LGS Find - Model 469 - The Mini

[opaul]

Stopped by a LGS and found this little gem. Hardly any wear from a pistol that shipped in the mid 80's (I'm thinking). Only one mag but I was fortunate enough to have several more at home. The store let me field strip it and inspect the slide and a few other components. I don't think this one saw a lot of action. The checkering on the handle is still crisp and sharpl

[mk70ss]

Great little carry gun!!!!

[cherrypointmarine]

I have 2 of them , one NIB . Plus 2 669's .I was lucky a while back and scored a couple of extended 20 round mags . For what they are , all of mine are really accurate out to 15-20 yards . When I want to just shoot for fun and burn up some 9mm , these are what I turn to . You're going to have to let us know how it shoots . Here's 2 of mine , don't know if I have a pic of all 4 .

[opaul]

Originally Posted by cherrypointmarine

I have 2 of them , one NIB . Plus 2 669's .I was lucky a while back and scored a couple of extended 20 round mags . For what they are , all of mine are really accurate out to 15-20 yards . When I want to just shoot for fun and burn up some 9mm , these are what I turn to . You're going to have to let us know how it shoots . Here's 2 of mine , don't know if I have a pic of all 4 .

Thanks for sharing! I enjoy finding and acquiring S&W semi-autos. I don't have that many left in my collection but when I ran across this one, I decided to bring it home. I just cleaned and lubed it up. I had a new recoil spring, so I installed that as well. It may be a couple of weeks before I get to shoot it.

[BAM-BAM]

Nice gun; had one for a few years until I picked up my first 6906...... it was 2X4 vs nicely rounded grip!! The 469 was traded for that 6906.....which I still have!

[opaul]

Originally Posted by BAM-BAM

Nice gun; had one for a few years until I picked up my first 6906...... it was 2X4 vs nicely rounded grip!! The 469 was traded for that 6906.....which I still have!

Not so sure I would describe it as a 2x4

[BC38]

Originally Posted by opaul

Stopped by a LGS and found this little gem. Hardly any wear from a pistol that shipped in the mid 80's (I'm thinking). Only one mag but I was fortunate enough to have several more at home. The store let me field strip it and inspect the slide and a few other components. I don't think this one saw a lot of action. The checkering on the handle is still crisp and sharpl

Nice looking example. If you don't mind saying, what did it set you back? There is a LGS in the area that has one with more finish wear than yours and they are asking $369 for it - which seems a bit high to me.

[18DAI]

Nice pistol! Congrats!

If you picked it up at Greensboro Guns, it belonged to a recently departed friend of mine - hence the new mag spring. But I had also given him two LE mags for it.

If that is the same gun, it came into the shop in a paper bag. A young ladys father was going into assisted living, IIRC. I set it aside in the office, intending to buy it. But my friend stopped by and fell in love with it. So it went home with him. It was in very good shape.

Enjoy that fine Mini gun. Direct descendant of the Devel pistols made by Charlie Kelsey. Regards 18DAI

[opaul]

Originally Posted by BC38

Nice looking example. If you don't mind saying, what did it set you back? There is a LGS in the area that has one with more finish wear than yours and they are asking $369 for it - which seems a bit high to me.

Thank you!. How many mags come with it? I don't think the price is that far off if it's in good shape other than the wear.

[Erich]

Nice one - I remember just drooling over those when I was a poor college student in the mid-Eighties. What a great gun!

[opaul]

Originally Posted by 18DAI

Nice pistol! Congrats!

If you picked it up at Greensboro Guns, it belonged to a recently departed friend of mine - hence the new mag spring. But I had also given him two LE mags for it.

If that is the same gun, it came into the shop in a paper bag. A young ladys father was going into assisted living, IIRC. I set it aside in the office, intending to buy it. But my friend stopped by and fell in love with it. So it went home with him. It was in very good shape.

Enjoy that fine Mini gun. Direct descendant of the Devel pistols made by Charlie Kelsey. Regards 18DAI

Great story! But I picked this one up in Raleigh. I really like it.

[jbtrucker]

Congratulations ! I had a 469 my first semi auto , as usual something came up needing funds had to choose between it and 5906.

[opaul]

Originally Posted by jbtrucker

I had one just like my first semi auto , as usual something came up needing funds had to choose between it and 5906.

A 5906 is a fine gun, a tank of a gun. I had a few that I let pass, and as always regrets

[Old Corp]

A 469 was , IIRC one of my first compact autos I ever carried for OD. Bought barely used from a friend, as IIRC, even going rate new for them wasn't bad.
Great little guns.
Will never forget, I kept a Glaser Safety slug round in the chamber, followed by a mag full of Winchester Silvertips - all cutting-edge stuff at the time, and it was carried like that for ~2-3 years

Recall deciding to fire that Glaser at a range session, figured it had been around long enough. 'Click'. Misfire. Primer dead from probably oil intrusion over the few years of carry. Very sobering moment.

IIRC, the 469 finally went away in a trade for a 457, another great compact alloy frame auto.

[opaul]

Originally Posted by Old Corp

A 469 was , IIRC one of my first compact autos I ever carried for OD. Bought barely used from a friend, as IIRC, even going rate new for them wasn't bad.
Great little guns.
Will never forget, I kept a Glaser Safety slug round in the chamber, followed by a mag full of Winchester Silvertips - all cutting-edge stuff at the time, and it was carried like that for ~2-3 years

Recall deciding to fire that Glaser at a range session, figured it had been around long enough. 'Click'. Misfire. Primer dead from probably oil intrusion over the few years of carry. Very sobering moment.

IIRC, the 469 finally went away in a trade for a 457, another great compact alloy frame auto.

Great story and history. I’m glad it went click at the range rather than at an in opportune time for you.
I also had a 457 and it went to anew home a year or two ago. I think Massad said it was a very under- rated gun.

[st regis]

Great little guns. The GBI issued these in 1986 and took up our 2 1/2 inch model 66s. (we bought them back). WE had to load them with THEN state of the art 115 gr Winchester Silvertips. After the FBI Miami shootout, we went to 147 gr subsonic Winchester stuff. I heard that was weak stuff. Never had to use it, thank goodness. We seldom wore guns then. Kept them under the seat or in the trunk.
GBI then went to the 6906 in 1989. Kept the Smiths until about 2003, when they finally gave in and went to a plastic 40

[stansdds]

Originally Posted by st regis

Great little guns. The GBI issued these in 1986 and took up our 2 1/2 inch model 66s. (we bought them back). WE had to load them with THEN state of the art 115 gr Winchester Silvertips. After the FBI Miami shootout, we went to 147 gr subsonic Winchester stuff. I heard that was weak stuff. Never had to use it, thank goodness. We seldom wore guns then. Kept them under the seat or in the trunk.
GBI then went to the 6906 in 1989. Kept the Smiths until about 2003, when they finally gave in and went to a plastic 40

It's not so much that the early 147 gr. ammo was weak, the bigger issue was bullet technology. The 147 gr. JHP's of the 1980's and 90's usually failed to expand. Modern designs (Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger T) expand quite well.