LOOKED LIKE A HI-POWER

[moralem]

As much as I think the nickel is legit the small parts that should be blue are not, which causes me to think it was post factory nickeled or renickled......oh well it is in the safe now with all the other pieces I have accumulated. I might have the small pieces blued just so it had the proper look. I will also look for period correct grips.


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[DepOne]

A friend of mine had an all steel model 39. I don't know how many were made but I was with him a the gun sale when he sold it for about a $1000 many years ago. Personally, I preferred the aluminum frame but apparently there were so few of these made that it was worth quite a bit of money. I wish I knew more about it but my friend passed away a few months ago. He worked in the firearms industry and had connections throughout. Maybe that's how he got the thing in the 1st place?

 

[Rdevoid]

S&W 39-2

We have some parts, if you need any let us know. Great gun. Tarnhelm.com

 

[Green Frog]

I bought a like-new Model 39-2 with 3 mags for my Dad about 1978 or '79 for about $200 IIRC, and when I inherited it a couple of years ago he had probably fired about 100 rounds or so in the intervening time. I'm a bit conflicted about shooting it a lot and putting much wear on it (still like new) but the couple of hundred rounds so far have been so much fun...

As for paying $600 for a well-worn example today, not in this world. There were a ton of them built (in the basic 39-2 configuration) and the price should reflect that. Six hundred bucks or so should buy a very nice one. Also, I'm more into stainless for my "working guns" so I'd be likely to look for the 639 version, but that's just me, YMMV.

Froggie

 

[flyinmech59]

My First Handgun

39-2, most beautiful with wood grips and felt great. I was told never to use +P ammo with this pistol. Always worked, had to sell. Did not want to. The sites were OK, but not like todays guns.

 

[magicmanmb]

Gave a 39 no dash to one of my Docs a few years ago it was 95%+ and I paid $250 at a gun show. Found a 5906 last week 1mag for $200. It was bought due to having a Marlin Camp Carbine (same mags). The only gen 3's I know I can get parts for are my 4506 & 4506-1 mags for my 4006 and 1076 are hens teeth. If you do buy her you'll get hooked on non-plastic. Depending on condition I wouldn't go over $400 part are short supply for everything but 4506 &5906 since some departments are still issuing them.

 

[kobsw]

As much as I think the nickel is legit the small parts that should be blue are not, which causes me to think it was post factory nickeled or renickled......oh well it is in the safe now with all the other pieces I have accumulated. I might have the small pieces blued just so it had the proper look. I will also look for period correct grips.


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moralem, you did good and as for parts, they're a available in blue so do some web searches and you'll fine what you want.

Kobsw

 

[raljr1]

Depending on where you live, $600 sounds a touch high unless condition is good. I have one unfired in the box I gave $700 for and this one that I got for $300, but both were a couple years ago.

 

[the perfesser]

I was at a local pawn shop and I saw what I thought was a Browning High Power. After further investigation I found out it was a S&W 39-2......

If you want something that looks like a High Power, buy a Tisa HP clone from Brownell's for less than $600.

 

[357p239]

$600 too much

You should, with persistance, be able to find a nice one in the $250 to $300 range

 

[merl67]

Here is the thread from the one I picked up last year well worn but is very accurate and runs like a swiss watch.
Need some help on possible early Model 39

 

[chuckfw]

I have a model 39-2 as well as a model 59. Both are nickeled and have the blued slide stop, safety. As I recollect, I paid $450 for each one, no box, very nice looking condition.

 

[wx7b]

Most posted sell values for used police S&W autos of this type and later go for around the $400 range. Make for a good shooter or vehicle gun. This seems pretty high to me.

 

[Knite7]

I bought my 39-2 new in the mid 70's and carried it for many years. In that time I have gone through many 9mm's, but have always found the 39-2 the most comfortable to carry, point and shoot. Still have it.

 

[4T5GUY]

I have lots of facts and information about factory nickel 39-2's.

I posted here about a nickeled one I got with most controls nickeled. I called Roy, (when it was that easy,) and did even more research. One of our own Forum Members, (30 yrs on the S&W semi-auto line,) P.M.'ed me at first then we traded e-mails.

This thread is not the place for this discussion, but I'd be happy to share my findings.

Jim

 

[moralem]

Well I have no idea what I have. Kind of looks like chrome or stainless, doesn't really look like nickel....but what do I know. ..

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[moralem]

I have lots of facts and information about factory nickel 39-2's.

I posted here about a nickeled one I got with most controls nickeled. I called Roy, (when it was that easy,) and did even more research. One of our own Forum Members, (30 yrs on the S&W semi-auto line,) P.M.'ed me at first then we traded e-mails.

This thread is not the place for this discussion, but I'd be happy to share my findings.

Jim

PM sent......

 

[vegasgunhand]

39-2s are neat guns, and I always think about the ISP adoption and how they kind of led the way for autos on cops hips. Saw one one stuffed backwards in the waistband of a local narc narc not more than 15 years ago. That being said, at a $600 ask, there better be enough wiggle room to let it drop through a key hole without scraping the side.

Surprisingly enough Berkeley California P.D. also adopted the Model 39 as a duty weapon back in the late 60's. In fact they credited the magazine disconnect with saving an officer's life. One of their officers got into a fight with a suspect who was in the process of taking the officer's pistol. Just before the suspect got the model 39 away from the officer, the officer dropped the magazine from the gun. The suspect then tried to shoot the officer with his own pistol. Of course it didn't fire and the officer survived the encounter with just a beating before the suspect fled.

 

[DCW]

39-2 and Nickle, Too

I've got a couple of "all-nickel" 39-2s as well as spot blues, too. The lower one goes in the serial numbers the more likely it'll have quite a few of the nickel parts in question, if not all nickel parts.

As is the case with far too many 39-2 "factoids" the certainty of "when" bleeds away in the face of time, but S&W did produce all-nickel 39s then at some point following the changes wrought with 39-2s the all-nickel gave way to the "spot blue" (for the lack . . .) nickel pistols.

Furthermore, as far as can be determined, the switch to blue was done piecemeal, e.g., first came the sights, then the trigger, and so on (this correspondent suggests the preceding "order of things" not be taken literally, because if one knew the order it all came about, then one would likely also know when such happened).

Longtime S&W Fourm member Cougar015 has nickel 39s on either side of the Great Divide and will likely have as good of a handle on this as would any. Hopefully, he'll chime in at some point.

Later.

 

[Drm50]

Wiggle Room? That pistol is priced double. There has been many nice 39s right here on Forum for less.