pondering another Satin Nickel 469

[cschell]

Hello, I saw this piece in a LGS and am tempted to pick it up. It has a Novak rear sight, and the front sight is windage adjustable. The finish is okay with a couple of nicks on one side of the slide and a couple more on the bottom of the dust cover. It wears Pachmayr wrap-around grips. A couple of questions; were Pachmayr grips ever on the gun by the factory when shipped and how common/uncommon were these types of sights on model 469? I already have a Satin Nickel 469 with standard nonadjustable sights in excellent condition but am still thinking about this piece because of the sights. I was curious about the sights. The front sight is adjustable for windage, and the bevel cut out for it appears to be factory done. I know this is how the front and rear sights were produced on the gen 3's. Because this serial number begins with the later TAC prefix, I was curious if Smith and Wesson might have started doing this on late Satin Nickel 469s or if came out of the Custom Shop.
I don't know if I want to hunt down a set of factory grips if these never came with Pachmayrs.
Question; is $400 too much for this gun today? Thanks

 

[cougar015]

For $400 if you like it buy it. I don't know if they came with Pachmayrs but you can always replace the grips if needed.

 

[stansdds]

I'd say the slide was milled for a dovetailed front sight. The rear sight is definitely not factory. There is a good chance that the sight work was performed by Novak. The Pachmayr grips are definitely an aftermarket item. Custom sights and Pachmayr replacement grips were popular things for those who carried the 469 and 669 back when they were new.

 

[toddimusnimski]

It looks like my 669 that was machined by Novak to fit their adjustable tritium sight set, around $300 parts and labor I believe. I'd sure jump all over that one for $400. Bonus if it has the box and extra factory magazines but I wouldn't blink if it didn't. If you want factory stock panels they can regularly be found on ebay for $40ish.

Added: first pic is sellers, second is mine.
Todd

 

[demkofour]

Looks to me like an Ashland Special Edition version 469 with some legitimate sight modifications. Should be a no brainer (at least to me!) at $400.

 

[cschell]

Thank you for the responses. The owner allowed me to shoot it at the range prior to purchase. The gun ran well, but that first shot in double action reminded me why we all switched to striker fired semiautos in the 1990s. Regardless, it is now a part of my newly starting Smith and Wesson semiauto collection. I thought I would only do revolvers, but I couldn't resist this throw-back for a mere $350.

 

[quikdraw67]

Welcome to the rabbit hole. I went down it pretty hard a few years ago. 3rd Gen S&W pistols are still (relatively) affordable, and they are lots of different models and variations to choose from.

I sold some, but the ones I kept are my favorites.

Congrats, and enjoy.

 

[cschell]

Yeah, another rabbit hole for sure. On the way back from the shop that I bought the 469 at I stopped at another shop. Guess what? I left there with a 439. It was well worn but for $300 OTD I couldn't help myself. Hello, I'm Carl and I have a Smith and Wesson addiction.

 

[Hoosierville IRN]

Pics of the 439?

 

[cougar015]

Yeah, another rabbit hole for sure. On the way back from the shop that I bought the 469 at I stopped at another shop. Guess what? I left there with a 439. It was well worn but for $300 OTD I couldn't help myself. Hello, I'm Carl and I have a Smith and Wesson addiction.

Hello Carl. You are in good company here. Our twelve step program is to buy at least one S&W a month.

 

[cschell]

I would be delighted if I reduced it to only one per month. If it were only one per month, I would be good in the Smith realm for the next three years based on what I've added since the first of the year. But only three have been semi-autos. Yeah, but they were all purchased this week.
I think I've become like one of those people who rescues dogs or cats and before you know it, they're house and life is taken over by the creatures and the ASPCA is knocking on their door.
BTW, is there an American Society for the Prevention of the Cruelty to Smith and Wesson's Society?

 

[cschell]

Well, after picking up the second 469 I made the financial mistake of stopping at another gun store on the way home. I am sure you can guess what happened. I found two more Smith semi autos that had been reduced to rescue me prices. I got the 439 for $298 OTD and the 4046TSW for $268 OTD. Does anyone know if it is possible to find the light rail for the TSW? It's a former Brinks Armored Car Company gun and at some point, the tactical rail got removed.

 

[ARgon]

In a word, BUYIT!!

 

[ACEd]

Well, after picking up the second 469 I made the financial mistake of stopping at another gun store on the way home. I am sure you can guess what happened. I found two more Smith semi autos that had been reduced to rescue me prices. I got the 439 for $298 OTD and the 4046TSW for $268 OTD. Does anyone know if it is possible to find the light rail for the TSW? It's a former rinks Armored Car Company gun and at some point, the tactical rail got removed.

Rails by themselves are rare - I have seen 2 in the past year or so but 1 was with a pistol just not attached. As I recall there are at least 3 geometries based on frame geometry 3913TSW/4013TSW (I may be mistaken here - possibly the 3913TSW rail is unique and the 4013TSW may be same as 4006TSW), 5906TSW/4006TSW, and 4513TSW - probably 4566TSW too and of course you would need the rivets. The one you would want for the 4046TSW would be the same as 4006TSW, 4003TSW, 5906TSW, 5903TSW, 5946TSW etc.

You might check with SSD International Inc. APOPKA, FL - they sold lots of ex-Brinks 4046TSW on GB a couple of years back including some that were non-op for parts - if you cant find them PM me - I think I have their contact info somewhere.

Thats the "good" news - the "bad" news is that I had heard that the geometry predates the standardization of rail slots and the current standard lights MAY NOT fit - I have not verified this (and I cant imagine LE would continue to but railed TSWs if there wasnt something to mount on the rails). Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in on what can be mounted.

 

[cschell]

In a word, BUYIT!!

oh, they have all been added to the collection. I am searching for the original type tactical/light rail. Looking for leads on a tactical rail and how to install it