469

[smithman 10]

Saw a Model 469 today at a local gun shop and put it on layaway just in case.

But gosh, what a doggone terrible double action trigger! Single action is okay. The pistol looks hardly used at all - finish 95% or thereabouts. Real clean.

Only one magazine. Anybody have one or an opinion on whether I should buy it? It'll cost me about $400 after tax and fees.

No sweat for me if I change my mind I can switch the layaway $ to any other purchase from the store.

 

[toddimusnimski]

That's a decent price. Some say 69 series mags are spendy or even hard to find but with patience they can be found affordably. Full size 59 series mags work well when you use a PGS adapter. My 669 has no complaints. Its grip panels are the later style that I've heard give just a bit more purchase.
The sights and grip are not as good as found on the 3rd gen guns. Mine was machined for Novak night sights which are hard to beat. The grip remains 2nd gen but I have no plans to modify the frame to fit the 3rd gen Delrin grip.

Todd

 

[robertrwalsh]

Those things normally had at least decent triggers. Perhaps it just needs to be shot in a little. I agree about that being a decent price.

 

[stansdds]

A gritty feeling double action is often due to machining marks on the forged hammer, sear, and trigger, possibly combined with the hammer spring coils binding against the top of the tube it compresses into. Could also be old, dried, dirty, gummy lubricant inside the pistol.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Mine went in trade for a 6906 asap!

 

[jbltwin1]

I love my 669 but I DID put a full hammer in it. Don't like the bobbers.

 

[easymoney72]

I won't buy a 2nd gen because of the horrible DA trigger pull, and I done everything possible to improve the trigger short of installing a main spring so light that it becomes unreliable. I have actually switched to carrying a Sig P229 over even 3rd gen S&W. The Sig triggers are better and I like the decocker much better. Here is the deal with buying a 469. Why would you buy one when there are 6906 available. I still like 3rd gen s&w very much, I would look around for a 6906 instead of buying a 469.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Picked up a used Sig M11 A-1 two months ago.........I'm a bit of a Sig P series fan. 220 ,245 .45s and a 229 w/ both .357/.40 barrels.

The new 9mm 15 rd mags were a game changer for me on the M11/229.

Only had it to the outdoor range once..... 65 rounds...... 10/12 yds 55As 8Bs and a couple Cs. DA/SA double taps. Really short reset on the trigger.

 

[Ameshawki]

Decent price in today's market. Good gun if you like Smith 9's. The double action on these is best described as serviceable. I don't know that I would call any of mine good. Nature of the beast.

 

[erikpolcrack]

Can you try the trigger out before you complete the purchase? I've had two 469s over the years and felt both triggers were fine.

 

[crows]

I understand what some are saying about the trigger pull, but if I found a 469 sitting in a gun shop near me for that kind of money, I would own it.

 

[Riposte1]

I bought one about 12 years ago for $250, I figure $400 in today's money is about equal.

Mine had a decent DA pull and an excellent SA pull. I've shot it a bit and while I would not carry a 9mm for self defense nor a DA.SA gun (other than a CZ that would be carried cocked and locked) otherwise it is reliable and accurate.

Riposte

 

[N4KVE]

I love my 669 but I DID put a full hammer in it. Don't like the bobbers.View attachment 845573

Same here on my 469, 4516, & 3913. HUGE improvement. GARY

 

[JMD999]

At this point in history... I buy those for what they are, not trigger traits. If you want a range shooter, don't buy a "collectable" as now thought of by many.

 

[JohnHL]

A gritty feeling double action is often due to machining marks on the forged hammer, sear, and trigger, possibly combined with the hammer spring coils binding against the top of the tube it compresses into. Could also be old, dried, dirty, gummy lubricant inside the pistol.

Good post.
These are all classic issues with the old machined parts before the consistently smooth MIM and plastic parts vastly improved the actions on the later issued 3rd gens.

But also remember, the 2nd gen guns (like the 469) still retained the half-cock notch on the hammer that (in addition to all the aforementioned "gritty-inducers") when dragging across the the sear during the double action pull, created such a noticeable hitch in the pull that it had the magazine writers of the day howling!
As S&W had incorporated the firing pin safety in the 2nd gen guns (rendering the half-cock notch redundant), they eliminated them in the 3rd gen pistols.

All of that being part of the "character" of the 2nd gen DA trigger pull, the 469 was historic for being the first S&W "minigun" (turning ASP and Devel conversions into "quaint" collectables).
And $400 (all in) for a "real clean" example is not a bad price.

John

 

[smithman 10]

Are you saying the 469 is now a collectible piece?

Yes I tried the trigger and double action is lousy. Just want one piece to launch 9mm out of and I don't have a single pistol currently for that purpose,

Doubt if I would ever carry it - I am a revolver guy.

 

[stansdds]

I would say that a 469 that is NIB might fall into the collectable category as would an excellent or better condition Ashland distributor nickel plated 469. If it's not an Ashland pistol and if it shows signs of use, it's just a shooter.

If I was looking for a 9mm pistol to use as a range toy, I'd look for one with a longer sight radius. The compact S&W pistols were designed for concealed carry, the sights, especially on the 469/669, are not the best and the short sight radius can make accurate shooting difficult.

 

[cwo4uscgret]

What's not to like about the 469? I got this one at a Michigan Gun Show maybe 10-15 years ago. It's a shooter and a keeper.

 

[MDB1056]

Same here on my 469, 4516, & 3913. HUGE improvement. GARY

Why? For what purpose?

 

[stansdds]

Why? For what purpose?

Some people like having the option of thumbing back the hammer so as to avoid the double action first shot.

 

[MDB1056]

IMO- Extra step that could cost you your life . The initial DA first shot is the safety as it’s an intentional pull to ensure you’re really going to do it. Single action pulls following are very short reset

 

[jbltwin1]

Honestly, I don't CARRY a gun unless it has a hammer. Also, I sometimes thumb the hammer back first before I rack the slide as the uncle arthur in left hand some days makes it difficult to grip slide strong enough to pull it back. We all have our reasons. With the full hammer, I have options.

 

[stansdds]

Honestly, I don't CARRY a gun unless it has a hammer. Also, I sometimes thumb the hammer back first before I rack the slide as the uncle arthur in left hand some days makes it difficult to grip slide strong enough to pull it back. We all have our reasons. With the full hammer, I have options.

That's a good point regarding hand strength and ability to rack the slide. The Browning Hi-Power and its clones have a reputation for having stout recoil and hammer springs and that makes the slide hard to manually cycle unless the hammer is cocked. I used to be able to rack a Hi-Power slide from the hammer down position, it's really, really, difficult for me to do that now, at least using the serrations on the slide.