Looking at M&Ps and came home with a.....

[LngRngShtr]

S&W 439 and 3 mags.    Growing up my Dad had a 39-1 and it was the first center fire pistol I remember having shot so when I saw this, nostalgia bit hard and now it sits in the safe next to my 52-2. As with most older used pieces it needed a good strip and clean so a few minutes online finding a good .PDF file about 25 minutes later it was back to good clean and ready for fun status.

[DaveTN]

Nice find.  

A 39 was my first semi-auto carry gun. I’ll have another one if I ever run across a good deal on one in good shape.

[rugerla1]

 Very nice!!

[Garufa]

Cool!

I've never seen a 439 with square trigger guard and normal rear sight.  I always thought all gen 2's had those hideous, massive, fully adjustable sights...and round trigger guard. Just consulted the Standard Catalog and it's legit.  Made between maybe 85-88.

My first centerfire handgun (and still is) a 39-2.  It's a "from my cold dead hands" gun because I'll never give it up.

[LngRngShtr]

3 letter alpha prefix is TBV.  I also thought they didn't "hook em" until Gen 3  maybe this is near the end when they were getting ready to 3904 the line ?  The winged adjustable might have been a deal killer,what were they thinking with those? some sort of military contract ?  BTW Numrich Arms sells replacement mags and has according to their Ebay 242 available one review said only difference is there is no S&W on bottom of the mag plate. 

 Might try some Blue Bullet 135 grainers with some WW231 powder when it comes time to reload for it. 

[Garufa]

TBV makes it 1988.  

I'll never understand the decision for that absurd rear sight.  They were carried over into the gen 3's but there are a lot of those that did not have it.

I searched for quite some time and finally found a 5904 with round trigger guard and normal sights, just because I wanted a gen 3 and those were my three requirments.  Amazing how cheap they are, at least a couple of years ago.  It's no match for the 39, but still great.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Garufa

[hipower]

Thanks for the comments. I haven't shot my mod 39 recently. I need to take it out and limber it up.

[seez52]

Hard to beat 39 variant.

[1fast4by]

I love 3rd gen Smith's

The first handgun I shot was my father's issued 5906, I love that gun. After my first 21 year old purchase of a Glock 17, I purchased  a LNIB 5906.

I grew up shooting that gun, its the first gun my now 14 year old ever shot, and the same will follow suit with my other 2 kids..

[LngRngShtr]

Thought the big assed screw holding the right side (as you are aiming it) safety lever in was a replacement,...research is pointing to S&W actually using a Phillips screw OR an Allen head to hold them on, not just an Allen head ( better looking) as I had originally believed and the 3rd. Gen doing the dovetail/pin method.

 

Learn something every day.....

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by LngRngShtr