have the grooves in the frame to accept the two bottom projections on the shield that run in the grooves on the frame, nor does a Model 59 or Model 52. Did the frame grooves carry onto the Model 39-2 and 439/639?

This is a really neat accessory that changes the appearance of the gun substantially. Thanks for giving me courage to try it on for size. I may still try to open it up a bit to make it easier to install, but then I may never install it again so.....

An old machinists assembly trick (now made easier with the advent of blue painters tape) was to put a layer, or two or three, as needed of masking tape down ahead of fitment checks...

Sd, if you are suggesting tape to prevent scratching, it would not work since the shield actually touches the slide flats. If tape were applied to the slide flats, the shield would not go on, or would shear it off as the shield was pushed back. The fit is that tight.