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Joined: Jan 2005
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OP
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Have a chance to pick-up a real clean Smith 39-2, in the box. Never had one, always liked the look of them. Any pros-cons on these??
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 8,520
Campfire Outfitter
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The mags aren't growing on trees anymore, I'd want to get at least the original two with the gun. In the running for most beautiful semiauto pistol ever designed IMO.
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Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,326
Campfire Regular
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Joined: Jul 2015
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![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/Qj3QDaB.jpg) Had a both a fixed sight and adjustable model for a long time , my long time carry guns . Always loved them
Rabid Creedmoorians ring my doorbell ...
as I open it a crack they speak :
"Do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior , 6.5Creed?"
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,190
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
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I owned a couple of 39's in the 70's. Don't know if they were dash-2's or not. One of their idiosyncrasies was that they were only totally reliable with ammo that resembled the ball bullet profile. The JHP's of the time were often shorter or blunter than the FMJ profile cartridges. My guns, if loaded fully with 8 + 1 JHP's, would fire the first shot, misfeed on the second, and work fine with the last 7 rounds. The only JHP at the time that would work in my guns was the Remington 115 gr., which unfortunately didn't expand well. Maybe I was just unlucky, but both of my 39's had the same issue. I imagine today's popular service loads would probably work fine, but it's something to be aware of.
Last edited by wildhobbybobby; 09/23/20.
Life is like a purple antelope on a field of tuna fish...
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Joined: Feb 2016
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If I remember correctly their was a feeding problem with the original 39’s and HP’s. The 39-2’s had an improved feed ramp. I’ve never had any problems with mine. And yes original mags are expensive. ![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/NGWC6PqT/23-FDEAB8-5-C2-F-499-F-BA0-D-F947-C1041-A97.jpg)
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,662
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 33,662 |
I am a fine with mine. No issues. Here with its brothers from an estate sale. ![[Linked Image from hosting.photobucket.com]](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/aa437/boxhead61/IMG_0155_zpsjrxkg6ix.jpg)
Conduct is the best proof of character.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,668
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,668 |
The M39 9mm was my first police issue duty weapon. That was an oddity for a small town police department in the rural Missouri Ozarks. Cops in the early 80's carried revolvers for the most part. I had my M39 for two weeks when the Chief got into a scuffle with a couple bad guys. The Chief pulled his M39 and fired a warning shot and held the two aholes at gun point until the Sheriff's Department back up came on scene. When it was time to safety and holster the Chief realized his gun was jammed with a stove pipe. The next day he recalled the semi autos and reissued the S&W M13 .357's the department had prior to the M39 experience.
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 842
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I am a fine with mine. No issues. Here with its brothers from an estate sale. Nice! The Colt on the left, isn't that the type of gun John Dillinger used.
Elmer Keith
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,518
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Campfire Outfitter
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My first 9mm was a 39-2, and it shot very well. It also taught me how to handload 9mms., too. I had to reload to afford to shoot it, and I did. I shot the heck outa that thing. It was a great little pistol. Should have kept it, but I heard the siren's song of the BHP.................
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,656
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2004
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I am a fine with mine. No issues. Here with its brothers from an estate sale. Nice! The Colt on the left, isn't that the type of gun John Dillinger used. Dillinger and lots of other people (good and bad) used a Pocket Hammerless back in the day.
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad."
----------------------------------------------
"Jimmy, some of it's magic,
Some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way."
(Jimmy Buffett)
SotG
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,186
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,186 |
Well, I got it. Will try it out tomorrow. Extra mag also. ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/fPpIuAUl.jpg)
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 5,187
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 5,187 |
Ok, something positive. Although the finish is prone to scratching nickel is more resistant to rust then stainless steel. Nickel looks fabulous with nicely checkered grip panels. Considering spare parts issues and expensive magazines I would only go for nickel finish on this one. Gigolo/"Old Don", baby!
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,619 |
The mags aren't growing on trees anymore, I'd want to get at least the original two with the gun. In the running for most beautiful semiauto pistol ever designed IMO. Agreed.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,119
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,119 |
I carried a S&W 39 as an unauthorized privately owned weapon when I was in the Middle East in 1983-84. Never fired in anger, but it always fired when the trigger was squeezed. In the early 1990's I shot a deer with it when Black Talons first came out and I wanted to try them. Mine resides in the bedside drawer along with 2 magazines loaded with 124 grain Speer Gold Dot, but has been replaced by a S&W 4006 as my first tier defensive handgun.
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,161
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2004
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I had one back in the early 70's and never had any feeding problems with it. To me it has one of the best grips and grip angles of any auto pistol. I didn't care about the limited capacity magazine, but took a little ribbing from my Browning High Power buddies. It was a great back pocket pistol and I carried it many miles hunting and fishing.
It did have a few design issues of the day that probably explains why it ended up getting sold. The sights aren't adjustable for elevation and there weren't any aftermarket sights that would cure that issue that I knew of. I didn't use the double action feature much at all. It wasn't like the double action semi autos of today since it was only double action for the first shot. Mine was long and hard to pull and I never cared for it. The single action pull wasn't terrible. The Star BM 9mm I bought to replace the S&W 39 didn't have adjustable sights either but it did have a much better trigger pull and it is a little smaller.
