I was a very young Police Officer when the Model 59 first hit the Law Enforcement Market in the early 1970's and being a double action High Cap. 9mm L., I had to have one. I already had a Model 39-2 and loved it and thought the Model 59 would be simply a double stack Model 39. I finally got one of the first Model 59's to hit the California Law Enforcement Market. I took it out and found out that it was not just a double stack Model 39! The trigger pull was terrible and had a funny sound when you pulled the trigger like a "toy gun" , we called it a "Mattel gun" for quite awhile. A number of us LEO's had purchased it and no one could shoot it very well.... The one thing it did was carry a high capacity magazine but this was the 1970's and good 9mm L. ammunition was basically Super Vel.... I lost confidence in this handgun and unloaded it quickly (I wish I had it now!). I decided to go to a caliber that I really liked and went to a S & W Model 25-2 .45 ACP Revolver (using half moon clips in it). I could use the Speer 200 grain "Flying Ashtray" round (that would not always feed in the Colt 1911). I carried that 6 1/2" barreled Model 25-2 Revolver in a Hoyt Breakfront Holster and I thought it "got no better than that" for quite awhile. In 1983, we got a new Police Chief who thought "progressive" meant going to a "Wonder 9 Handgun"and by this time, he purchased the S & W Model 659 Handgun, for the Department, which was quite an improvement over the Model 59 (at least I thought so). In over a decade, ammunition had improved a great deal and we could use a good 124 grain 9mm L. JHP round in the Model 659. I purchased my own Model 659 and had a Bar-Sto Match 9mm L. Barrel installed in this duty handgun along with a trigger action job and Millett Sights and I was good to go until the .40 S & W and Model 4006 handgun came out in 1990, which we went to as a duty handgun ........
I know it sounds funny but I loved the S & W Model 39-2, not so much the Model 59 but liked the Model 659 and really liked the Model 4006 when it came out..... Just my 2 cents worth on the issue.....