The skinny 9mm project

[preventec47]

Take one very beat up mod 39-2 9mm that seems
functionally complete and in good working order.

Remove Grips and apply shrink wrap to handle

Now there. Thinner handle Than the Keltec 380
but with good aiming 4 inch 9mm barrel.

My primary CCW pistol now.
Caliper on the handle now reads 3/4" width !

 

[GJH77]

Well that is one mess of a 39. What is the story behind that gun and how it came to you?

 

[M29since14]

Well that is one mess of a 39...

Have to agree with that.

Looks like there are a few parts that could snag and get bent, but I can't recall. Been a while since I took a close look at my Model 39.

One thing is for sure, if that one comes up missing or sitting in an evidence room, you won't be fretting over a $2000 Performance Center .45.

 

[preventec47]

i spotted this in a pawn shop and it looked more horrible in real
life than the pics show. I believe the previous owner had
begun with a grinder to give it a melt job on the sharp corners
and then realized it was probably a bad idea but by then
the damage was done. The insides looked good and
all the mechanisms worked well and it was half the price
of a KelTec PF-9 that I was in the market for.
I believe I could make it look a bit better by smoothing
the ground off rough edges and I can put the wood grips
back on any time. But for now it does something no
other pistol can do.... .well cept for a certain modified
aftermarket 39 25 years ago called the ASP I think and they
did basically the same thing only they used clear plexiglass
panels for the grips.
I actually like beat up trucks and guns because you never
have to worry about getting a scratch on em !


l

 

[DASA]

There is something quite liberating about ugly guns and ugly cars/trucks. What's it like to shoot that thing? Looks like it might not feel so great with the exposed linkage stuff catching your thumb on the upper part of the grip. You should get some thin sheet metal and make a proper set of grip panels using the wooden ones as a guide. They would be damn near as thin as the shrink wrap and would actually cover everything.

Post some pics if you end up doing something like that!

 

[preventec47]

Naw man, it shoots real good. When we all go out hunting
ducks my buddies feel the need for shotguns but I just pluck
em out of the sky with my Mod 39 I hate to embarrass them
like that so sometimes I shoot from the hip and then I miss
a few..

Seriously , although it looks like it might, there is nothing
for my thumb to get stuck on.

Really, I dont want to screw with perfection. The only way
you can get thinner than shrink wrap is take it off.
( which I did at first and I shot it a few times without the
shrink wrap before I began to pursue the project)

Oh I also first had white bandage tape and plastic
electrical tape before the shrink wrap. My next step
if shrink wrap didnt work was to use a bicycle inner
tube stretched over the handle.

Take a look at this other modified SW Mod 39 from long ago

ASP
Modern Firearms - ASP pistol

 

[BruceB]

I don't feel so bad now

My beater 39 looks positively beautiful in comparison

And it's a tack driver!

 

[clang444]

Didn't Michael Corleone use a gun like that in The Godfather?

 

[rabid_rob]

Didn't Michael Corleone use a gun like that in The Godfather?

no, it was a Model 10; here's a link:

Godfather, The - imfdb :. guns in movies :. movie guns :. the internet movie firearms database

 

[GJH77]

There is one of those ASP customized 39's on GB right now, and I wondered if it was a factory model of someone's personal remodel.
Auction # 171105860

 

[tpd223]

Seriously, I'd put the grips back on, even if you thin them down a bit.

The grips hold the hammer pin in and keep gunk out the the sear and trigger bar area.

 

[mlk18]

+1

I would try to find a very thin material that can be cut, edges rounded and applied as grips versus 1/2 coverge shrink wrap.

 

[revolvergeek]

Get some thin sheets of kydex, cut some scales using your grips as a pattern, slip them onto the gun, reapply the heat shrink and you should be good to go.

 

[shawn mccarver]

Take one very beat up mod 39-2 9mm that seems
functionally complete and in good working order.

Remove Grips and apply shrink wrap to handle

Now there. Thinner handle Than the Keltec 380
but with good aiming 4 inch 9mm barrel.

My primary CCW pistol now.
Caliper on the handle now reads 3/4" width !

No offense, but this is a bad idea as certain parts are held in place by the grips.