The following is an excerpt from my book 101 Classic Firearms, available at 101 Classic Firearms by John Marshall (40133): Misc: Books & DVDs . It's copyrighted to me. I thought it might be appropriate for inclusion here. Hope you find it of interest.
John
The Smith & Wesson Model 39 9mm pistol was a significant classic if only for the reason that it was America’s first double action semiautomatic pistol. As such, it was the ancestor of a large family of Smith & Wesson double action pistols in many calibers and sizes. It also prompted the design and manufacture of competitive DA pistols by other companies in the United States and abroad.
The story of the Model 39 begins in 1946, when Carl Hellstrom was elected president of Smith and Wesson. He had previously held the post of production manager, and was widely regarded as a competent “idea man.” In addition to an objective of improving the company’s production capabilities, he wanted to develop new models to expand the S&W line. Until then, the company had manufactured but a few semiautomatic pistols. These were of the pocket pistol genre and had been out of print for many years. Hellstrom was aware that the U.S. government was considering making the .45 1911A1 pistol obsolete and substituting a 9mm pistol to conform to European standards. Accordingly, he charged Joe Norman, S&W’s chief designer, to develop a double action pistol that could compete with the Walther P.38 pistol used by Germany during WWII. In 1948, Norman and his team produced a prototype pistol with the serial X-46. It was a double-action 9mm that combined the Walther DA concept with the Browning tilt-barrel cammed locking system. It utilized a 4-inch barrel and an 8-shot single-stack magazine. The pistol incorporated a rear sight adjustable for windage only and a magazine safety. If the owner didn’t want a magazine safety, it could be easily removed. Both steel-frame and aluminum-frame pistols were produced and tested. In July 1953 the factory sent samples in both double and single-action to Springfield Armory for evaluation. Unfortunately for S&W, the Army cooled on the idea of replacing its stock of 1911A1 pistols, and no military contract was in sight.
The decision was made to put the aluminum-framed 9mm double action onto the civilian and police market. On December 4, 1954, the first guns were completed. Not yet sure that a double-action pistol would be received well, the company also produced and made parts for some single-action guns. A couple of single-action guns were sent to some government and police agencies for testing. As some interest was shown, the January 1956 catalog introduced the 9mm single action (later called the Model 44) and the double-action (later called the Model 39). Prices were $65 and $70 respectively. Interest in the single-action gun was nil, and only 10 were ever built. These are fabulously expensive collector pieces today. The Model 44 was removed from the S&W catalog in 1958. As the 9mm was not a widely available cartridge in those years, the Model 39 was not a particularly big seller. In 1957, only 426 pistols were produced. Beginning at about serial number 2000, the model number began to appear on frames. About this time, at serial number 2200, a longer safety lever was incorporated, making it easier to thumb the safety on and off. Sales gradually increased over the next several years. Early in the 9mm program, the company had forged about 1,000 steel frames. In 1966, S&W decided to complete those frames, and 927 of them were incorporated into production. Three serial number ranges were used for these, the first in the 35,000 – 39,000 range, the second in the 60,000 – 64,000 range, and the last in the 81,000 – 82,000 range. If you have one of these, it’s a desirable collector item, and should be authenticated by requesting a factory letter on it. Some now-scarce detachable dust covers were made for the Model 39.
The Model 39-1 was really the later Model 52 target pistol that chambered the .38 AMU cartridge. This round was essentially a rimless .38 Special wadcutter made especially for the U.S. Army Marksmanship unit. These are today properly referred to as Models 52-A. They were produced circa 1961-1964, with only 87 manufactured! The standard Model 52 chambered the .38 Special wadcutter cartridge, and was made in three production runs from 1961 through 1993.
A number of police agencies adopted the Model 39, and some reports had come in complaining about broken extractors on pistols used extensively. S&W improved the extractor from a wide spring bar to a narrower extractor powered by a coil spring. That engineering change resulted in the Model 39-2. No other changes were made throughout the production life of the Model 39. The Model 39 was easily adaptable with a wider frame and a staggered-round magazine to a 14-shot model. S&W made some prototypes, and a few were sent to the Navy at the Navy’s request. The sound-suppressed “Hush Puppy” pistols of Vietnam fame generated from these. The fourteen-shot pistol was formalized as a production item and released on June 8, 1971 as the Model 59. These guns became the first “wondernines.” Less than 100 of the first production guns had smooth front and back grip straps. A few had serrated backstraps, and subsequent production had both front and back straps serrated. The 59s with these early features are now collector items. Model 39 and 59 pistols were widely used as police guns. Interestingly, the Model 39 and 59 slide and barrel assemblies will interchange, as the only differences are in the frames and magazines.
The last 39-2 pistol was shipped February 15, 1983, with serial number A747148. The 39 was superceded in the S&W line by the “second generation” Model 439 which had a few internal changes and a rear sight assembly with protective “ears.” The Model 39-2 pistol illustrated for this article was made in 1980 and is accompanied by an original box, papers, cleaning rod and sight adjustment screwdriver.
The Model 39 was the forerunner of the entire Smith & Wesson full-size metal-framed and hammer-equipped pistol line. It was the starting point in the evolvement of most of S&W’s popular pistols. Even today, no other pistol in the Smith & Wesson lineup fits as well in the hand. It feels “just right” for the majority of shooters and is a reliable self-defense pistol. It has every claim to being a genuine classic.
