639.....To buy or not?

[Karnivore]

A local pawn shop has a 639 in good shape for 300.00 maybe OTD. Does this gun have any collector value or was there a ton of them made. It has a phillips slot screw holding the right side safety lever on, is this normal? What do you think about the price

Thanks, GH

 

[Karnivore]

A local pawn shop has a 639 in good shape for 300.00 maybe OTD. Does this gun have any collector value or was there a ton of them made. It has a phillips slot screw holding the right side safety lever on, is this normal? What do you think about the price

Thanks, GH

 

[Rock185]

I bought a new 639 with round trigger guard,adjustable sights and wood grips back when they were in production. It was well fitted and finished and 100% reliable with every kind of ammo I tried. Overall, an excellent pistol that I eventually traded on I don't remember what. I have looked for another clean example to buy for years with no luck. Everyone I ever found was beat,except for one. I did find a NIB one for sale recently. It was priced at $950, same gentleman also had a NIB 28-2 for $1800.
The phillips screw on the ambi-safety was used by the factory on some produced after mine.

I don't know how many were made and don't think they're real collectable, except for the $950 one I found.

 

[jsbethel]

639s don't really show up that often. If you're satisfied with the condition of the pistol, that price is decent. I got mine NIB around two years ago for $450 - shoots like a dream.

 

[st regis]

BUY IT! I got one for 400 on here a short while ago. Great guns!

 

[conn ak]

639, a tank of a gun that will never be duplicated by S&W. Great pistol and a worthy son of the 39.

 

[357larry]

One of the best guns Smith & Wesson ever made. These are the most ergonomic Pistols ever. Some people don't like the weight since they are all steel as compared to the weight of the aluminum framed 39s. To me it is a plus. I will keep mine until they put me in the ground. That price sounds great, buy it!

 

[cmm]

That sounds like a pretty good price. I just picked up a 95% condition 439 on trade for a Ruger GP100, and I thought that was a good deal.

There seems to be very little info out there about these pistols. The ergonomics certainly feel good. How accurate are they?

 

[Karnivore]

Thanks for the input, I will go by today and see if they still have it. If they do, it will come home with me.

That phillps head screw still looks liks a hardware store repair job.

Thanks, MH

 

[357larry]

Yeah.....That screw is fugly and I have no idea what the factory was thinking but that is the way they did a lot of them. After a while it kinda grows on you.

 

[Karnivore]

A really new experience...I walked into the Cash America Pawn to buy the 639 and noticed that there were zero guns on display, several days ago there were 5-6 handguns and 8-9 long guns. I ask the manager who was just hanging around, he said he had not had time to put the guns out and would not have time to do the paperwork if he sold one.

I told him that I was a buyer, he said it made no difference and to come back Monday. Seems strange that in this down market a manager would not make accomodations to make a 300.00 sale.

Strange, but in my pawn shop visits later on, after that disappointment I found a M&P 9mm for 349.00. I also found a 14-3 in 90% for 449.00, I offered them 300.00 with no luck. What is a 14-3 worth?

 

[JoeHatley]

It has a phillips slot screw holding the right side safety lever on, is this normal?

Yes.

BTW: $300 for one of the best service autos S&W ever made, is a very good deal. IMO

Good Luck...

Joe

 

[conn ak]

Yeah, in the most extreme case of self-defense, even out of bullets, you could easily beat the bad guy to death with the 639. A beautiful handgun.

 

[conn ak]

And I'm rather fond of the phillips head screw.

 

[bronco45]

I recently purchased a clean 439 the aluminium framed version of the 639. I fired for group using a Weaver stance at 20 yards and shooting Wally World Winchester Whitebox 115 gr solids.

4 Shots out of 4 shots went into an 1.3" at that range. Gun digests about everything and is accurate for a 9mm.

I'm having trouble getting magazines for the weapon and have some on backorder from S&W.

The 439 was 285 + 15 tax with no box OTD.

It carries flat and I shoot 124 gr Speer +P 9mms in it.

 

[T1]

My Dad has a 639. I love that gun so much! The design, the way it shoots, I wanted one too, but I decided to get the 4006tsw so I could have the .40. I compared them the other day and they look very similar. Excellent gun. Post pictures if you get it!

 

[jimbo-indy]

Buy it ASAP!
The 639 is a fine gun to shoot. They are reliable and accurate.Mine is one of the most accurate autos I own. I found one that had cobbled up sights by an ham-fisted handyman. Had someone who knew what he was doing weld up the slide and cut standard dovetails. Fitted it with Millet target rear and green fiber-optic front. It's one of my best bowling pin guns. The weight soaks up the recoil for fast follow up shots. Since our club restricts us to 7 shots per mag, the single stack is not a problem. Watch Midway for S&W mags on sale, they come around a couple of times per year. You will have to wait but stock up when you can.

 

[BillCa]

Originally posted by cmm:
That sounds like a pretty good price. I just picked up a 95% condition 439 on trade for a Ruger GP100, and I thought that was a good deal.

There seems to be very little info out there about these pistols. The ergonomics certainly feel good. How accurate are they?

Around here, 99%+ Model 39-2's are going for $399 w/box, so that is a steal for a stainless 639.

Magazines are still available for the 39-series guns and are the same as the 909 & 952 (SKU: 20075). MidwayUSA usually has them for around $33 and they go on sale periodically. S&W will charge you $41 so look around. FWIW: ProMag versions sometimes work but not always.

Accuracy wise, the 39 series can be quite good.

This from a 35 year old Model 39-2. In fact, this one:

If you have any accuracy issues and nothing is apparently amiss, try buying a new barrel bushing and having a gunsmith fit it properly.

 

[Karnivore]

Thanks for the info and comments. I still have not been back to the shop that has the 639, but I did pickup the M&P full size 9mm with the box, and all the goodies that come with it. My buddy that has a shop had two factory mags I bought for 60.00.

I really like the way the M&P feels, hope to shoot it Sunday. I am just not sure about 9mm; I am more of a .357, .40 and .45 kind of guy.

I may still go back Saturday to check on the 639, If I get it I will post pics.

Thanks, Meathead

 

[ldp4570]

Originally posted by meathead69:
Thanks for the info and comments. I still have not been back to the shop that has the 639, but I did pickup the M&P full size 9mm with the box, and all the goodies that come with it. My buddy that has a shop had two factory mags I bought for 60.00.

I really like the way the M&P feels, hope to shoot it Sunday. I am just not sure about 9mm; I am more of a .357, .40 and .45 kind of guy.

I may still go back Saturday to check on the 639, If I get it I will post pics.

Thanks, Meathead

If you get it, and don't like the ambi-safety, I have a 639 with adjustable sights and a single side safety. I would gladly trade slides with you, as I am left handed and prefer the ambi safety. E-mail is in my profile.