2 Consecutive weeks, 2 S&W classic pistols find their way home...

[mainegrw]

It's been a good couple weeks for me and my meager S&W collection:

Last weekend I made a great deal on a very good condition (about 80 to 85% condition) 1975/76 Model 39-2 in her original box with original parts list and 2 mags. She had been sitting for quite some time in this particular gun shop, as evidenced by how dry the grease was inside, and by the build up of dust in some of her crevasses. A thorough cleaning brought her back into serviceable condition, and she has proven to be a great shooter, rivaling the performance of my cherished Sig P226, dare I say displaying a bit better performance than the Sig, but I'm not going to play favorites here. I will mention that this is my second 39-2, and a definite keeper.

Next, just a couple hours ago today I grabbed the second classic S&W pistol, and this one I'm a bit more excited about: a 1979/80 7" Model 41 in what I consider to be excellent condition (maybe 95% or more condition) almost LNIB with 4 mags, original cleaning kit, and all of the original paperwork. She has been fired, and I intend to continue to give her a regular workout at the range. I paid $900 for it, the price that the SCSW values the 41 in excellent condition (really I traded 2 other pistols for it, so no real monetary exchange), but I still think I did ok, just no spectacular deal on this one. Besides, my many years long lust for a 41, and a 7" one at that, overshadows any feeling of overpayment even if I did. She sure is a gorgeous looking gun, and i cannot wait to see how she performs on paper...

Before I end this post I do need to advisement of the collective here with regards to the Model 41: This is not the first high end target pistol I've owned, however compared to my last one, the Beretta 87 Target, word around the forums is that the 41 is a bit more ammo finicky than the Beretta and other 22s. My usual go-to for any 22 automatic is Mini-Mags or Winchester Super X, but with the Beretta I had been advised to stay away from the HV ammo, and instead, I was running CCI Blazer standard velocity with great success, as well as Federal AutoMatch. If I'm not always looking for Bullseye accuracy out of this gun, will the either of the two SV ammo types feed ok through the 41, or should I be looking at the premium 22 ammo from Aguila, Eley, RWS, and the like? I know that there is a variance of performance from pistol to another when it comes to ammo, so I'm more curious I guess about what you all are shooting...


Next on the collecting list: I know where there is a very good condition, very well-priced pre-war K22 Outdoorsman (still a bit out of my price range though) and I need to find a a way to get it into my collection...

 

[M29since14]

I'd suggest CCI standard velocity for your 41 - Green Tag if you are feeling frisky!

 

[Model52guy]

Nice scores!!

 

[jimbo728]

I'd suggest CCI standard velocity for your 41 - Green Tag if you are feeling frisky!

Agree on CCI SV. It`s an excellent Model 41 cartridge.
Congrats on the 41 and the 39-2. Looks a lot better than 80%.
Jim

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

I too am a huge fan of the 39, and I do have a couple or so...the action is oh so smooth and it just fills your hand just right. I just wish that there was an easy way to upgrade the sights without tearing up the slide, a set of nite sights would go a long way to making it an everyday carry piece.

 

[mainegrw]

I too am a huge fan of the 39, and I do have a couple or so...the action is oh so smooth and it just fills your hand just right. I just wish that there was an easy way to upgrade the sights without tearing up the slide, a set of nite sights would go a long way to making it an everyday carry piece.

You might take interest in the 439 then, IIRC, they had dovetailed sights. Finding a set of night sights that fit is however another challenge.

Personally, I like the adjustable sights on the 39, and the "lollipop" design gives the gun a bit of unique character. Honestly, as I don't use this gun as a defensive weapon, and its use is relegated to the range, I have not really found a need to do any sight modification, save for the consideration of adding a little bit of blaze orange paint to the front sight, but I have not done so.

Looks a lot better than 80%.

Yeah, I thought so too when I first looked it over. The holster wear is more apparent when you it see up close however, and leads me to believe that this old gal was probably a service pistol originally. This is backed up by the amount of debris that found its way in around the hammer spring, leading me to believe it was carried a lot and shot very little. Of course, I also don't know how long the shop has had it in inventory either, much of this shop's inventory has been there for many years, so I don't know how much of this wear could have occurred from handling there as well.

Fun fact: The shop from which I procured the 39-2, has a fair amount of classic S&W firearms, including many marked as new, some with and some without their original boxes. (Sadly, the missing boxes is a recurring theme with this seller, and while disappointing, it is just an unfortunate symptom of lack of space, and slow-moving inventory.) Knowing how long they've been around, and how slow some of their inventory moves, I'm inclined to believe the assertion that the S&Ws marked as new are in fact new guns, that have been waiting 30+ years for me to take them home. There's a 4" Model 15, and a 6" Model 28 NIB just calling to me, but the price tags, while probably close to reasonable, are just a little too high for me. Then there's the fact that I would feel compelled to shoot them, at which point, paying a premium for NIB would be moot. The only reason why I bought the 39-2 and the 41 in their original boxes was because while boxed, they were still used, and with the level of care that I use with my firearms, my light occasional use should not reduce their values significantly from where they are now.

Sure is a neat place to poke around in though, and not just for S&Ws either. They have firearms of all ages from across the spectrum that I have never seen for sale anywhere else, and then there's the antique scopes holsters, and accessories...

 

[nocents]

I never tire of 39-2 pics.....very nice

 

[mainegrw]

So I took everyone's advice, and ran CCI Standard Velocity through my new 41 on her first range trip. I did perform a very thorough cleaning and lubrication as I do with every gun I buy, and she ran decently, save for a couple of failures to feed. This occurred while working my way through the 4 mags I got with the gun, two of which appear older and have steel followers while the other two appear much newer and have plastic followers. The FTF happened when using the two newer mags, as did one other oddity: One of the two newer mags would not seat in the gun with a full 10 rounds in it, and was still tough to seat when I decreased to nine rounds. What I noticed is that the follower button on both of the newer mags were on the opposite side from older pair, leading me to wonder if swapping them around may help, as I suspect part of the feeding problem may be the button catching on something like the mag disconnect internally, but idk.

She still performs solidly otherwise, and way more accurate than the 87 Target I traded toward it. This 41 is a definite keeper!


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