- Smith And Wesson Model 39 Steel Frame Serial Numbers
- Smith And Wesson Model 39 Steel Frame Serial Numbers For Sale
Smith And Wesson Model 39 Steel Frame Serial Numbers
The beginning of our story starts with the early.38 Hand Ejector Model, which was the second of the solid frame, swinging cylinder guns produced by Smith & Wesson (the first being the.32 Hand Ejector, which barely preceded it). The.38 Hand Ejector went through several minor changes and eventually morphed into the legendary Model 10, in 1957. These were basically the 39 and 59 with a few small changes and the number “4” added to the begining of the model number. Steel framed versions of these pistols followed, available with either a stainless, blued, or nickel finish. Blued and nickel model numbers start with “5” (539, 559) and the stainless steel models start with “6.
What comes to mind for me without knowing more about what you seek:
--post pictures for us and give us a serial number or at least a partial serial number
--if it is not in great condition (as you eluded with very little info), then it's value is certainly smacked hard... however, if it is absolutely a steel frame Model 39 then it's value starts higher than most S&W pistols so there is absolutely some value left, almost no matter how poorly it has been cared for
--they only made a small number of steel frame Model 39's before they went to the alloy frame
--they also changed the extractor design when they went to the 39-2, which makes both the top half of an original 39 and the lower half sought after, simply for parts
--there are not a lot of really very good arguments for shooting these particular pistols simply due to their age, scarcity and value (and parts value) HOWEVER, one in somewhat worn or beat-up or poorly cared-for condition again has value for the folks who have better ones and YET wish to have one they can actually shoot
Your next post may very well ask 'oh yeah, how much?!' and that will be VERY difficult to answer without pictures... and even then, not quite so cut and dried.
For most intents and purpose (not all), it will not be the best choice for you to load & fire this pistol without knowing more and having a better idea of what you wish to do with it.
And, just to add:
If you find the pistol extremely interesting and you would love to have one that is similar to shoot and enjoy without worrying about value, parts breakage, etc etc, the Model 39-2 that replaced the Model 39 was produced in great volume and is a fantastic pistol that damn near everyone loves. And when they make a very good pistol AND everyone loves it enough so they produce a lot of them, finding used ones is a fun game because the sheer volume of them available keeps the price from getting too obnoxious. Usually. Less today in 2015 than 3 or 5 or 10 years ago.
Smith And Wesson Model 39 Steel Frame Serial Numbers For Sale
Using an aluminum alloy frame and an 8-shot single stack mag, the Model 39 entered production in 1955 and was the first popular U.S.-made 9mm pistol on the consumer market. Smith auto SNs start at 1001, in 1954, and go to 151000 in 1970. That's the best my book breaks down 'pre letter-prefix' SNs. If it's got a number on it - if it says Model 39 - then it's at least 1957. If it's in the 39000s, it could be steel framed, which is rare, and therefore probably worth more. Smith and Wesson Serial Number Date of Manufacture J Frame Revolver Lookup. For models 36, 37, 38, 49, 50 and pre model number versions. 1950 = start at 1 1952 = 7369 - = = 55050 - = 117770 - 1 = starts at 2 = ends at 786544 J serial Prefix serial numbers. For models 36, 37, 38, 49, 50.