(c) JLM
John
The Smith & Wesson Model 39 9mm pistol was a significant classic if only for the reason that it was America’s first double action semiautomatic pistol. As such, it was the ancestor of a large family of Smith & Wesson double action pistols in many calibers and sizes. It also prompted the design and manufacture of competitive DA pistols by other companies in the United States and abroad.
The story of the Model 39 begins in 1946, when Carl Hellstrom was elected president of Smith and Wesson. He had previously held the post of production manager, and was widely regarded as a competent “idea man.” In addition to an objective of improving the company’s production capabilities, he wanted to develop new models to expand the S&W line. Until then, the company had manufactured but a few semiautomatic pistols. These were of the pocket pistol genre and had been out of print for many years. Hellstrom was aware that the U.S. government was considering making the .45 1911A1 pistol obsolete and substituting a 9mm pistol to conform to European standards. Accordingly, he charged Joe Norman, S&W’s chief designer, to develop a double action pistol that could compete with the Walther P.38 pistol used by Germany during WWII. In 1948, Norman and his team produced a prototype pistol with the serial X-46. It was a double-action 9mm that combined the Walther DA concept with the Browning tilt-barrel cammed locking system. It utilized a 4-inch barrel and an 8-shot single-stack magazine. The pistol incorporated a rear sight adjustable for windage only and a magazine safety. If the owner didn’t want a magazine safety, it could be easily removed. Both steel-frame and aluminum-frame pistols were produced and tested. In July 1953 the factory sent samples in both double and single-action to Springfield Armory for evaluation. Unfortunately for S&W, the Army cooled on the idea of replacing its stock of 1911A1 pistols, and no military contract was in sight.
The decision was made to put the aluminum-framed 9mm double action onto the civilian and police market. On December 4, 1954, the first guns were completed. Not yet sure that a double-action pistol would be received well, the company also produced and made parts for some single-action guns. A couple of single-action guns were sent to some government and police agencies for testing. As some interest was shown, the January 1956 catalog introduced the 9mm single action (later called the Model 44) and the double-action (later called the Model 39). Prices were $65 and $70 respectively. Interest in the single-action gun was nil, and only 10 were ever built. These are fabulously expensive collector pieces today. The Model 44 was removed from the S&W catalog in 1958. As the 9mm was not a widely available cartridge in those years, the Model 39 was not a particularly big seller. In 1957, only 426 pistols were produced. Beginning at about serial number 2000, the model number began to appear on frames. About this time, at serial number 2200, a longer safety lever was incorporated, making it easier to thumb the safety on and off. Sales gradually increased over the next several years. Early in the 9mm program, the company had forged about 1,000 steel frames. In 1966, S&W decided to complete those frames, and 927 of them were incorporated into production. Three serial number ranges were used for these, the first in the 35,000 – 39,000 range, the second in the 60,000 – 64,000 range, and the last in the 81,000 – 82,000 range. If you have one of these, it’s a desirable collector item, and should be authenticated by requesting a factory letter on it. Some now-scarce detachable dust covers were made for the Model 39.
The Model 39-1 was really the later Model 52 target pistol that chambered the .38 AMU cartridge. This round was essentially a rimless .38 Special wadcutter made especially for the U.S. Army Marksmanship unit. These are today properly referred to as Models 52-A. They were produced circa 1961-1964, with only 87 manufactured! The standard Model 52 chambered the .38 Special wadcutter cartridge, and was made in three production runs from 1961 through 1993.
A number of police agencies adopted the Model 39, and some reports had come in complaining about broken extractors on pistols used extensively. S&W improved the extractor from a wide spring bar to a narrower extractor powered by a coil spring. That engineering change resulted in the Model 39-2. No other changes were made throughout the production life of the Model 39. The Model 39 was easily adaptable with a wider frame and a staggered-round magazine to a 14-shot model. S&W made some prototypes, and a few were sent to the Navy at the Navy’s request. The sound-suppressed “Hush Puppy” pistols of Vietnam fame generated from these. The fourteen-shot pistol was formalized as a production item and released on June 8, 1971 as the Model 59. These guns became the first “wondernines.” Less than 100 of the first production guns had smooth front and back grip straps. A few had serrated backstraps, and subsequent production had both front and back straps serrated. The 59s with these early features are now collector items. Model 39 and 59 pistols were widely used as police guns. Interestingly, the Model 39 and 59 slide and barrel assemblies will interchange, as the only differences are in the frames and magazines.
The last 39-2 pistol was shipped February 15, 1983, with serial number A747148. The 39 was superceded in the S&W line by the “second generation” Model 439 which had a few internal changes and a rear sight assembly with protective “ears.” The Model 39-2 pistol illustrated for this article was made in 1980 and is accompanied by an original box, papers, cleaning rod and sight adjustment screwdriver.
The Model 39 was the forerunner of the entire Smith & Wesson full-size metal-framed and hammer-equipped pistol line. It was the starting point in the evolvement of most of S&W’s popular pistols. Even today, no other pistol in the Smith & Wesson lineup fits as well in the hand. It feels “just right” for the majority of shooters and is a reliable self-defense pistol. It has every claim to being a genuine classic.
(c) JLM
Last edited:
