Model 59 questions, Any info appreciated.

[Rule3]

Saw a Model 59 up at the shop. Dark blue, Appears to be in very good condition except for the aftermarket Pachmyer grips. Could not find much info on this model other than it was based on the 39. This is a mod 59 with no dashes.
Are they worth buying for collection or just a shooter?

 

[Rule3]

Saw a Model 59 up at the shop. Dark blue, Appears to be in very good condition except for the aftermarket Pachmyer grips. Could not find much info on this model other than it was based on the 39. This is a mod 59 with no dashes.
Are they worth buying for collection or just a shooter?

 

[cxm]

I think the m59 has some collectors value... and will have more in the future...particularly if it has the box etc. Grips are pretty easy to find so it will be correct.

The M59 was the first "wonder nine" and has been going up of late.

I have some NIB that I am holding on to in anticipation of prices going up.

FWIW

CHuck

Originally posted by OCD1:
Saw a Model 59 up at the shop. Dark blue, Appears to be in very good condition except for the aftermarket Pachmyer grips. Could not find much info on this model other than it was based on the 39. This is a mod 59 with no dashes.
Are they worth buying for collection or just a shooter?

 

[snw19_357]

First high capacity 9mm made in the USA.

If not used as a truck gun and thrown under the seat, I can't see it using value. All depens on price and condition.

59/459 grip panels are becoming harder and harder to find.

 

[silverstateS&W]

I have some Uncle mikes grips and spare mags if you buy this gun.

 

[Jim H]

First generation, high capacity 9mm autoloader.

Slide-mounted decock/safety lever. Rotate it down to decock. Then, leave it down for "safe" mode, or rotate back up to leave it ready for a double-action first shot. Because it decocks the hammer, it cannot be left cocked AND locked.

There is no firing pin block, so it might, just might, accidentally fire if loaded and dropped onto the hammer from just the right height and at just the right angle. The Second generation (459/659) and Third generation (59xx) are 'drop safe' and have a firing pin block.

I bought mine to be a shooter, and that's what I do with it...

 

[sjmjax]

I bought one when they first came out many years ago. Didn't care for the boxy feel of the grips so it's sat in the safe for decades.

Recently got back into shooting 9mm's. One day took the old 59 and a number of other 9mm's to the range. I consistantly out shot my 952-2 and every other 9mm I own with it regardless of ammo used. Was quite impressed.

Went out and bought another LNIB 59 to horde for a few more decades. Some day I'll see if this one shoots as well as the first.

 

[BUFF]

S&W made a lot of Model 59's. They were very popular. Unless they are brand new, in the box with all the paperwork, I doubt they will draw big prices for a really, really long time.

I bought one of the first 200 made (smooth frontstrap) a couple of years ago, NIB, from a shop that knows what things are worth, for a shooter price.

M-59's are great shooters, though.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks for all the info. This one is OK as far as the finish but the magazine (only 1) is rusty and the grips are awful. No box, so I think I will pass. Just what I need, another 9mm.

 

[bpjunkie]

silverstate, email sent.

 

[prefer_wheelguns]

Ah, the model 59. Hated mine. For some reason my head jerked forward at every shot. I've fired lots more powerful pistols before and since, and never experienced that headache-inducing reflexive jerk-nod with anything other than the 59. Plus, it was a jam-o-matic; every Nth shot stovepiped. One of the few guns I've got rid of over the years, that I don't miss.