Steel frame M39 acquisitions

Tntcwg3

Tntcwg3

SWCA Member
Silver Supporter
Joined
May 7, 2017
Messages
344
Reaction score
752
Location
Texas
Acquired these two M39s from a consignment at one of the LGS; I had passed these over for a couple of years, opting instead to buy a rather nice 952-2 from the same collection. Both are steel frames, the blued one appears unfired and has the correct box and accessories. The nickel 39 has the correct box, but no end label, but does have a curious date stamp on the interior of the lid, maybe a special order completion date?
 

Attachments

  • 20210603_163836.jpg
    20210603_163836.jpg
    74.1 KB · Views: 217
  • 20210603_163853.jpg
    20210603_163853.jpg
    88 KB · Views: 189
Register to hide this ad
Just to be clear, are you saying that the nickeled pistol is also one of the steel frame variants? And it is factory nickel as shipped?

If that is the case, I was not aware that such a pistol was in existence. That’s got to be a rare pistol.
 
Sevens said:
Just to be clear, are you saying that the nickeled pistol is also one of the steel frame variants? And it is factory nickel as shipped?

If that is the case, I was not aware that such a pistol was in existence. That’s got to be a rare pistol.
Click to expand...

Yes sir, it is a steel frame. It has almost all the same attributes as the s/n #39 factory nickel SO pistol referenced in one of the other posts, with the exception of that example having maple grip panels. If the date on my box lid is indeed an order reference, this one would have shipped about 4 months after the #39. Somebody (Mike?) in the same thread indicated they had seen 2 or 3 others that were also in the 600xx s/n range.
 
You should pull the left grip on the nickel gun to see if the frame is stamped with the letter 'N' (designating an originally nickel-plated example) or 'R-N' (factory refinish in nickel). If R-N, there should be a date code at the forward lower corner, commonly referred to as the 'toe' of the frame. Examples of the date code, as stamped by the service department during the refinishing process, will read as 8.68 for August 1968, 2.71 for February 1971, 11.75 for November 1975, etc. and so forth. Sometimes the period (.) wasn't stamped.

Original nickel steel 39's are incredibly rare, only a very few were produced and there are no more than 6 known to exist.

David
 
Last edited:
Hello Mr. Tnt, I checked my long list of known 39 steel frames and both fall
into the range. I urge you to contact Mr. Roy Jinks and get a letter for each.
I cant believe that two steel 39s sat in a gun shop for years. If the two do
not interest you, pls. PM me.
 
gmborkovic said:
I urge you to contact Mr. Roy Jinks and get a letter for each. I cant believe that two steel 39s sat in a gun shop for years. If the two do
not interest you, pls. PM me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help Mike, I'll be submitting the application to join SWCA this weekend then contacting Mr. Jinks for his expertise on their origins.

Funny story on the 39 acquisitions, I passed on these and several other very nice pieces several years ago when I purchased a VERY low s/n 952-2 from the same consignment. This LGS is more of shooting range than a gun store, so they don't keep a lot of inventory (usually < 15-20 guns) therefore they don't generate a lot of buyer traffic. I had recently sold of few of my other guns to be able to redirect my focus to my Smiths, using those proceeds I actually went in and bought the blued 39 first. I considered the nickel for a moment, but not really being a fan I passed on it. I didn't realize until after I started researching the steel frame history that I should have brought them both home. I went back the following week and corrected my error. :D I was told by one of their personnel that the consignor was thought to have been a salesman or field rep. for S&W, which might explain the rarity of some of the collection pieces.
 
gmborkovic said:
Hello Tnt, glad to hear it and welcome. I will say, you are the luckiest gun guy I have heard about in a long time. Thank goodness you went back and got the second one.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike! I've been extremely lucky over the past year, as long as you don't count my losses on Texas Lottery tickets! I also scored a nice 4505 and a cased 952-2 last year for about what you'd expect the 4505 to have gone for!
 
Tntcwg3 said:
Finally added a photo album for the Nickel steel frame M39, will add more for some of others in my collection soon. :D
Click to expand...
Added some new pics to the nickel, steel frame 39 album. https://smith-wessonforum.com/members/tntcwg3-albums-steel-frame-39-nickel.html
I finally got brave enough to move the rear sight and check for the factory refinish markings as described by Richard. A.McMillan.
Close-up of the factory refinish markings, these are the same as described in Richard A. McMillan's monograph, "The Smith & Wesson Model 39 - It's Variations and Modifications ", pages 20 & 52.
I still need to stop procrastinating and get it lettered, but I'm fairly certain now that this is indeed a factory job.
 

