Latest Acquisition

[imarangemaster]

Still working part time at the local gunshop. The owner is gone on vacation for a week, so I am running it for him.

An older guy (which is funny for me to say, as I am turning 70 in two months!) comes in and wants to consign a nickel 469 in 98% shape. He wants to buy a .38 revolver to replace it. Even if he sold for $500, after his 20% commission, he would only net $400, and would have to wait until it sold, etc.

Well, I liked it, so I offered him more than he would have made if he consigned it, even if it sold for $500. A deal was struck, and he put that towards a revolver. The 469 is now in Commiefornia's 10 day jail, so I can pick it up on the 15th. Now we are both happy!

As I have said before, I have a soft spot for the 469s, since I shot a pre-production sample in the early 1980s, that the S&W LE rep brought to the PD where I was a rangemaster in the 1980s. (We carried S&W Model 59s then). I have since owned two blued 469s, and several stainless 669 and 6906s, but this is my first nickel 469!

The 469 is nickel plated, and has the early pebble-grain grips, so its fairly rare, I think, since the vast majority of early ones were blued. I emailed S&W customer support to get a born on date, and confirm it was nickel when it left the factory.

I am really happy with it. I may leave it locked up in my RV trailer for a travel gun.

 

[Clc3251]

Very nice and rare in that finish

 

[stansdds]

Very nice Model 469. Don't see that many in factory nickel plate, I think the satin nickel is a really nice finish for carbon steel that is to be carried. I always thought the high polish nickel finish on the 39 and 59 pistols was too flashy and garish for carry.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Nice gun, but if your employer finds out, he may not appreciate your actions in his absence.

 

[imarangemaster]

Nice gun, but if your employer finds out, he may not appreciate your actions in his absence.

No, he won't mind at all. One, he is a friend of mind and appreciates me taking over the shop for 8 days so he can go on vacation. Secondly he lets us do it as a perk since we are not highly paid (I work for store credit). In two years of working there, this is only the second time.

S&W says the pistol left the factory in 1990, though Genitron says they stopped the nickel 469 in 1988.

 

[Mark 40]

Good for you and for the previous owner, great when a deal like that can be done where everyone is happy. Enjoy your 469.

 

[N4KVE]

Nice gun, but if your employer finds out, he may not appreciate your actions in his absence.

The owner of the LGS that employs me has a STRICT policy against that. Technically the store owner was deprived his $100 commission for the gun being sold in his store. Another employee did that exact same thing when the owner was out. Got a gold 50 cal Desert Eagle for $700 from a woman who didn't know any better. Soon as the owner found out, he was gone. GARY.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

The owner of the LGS that employs me has a STRICT policy against that. Technically the store owner was deprived his $100 commission for the gun being sold in his store. Another employee did that exact same thing when the owner was out. Got a gold 50 cal Desert Eagle for $700 from a woman who didn't know any better. Soon as the owner found out, he was gone. GARY.

Rules vary place to place and person to person within the same place. Just saying.

 

[Green Frog]

Nice find on the nickel 469. It sounds like you and the store's owner have a good working relationship. Often such an arrangement works well for employee and owner as long as neither abuses his side of it.

I have a question you can probably answer for me… is the frame (receiver) of that model the same as a full size nine mm or is the dust cover and/or the grip shortened? At a glance, it looks like a 459 with a short slide. "Inquiring minds…"

Froggie

 

[stansdds]

Nice find on the nickel 469. It sounds like you and the store's owner have a good working relationship. Often such an arrangement works well for employee and owner as long as neither abuses his side of it.

I have a question you can probably answer for me… is the frame (receiver) of that model the same as a full size nine mm or is the dust cover and/or the grip shortened? At a glance, it looks like a 459 with a short slide. "Inquiring minds…"

Froggie

S&W, unlike Colt and the clones of the 1911 Government and Commander models, did not shorten the dust cover on the compact pistols nor did they shorten the receiver's slide rails. S&W shortened the barrel, slide, magazine, and magazine well/grip, beavertail, and the rear of the slide and receiver were contoured to make them more rounded on the x69 and early 690x models.

 

[toddimusnimski]

Very nice! Did it come with box and papers? Also curious how many magazines and if they're blued or stainless.

Todd

 

[ralph7]

. I always thought the high polish nickel finish on the 39 and 59 pistols was too flashy and garish for carry.

"My, what big teeth you have"
Sometimes a little flash is a good thing.

 

[quikdraw67]

I have the blued 469, great shooting smaller (I won't call it little) pistol.

 

[stansdds]

"My, what big teeth you have"
Sometimes a little flash is a good thing.

LOL! I suppose so, I just tend to lean towards stealth.

 

[imarangemaster]

Very nice! Did it come with box and papers? Also curious how many magazines and if they're blued or stainless.

Todd

No box or papers, though I think I still have the papers from my first 469n (1986 or 1987) in my file. One blued old style magazine.

 

[imarangemaster]

The original post was the Reader's Digest version. The long story is that the owner had dropped off the 469 for the gunsmith we use to do a thorough cleaning and function check. I saw it there and told him if the owner ever wanted to sell it, I wanted to buy it. The gunsmith told the owner about my offer. When the owner picked it up from the gunsmith (he works out of our shop), I was there, and told him I was the one who offered to buy it. He said he would sell it. Then the rest of the story happened.

 

[imarangemaster]

Checked in my file of gun manuals and paperwork, and found the original user manual for the 469 I bought as soon as I could in the mid-1980s after firing the pre-production sample at our range.

 

[imarangemaster]

Also for safety pamphlet, law enforcement holster flyer, and warranty station list.

 

[Doitright]

Nice pistol! The 469 was my first, it was solid and reliable

 

[BAM-BAM]

Nice catch..............

I had a 469 for a number of years...... until the 6906 came out..... for me the 469 felt like you were holding a 2X4 .... the 69xx grips are much better IMO.