639 that looks just like my old 39-2?

[1-1917]

I like the look and feel of my old 39 and have seen dozens of 639s but they all had plastic grips and square trigger guards. Not sure why this one is so different but for the price, when I saw it I had to get it. I'm not much for automatics but this will go nicely with its S&W brothers in my safe (39 and 3566 Limited).

 

[Sevens]

I think there is a chance that you have misidentified dozens of 639’s.

Early 639’s had a rounded trigger guard. Later 639’s had a squared trigger guard.

-ALL- 639’s shipped with basically the same wood stocks as the 39-2. Aftermarket options were slim, many opted for Pachmayr rubber.

The 639 isn’t outrageously scarce but they were in production for only about 5-6 years.

 

[stansdds]

I think there is a chance that you have misidentified dozens of 639’s.

Early 639’s had a rounded trigger guard. Later 639’s had a squared trigger guard.

-ALL- 639’s shipped with basically the same wood stocks as the 39-2. Aftermarket options were slim, many opted for Pachmayr rubber.

The 639 isn’t outrageously scarce but they were in production for only about 5-6 years.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Exactly.

 

[Rustywrench]

That is a Beauty! I would have been all over it too.

 

[wproct]

I once owned one exactly like yours. I wound up trading it for something else and I regret it. They are a very nice looking pistol.

 

[CHARLIE699]

Old & new(er). Couple no-dash with younger cousins.
I was looking for a fixed-sighted 639, but,,,,like the Steve Stills song "love the one you're with",,

Plastic has its following but I'll leave my share so others can enjoy

 

[1-1917]

Probably miss ID on my part. I don't know squat about automatics. Just got these two this month. Only other auto loader I own is that 3566 Limited thing and a Sigma I keep on my tractor. I do have a few revolvers from Registered Magnum down to .22 kit guns.. (-:}

 

[Sevens]

I would say it seems extremely curious that you say you know squat about the semiautomatic pistols and you also own a 3566 Limited. That’s a pistol that is absolutely rare and there’s a massive share of even hardcore S&W fans that have almost know idea what this awesome pistol is.

I have one and love it. I also believe it is the single finest looking semiautomatic pistol that S&W ever made, bar none.

 

[Jeppo]

A 639 was the first “early” Smith semi-auto I bought. I was cleaning it at my kitchen table 30 minutes after it was listed on our local forum. Even with Pachmayr grips, I wanted to grab it before anyone else noticed it.

I have also put away an ANIB 439 and a 539.

 

[1-1917]

I would say it seems extremely curious that you say you know squat about the semiautomatic pistols and you also own a 3566 Limited. That’s a pistol that is absolutely rare and there’s a massive share of even hardcore S&W fans that have almost know idea what this awesome pistol is.

I have one and love it. I also believe it is the single finest looking semiautomatic pistol that S&W ever made, bar none.

I bought the Limited at an estate sale just because it was in a Performance Center aluminum case and looked "special". I didn't have to know any more about it to know it was coming home with me. I learned more about it here later. I've been around this forum since back when there weren't but a few categories and it got maybe a dozen posts a day... Well it seemed that way..

 

[Rock185]

1-1917, I wonder if the gun you saw with square trigger guard and plastic grips was the 3906? I've owned multiple 539s and 639s, none came with plastic grips. One of my 639s had the squarish trigger guard, but with wooden grips..

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Bought my M 639 NIB in 1985-one of the few handguns I have bought NIB. Has an incredibly smooth trigger, Indulged myself, bought a spare slide and barrel, also a fixed sight slide and barrel. Were I to select a handgun for CCW from what I already own, that would probably be my first choice.

 

[jsbethel]

The 639 appears to have had a 3rd gen safety body installed from the looks of the lever step contours.

 

[FoundFather]

Old & new(er). Couple no-dash with younger cousins.
I was looking for a fixed-sighted 639, but,,,,like the Steve Stills song "love the one you're with",,

Plastic has its following but I'll leave my share so others can enjoy

Charlie, love your LadySmith / 3913NL. Also love your signature line!

 

[1-1917]

The 639 appears to have had a 3rd gen safety body installed from the looks of the lever step contours.

The 639 safety looks and feels about identical to my 39. Tops of the slides and sights are different.

 

[larryofcc]

Hey, I have one of those early 639's. Got it off a gentleman on this Forum. Got a nice holster to with it. Bought it for a CCW, but it is too heavy, so I bought a used ring hammer 39-2 and carried it instead. We have no limitations on concealed carry in Utah. Big Larry

 

[cougar015]

I think there is a chance that you have misidentified dozens of 639’s.

Early 639’s had a rounded trigger guard. Later 639’s had a squared trigger guard.

-ALL- 639’s shipped with basically the same wood stocks as the 39-2. Aftermarket options were slim, many opted for Pachmayr rubber.

The 639 isn’t outrageously scarce but they were in production for only about 5-6 years.

You are correct on all fronts. I currently own six model 639's and no two of them are the same. Each of them has a different configuration of rear sight, trigger guard, safety lever (some are ambidextrous) or extractor as a few of the early models have the rare short stubby extractor vs the longer thin extractor. (39-2 style) as seen in the first picture. I believe there may possibly be three other configurations that I don't have.

 

[Sevens]

Tangentially related...

The Models 39 and 52 shared the same wood stocks and early 639's wore them also. Eventually the 639 added the ambi decock lever and as we see in cougar015's excellent right side pictures, the right side stock evolved with a cutout to allow travel for the ambi decock lever.

As S&W tends to do... they simply powered forward with these new stocks. So as the production of the 52-2 wound down with the final units shipped through the spring of 1993, the last 52's all shipped with this evolved right side stock, with the little dish at the top left, even though no Model 52 ever shipped with an ambi decock lever.