Attachments

  • 20250108_165400.jpg
    20250108_165400.jpg
    103.3 KB · Views: 34
  • 20250108_164154.jpg
    20250108_164154.jpg
    116.1 KB · Views: 35
Last edited:
I must have missed this post originally,
The early frames are easy to spot with their short tangs, what's interesting is that when the steel frames were pulled from the vault and built into functioning guns they used the current era (then) slides etc, comparing your two the left and right side slide serrations are in different locations as is the pat pending stamp, both slides have the newer long safety lever but my bet is your nickel guns slide is the older original 50's era style.
 
Last edited:
Trey, I remember when you originally posted this gun and I'm glad to see a follow up. Your steel Model 39 S/N 60096 shipped 8/25/1964 to L.M. Burneys Lamesa Texas and had a blue finish. it has all the markings of being sent back to the factory for a nickel finish. Welcome to the world of unicorns. I have Model 39 s/n 60353 and it lettered as shipped April 22, 1964 with a blue finish but sent back to the factory for rework and a nickel finish. It has the s/n and star under the rear sight and R-N under the left grip panel. This was Richard McMillian's gun which I bought at auction. This gun was featured in McMillan' 2005 Monograph titled "Smith and Wesson Model 39 it's variations and modifications pg . 6", The SWCA Journal Vol 40 Spring 2006 pg.26 and McMillian displayed it at the SWCA Symposium in 2018 in Reno Nevada. Mine has the red ramp front sight, white outline rear sight, an unusual grooved trigger and a steel ( not aluminum) backstrap with no lanyard loop hole. It looks like the backstrap on yours is aluminum with a lanyard hole. I need to take some detailed pictures and post them.
cougar015-albums-model-39-a-picture28436-60353-2-a.jpg

cougar015-albums-model-39-a-picture29534-14944.jpg
 
Last edited:
Had a chance tonight pulled my early pre 39 that shipped July 1956 and compared it to the next oldest one I own which skips your guys 1964 guns by two years to Oct 1966.

My 1956 slide is almost identical to both of your nickel 64 guns with the wider flat spot on the slides top between the sights and rearward placed serrations but it has the earlier style slide stop cut which is different and of course has the old style short safety lever.
I'm betting the change to the new serration position and narrower slide rib cut must have occurred after 1964 but before when his blue steel gun shipped as its slide is identical to my Oct 66 gun.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Rich! Your 60353 pics and Richard's data have been my guiding light in researching my 60096 m39's lineage. Outside of the trigger and backstraps, yours and mine are essentially twins. Has anyone ever compiled a list of the other nickel-steel frame 39 serial numbers? I'm going to have to request a deep dive inquiry on mine after I get it lettered, to try to determine when it was refinished, I believe that it's going to come back as sometime around Oct, 28,1971, based on a date stamp inside the box lid. The fonts on this stamp match very closely to a stamping on an invoice for the special serialed 39/ sn39, that was shipped out earlier in 1971.
 

Attachments

  • 20250109_084049.jpg
    20250109_084049.jpg
    37.8 KB · Views: 5
  • 20250109_083943.jpg
    20250109_083943.jpg
    33.8 KB · Views: 5
Was just thinking about the backstraps,
For those that don't own a Model 52 those also have steel frames, the two I have owned had a steel backstrap instead of the aluminum version used on the 39 series and while both had a tab cast where the lanyard loop is the factory did not open that tab so it's solid and can't be used.
My bet is since these leftover frames were steel and being refinished in nickel somebody realized it was wiser to nickel a steel backstrap since weight didn't matter.
Just a guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

cougar015
Steel frame M39-2
Replies
2
Views
520
gmborkovic
G
cmansguns
  • Locked
Sold **ALL SOLD** Model 745, 639; 66-6 SOLD Pending Funds at another venue
Replies
3
Views
2K
treysl78
T
JHW
  • Locked
Sold **SOLD** Thank you Smith and Wesson Model 63 No Dash
Replies
2
Views
2K
JHW
JHW
C
1955 model 5 inch pre 25
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Casual Smith Nut
C
RM Vivas
NYPD Model 64-1: 4-inch SB, 4-inch RB, 3-inch RB and 2-inch RB
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
RM Vivas
RM Vivas

Latest posts

Back
Top