I agree. A big thanks to ISPCPT, 625SMITH, and the others. Great info. I guess my being a fan-boy of the all metal Smith 9mms goes back farther than shooting a Model 59 at the academy in 1975.

I grew up in Chicago in the 50s and 60s. I remember as a kid in the 60s, my dad (a WW2 combat vet who fought on Iwo Jima) worked for Illinois state as the Chief Engineer for Children and Family Services. He regularly traveled the state and had a number of friends/contacts in the State Police. He commented on the switch to 9mm S&W autos, and found it fascinating. About that same time, my cousin, a US Postal Inspector, bought a steel frame Model 39 (that he still has) after shooting an ISP Trooper's weapon at a pistol match or school he was at. They talked about it several times, and one time I got to shoot my cousin's 39 when I was about 10 or 12.

That makes it at least a 50+ years fondness.