I still have the Star BM and it is still a good 9mm, but if I saw a S&W 39 for sale today I'd likely get it.
Harry
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,045
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 44,045 |
Well, I got it. Will try it out tomorrow. Extra mag also. Very nice! Congrats. Jealous here. 
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want. Rehabilitation is way overrated. Orwell wasn't wrong. GOA member disappointed NRA member 24HCF SEARCH
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 3,641
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2011
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My 39-2 is damn near as accurate as my 52-2 and I’ve never had feeding problems
Imagine a corporate oligarchy so effective, so advanced and fine tuned that its citizens still call it a democracy.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,518
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,518 |
I had one back in the early 70's and never had any feeding problems with it. To me it has one of the best grips and grip angles of any auto pistol. I didn't care about the limited capacity magazine, but took a little ribbing from my Browning High Power buddies. It was a great back pocket pistol and I carried it many miles hunting and fishing.
It did have a few design issues of the day that probably explains why it ended up getting sold. The sights aren't adjustable for elevation and there weren't any aftermarket sights that would cure that issue that I knew of. I didn't use the double action feature much at all. It wasn't like the double action semi autos of today since it was only double action for the first shot. Mine was long and hard to pull and I never cared for it. The single action pull wasn't terrible. The Star BM 9mm I bought to replace the S&W 39 didn't have adjustable sights either but it did have a much better trigger pull and it is a little smaller.
I still have the Star BM and it is still a good 9mm, but if I saw a S&W 39 for sale today I'd likely get it.
S&W had a drop-in elevation-adjustable sight for the 39/59s, There is a long tab on the front of the rear sight, and you just lift that up and rotate the sight 90 degrees, being careful not to lose the spring and detent for the magazine safety (or not, I removed mine), and drop in the replacement, fully-adjustable sight, It wasn't really robust, but I never broke it, either. It was a nice little sight, and only took about five seconds to replace. The DA/SA transition wasn't especially smooth, but got better when you removed the magazine safety.
Last edited by ratsmacker; 10/01/20.
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,119
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32,119 |
I had one back in the early 70's and never had any feeding problems with it. To me it has one of the best grips and grip angles of any auto pistol. I didn't care about the limited capacity magazine, but took a little ribbing from my Browning High Power buddies. It was a great back pocket pistol and I carried it many miles hunting and fishing.
It did have a few design issues of the day that probably explains why it ended up getting sold. The sights aren't adjustable for elevation and there weren't any aftermarket sights that would cure that issue that I knew of. I didn't use the double action feature much at all. It wasn't like the double action semi autos of today since it was only double action for the first shot. Mine was long and hard to pull and I never cared for it. The single action pull wasn't terrible. The Star BM 9mm I bought to replace the S&W 39 didn't have adjustable sights either but it did have a much better trigger pull and it is a little smaller.
I still have the Star BM and it is still a good 9mm, but if I saw a S&W 39 for sale today I'd likely get it.
S&W had a drop-in elevation-adjustable sight for the 39/59s, There is a long tab on the front of the rear sight, and you just lift that up and rotate the sight 90 degrees, being careful not to lose the spring and detent for the magazine safety (or not, I removed mine), and drop in the replacement, fully-adjustable sight, It wasn't really robust, but I never broke it, either. It was a nice little sight, and only took about five seconds to replace. The DA/SA transition wasn't especially smooth, but got better when you removed the magazine safety. I swapped out the rear sight on my S&W 39 for the elevation adjustable style years ago. I bought the sight from either GPC or Jack First for around $20 back then.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,518
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,518 |
Had a both a fixed sight and adjustable model for a long time , my long time carry guns . Always loved them I had one back in the early 70's and never had any feeding problems with it. To me it has one of the best grips and grip angles of any auto pistol. I didn't care about the limited capacity magazine, but took a little ribbing from my Browning High Power buddies. It was a great back pocket pistol and I carried it many miles hunting and fishing.
It did have a few design issues of the day that probably explains why it ended up getting sold. The sights aren't adjustable for elevation and there weren't any aftermarket sights that would cure that issue that I knew of. I didn't use the double action feature much at all. It wasn't like the double action semi autos of today since it was only double action for the first shot. Mine was long and hard to pull and I never cared for it. The single action pull wasn't terrible. The Star BM 9mm I bought to replace the S&W 39 didn't have adjustable sights either but it did have a much better trigger pull and it is a little smaller.
I still have the Star BM and it is still a good 9mm, but if I saw a S&W 39 for sale today I'd likely get it.
S&W had a drop-in elevation-adjustable sight for the 39/59s, There is a long tab on the front of the rear sight, and you just lift that up and rotate the sight 90 degrees, being careful not to lose the spring and detent for the magazine safety (or not, I removed mine), and drop in the replacement, fully-adjustable sight, It wasn't really robust, but I never broke it, either. It was a nice little sight, and only took about five seconds to replace. The DA/SA transition wasn't especially smooth, but got better when you removed the magazine safety. I swapped out the rear sight on my S&W 39 for the elevation adjustable style years ago. I bought the sight from either GPC or Jack First for around $20 back then. If you look closely at the nickeled 39 in the picture, I think he's got one on it already. It's kinda hard to see, but I think it's the fully adjustable one like I had (and you have).
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
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