Inherited Dads service weapon???
- Thread starter Chrissy
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Welcome aboard!
I'm sorry for your loss. The gun shipped from the factory around 1977. The grips are aftermarket replacements made by Pachmayr.
The case is also aftermarket and appears to be a Doskocil Gun Guard. Check under the foam for paperwork or other goodies. It's hard to determine the value with just one photo, but I'd guess it would bring around $450.
I'm sorry for your loss. The gun shipped from the factory around 1977. The grips are aftermarket replacements made by Pachmayr.
The case is also aftermarket and appears to be a Doskocil Gun Guard. Check under the foam for paperwork or other goodies. It's hard to determine the value with just one photo, but I'd guess it would bring around $450.
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Welcome aboard from coastal North Carolina. Sorry for your loss. The 39-2 is a nice pistol.
What department? Used service pistols will sometimes hold more value for a current or former officer . . .
(Love the 39-2)
(Love the 39-2)
.455_Hunter
Member
Please keep the pistol in your family and take it to the range in his memory. It's worth far more than just monetary value, and unfortunately many "collectors" seem to act like vultures in these scenarios.
BLACKHAWKNJ
Member
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If it his service weapon I woud get any and all documentation to show provenance.
Welcome to the forum from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
That 39-2 was trusted by your dad to save his life, if needed. It may have done just that.
Sometimes, memories are more valuable then tangible items
That 39-2 was trusted by your dad to save his life, if needed. It may have done just that.
Sometimes, memories are more valuable then tangible items
Welcome to the forum. Sorry for your loss. Cherish that model 39 and shoot it in his memory. Take the grips off and wipe down under them they hold moisture and cause finish issues if you don’t.
Welcome from Arizona, sorry for the loss of your Dad but you have a great memory maker every time you shoot it.
Good looking gun....
Condolences on the loss of your Father.
That is a good looking model 39. They were made from 1954 to 1982 and the black finish was standard.
Condolences on the loss of your Father.
That is a good looking model 39. They were made from 1954 to 1982 and the black finish was standard.
As was already asked above, in which service or agency did your father serve?
C Islander
Member
Welcome from Ohio! Sorry for your loss.
SGT ROCK 11B
Member
My condolences on your lost.
It was made in 1977. Originally it came with wood grips but your dad like me put those black rubber Pachmyr grips on it. Very common thing for cops to do at that time.
Keep it. Everytime you touch it, you're almost touching your father's hands.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Definitely a piece to hold onto and keep in the family.
For reference, the Model 39 series evolved from US military testing during the 1950s intended to replace the aging M1911A1 .45 caliber pistolsd, with no such conclusion actually reached.
Colt submitted their lightweight Commander (a shortened version of the .45 service pistol) in 9mm caliber while Smith & Wesson submitted their new 9mm pistol that later became the Model 39 series. The Model 39 design included features of the Walther P-38 pistol adopted as German Army standard in 1938, very similar double-action and single-action modes, hammer-drop safety, with the dust cover slide design and Browning-style pivoting barrel locking mechanism familiar from the M1911-series.
The Model 39 was adopted for standard issue by several police departments, with the Illinois State Patrol among the first major contracts. Probably the first significant uses of semi-auto pistols in North American law enforcement.
By the mid-1970s S&W designers completed the Model 59 design, incorporating a thicker grip-frame to contain a dual-column single-feed magazine very similar to the Browning Hi-Power type. Evolution of the design continued with stainless steel and compact versions, double-action only models, and many other options (659, 469, 669, 5900-series, 6900-series, 3913, multiple others) and related projects in .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45ACP calibers.
The pistol shown in the OP was probably manufactured in the 1970s, a fairly early example of the Model 39 series.. The black rubber Pachmayr grips were popular with law enforcement users during that time period.
For reference, the Model 39 series evolved from US military testing during the 1950s intended to replace the aging M1911A1 .45 caliber pistolsd, with no such conclusion actually reached.
Colt submitted their lightweight Commander (a shortened version of the .45 service pistol) in 9mm caliber while Smith & Wesson submitted their new 9mm pistol that later became the Model 39 series. The Model 39 design included features of the Walther P-38 pistol adopted as German Army standard in 1938, very similar double-action and single-action modes, hammer-drop safety, with the dust cover slide design and Browning-style pivoting barrel locking mechanism familiar from the M1911-series.
The Model 39 was adopted for standard issue by several police departments, with the Illinois State Patrol among the first major contracts. Probably the first significant uses of semi-auto pistols in North American law enforcement.
By the mid-1970s S&W designers completed the Model 59 design, incorporating a thicker grip-frame to contain a dual-column single-feed magazine very similar to the Browning Hi-Power type. Evolution of the design continued with stainless steel and compact versions, double-action only models, and many other options (659, 469, 669, 5900-series, 6900-series, 3913, multiple others) and related projects in .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45ACP calibers.
The pistol shown in the OP was probably manufactured in the 1970s, a fairly early example of the Model 39 series.. The black rubber Pachmayr grips were popular with law enforcement users during that time period.
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Enzo Rules
Member
First off condolences. As others have stated keep the pistol as a reminder of your father.
Delta Expatriate
Member
Condolences on the loss of your father. I would keep that 39-2. I have never shot one, but have held one - felt great in the hand and pointed naturally. Welcome from down south in Mississippi.
StrawHat
Member
I am the odd man out in this area. If that piece belonged to AJ EvHoover, I might give a bit more. But, realistically, the Winchester Model 12, two barrel set, that my father hunted with is worth exactly what someone is willing to write a check for. The same with the revolvers I carried on duty.
Sentimental value? Not worth a penny!
If you decide to keep it to honor your Dad, that is great! I applaud you.
If you decide to sell it, it is a decent little self loader and there is a modest cult of folks who like the Model 39-2. I sold one a few decades ago and recently sold my Model 3913 I carried as a back up to my Model 19-2. Both were easy to sell.
Kevin
Sentimental value? Not worth a penny!
If you decide to keep it to honor your Dad, that is great! I applaud you.
If you decide to sell it, it is a decent little self loader and there is a modest cult of folks who like the Model 39-2. I sold one a few decades ago and recently sold my Model 3913 I carried as a back up to my Model 19-2. Both were easy to sell.
Kevin
