Smith & Wesson model 59?

[ooglassoo]

I've been looking for a 9 mm pistol that's within my budget for a while now. A guy at my gun club has a Smith & Wesson model 59. I was wondering if anybody has one, or has shot one, and has some feedback about this particular pistol. I'd greatly appreciate your comments. The guy is asking $275, and my budget is $200 - $300. I'd also appreciate any thoughts about whether you think this is a good deal, and any problems I should look out for. Does anyone know if an older Smith & Wesson like this would still have a warranty? My friend had mentioned the older Smith & Wesson's weren't as good until they hooked up with Walther...any opinions about that?

 

[TY43215]

Since no other old guys responded I figured I would

The original 70's era 59s were fine firearms once you got them running. They had feeding problems with many bullet designs. Hollow points were the most difficult.

With a little bit of TLC at the factory, mine would feed anything. Depending on your experience, it may be fine for you. A Sigma may be better.

All that said, if you don't take it, give me the info. I probably would as I can fix the quirks they have. As for the warranty, probably not. As for the info from your friend, he is dead wrong.

 

[Bugs100]

I have one in my safe that I bought new back in 84. My 30yo loves it every time he go's to the range with me he grabs it.

It must have about 5000 rounds through it by now and it still works like it's brand new. It's a heavy gun and will out last you. For $275 you can't go wrong.

It's a perfect gun for shooting cheap ball ammo.

Walther never made a change in S&W's quality. S&W has always made great handguns.

 

[mark056]

As an older guy, I'll echo what Round Gun Shooter said. The Model 59 has the same internal mechanism as the Model 39 (an alltime favorite handgun of mine). There were feeding problems with some bullet profiles. The grips were always a bit thick for me and the double action pull was stagey...but with a little tweaking here and there, the gun could be made quite serviceable, although some have reported accuracy issues.

The 59 was replaced by the 459 (I still have one of those) and then the Third Generation 5900 series. I do not agree with your friend about S&W semi-autos not being good until they teamed up with Walther. S&W spent a lot of money and time upgrading the Second and Third Generation semi-autos, and in fact their Third Generation Automatics were as good as any of the other major manufacturers in my opinion.

As for the price of the Model 59; I suppose it is not an unfair price, but I think that you could do just as well buying a used Ruger if you could find one. You would be getting newer technology coupled with better reliability out of the box, again in my opinion.

Good luck to you,

Mark L.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I bought the low-capacity sister to the 59 (model 39-2) some 30 years ago and it broke (manual safety sheared in two) last fall at an NES Shoot, so I also now have some recent warranty question experience with it.

- The price quoted is excellent if it is in good shape.
- The 59 grip was too big for my hand, thus I opted for the 39. Check to see how it feels in your hand before committing to buy it.
- My 39 absolutely would NOT feed Wolf ammo reliably. After pushing S&W CS, they admitted that these guns have narrow feed-ramps and thus won't reliably feed steel-cased ammo.
- I recall reading somewhere that the S&W Lifetime Warranty ONLY applies to guns sold by S&W after sometime around 1986. Well, S&W had the part for my 39 (I think the 39 and 59 slides may be identical), but they charged me a decent sum of money to repair the gun and ship it back to me. No complaints, but just be aware that it won't be free. I asked them to check over the gun thoroughly since it hadn't been seen by a gunsmith in >30 years, thus I consider it money well spent.
- When I first bought it, I wasn't real impressed with it. When our PD converted to semi-autos and asked all the Reserve POs to bring any 9mm semis to the semi-annual (back then) qualification shoot, I shot a 95/100 and was rather impressed with the results, having only fired ~100 rds previously in this gun. My Wife likes the gun and doesn't perceive any recoil issues, so it has been resurrected to a place of importance after all these years.

Hope you find some of this info helpful in your decision.

 

[rscalzo]

My department carried 659's since 83 and later the 5906. They preformed flawlessly. With well over a hundred and fifty firearms in service, none malfunctioned to the point of requiring replacement. The only problem that we ever had was the ambi safety level falling off when the screw backed out on the 659's. That was corrected in the 3rd. generations. They digested any ammo we feed them. We started with W-W 115 grain Silvertips, then the infamous Black Talon and currently Ranger T in the 147 grain JHP variety. For qualification we use W-W Q loads which which the AG has determined to be close enough to the duty load to be allowable. Malfunctions are rare.

The closest we ever had to a major problem with the S&W SA was frames cracking on early 669's. 6906 were trouble free.

 

[Garys]

I'll echo what everyone else said. I don't have any first generation autos, but all of my third generation weapons are top notch and all were made before Smith bought Walther. I don't recall any feed problems or FTFs with any of them no matter what I ran through them.

For $275.00, I'd grab one. Especially if it comes with high capacity magazines.

Nice to see you back, Len.

 

[mark056]

. S&W has always made great handguns.

The dark years of the Bangor Punta Corporation regime at S&W brought about a marked inconsistancy in quality control. Things got better when Lear-Siegler bought the firm in the early 80', but the guns of the late 60's and early 70's especially can leave a lot to be desired compared to previous eras of Smith and Wesson craftsmanship. Anyone purchasing a Smith and Wesson handgun made in that time-frame is well advised to take special pains in checking the firearm out very carefully.

Mark L.

 

[TY43215]

The dark years of the Bangor Punta Corporation regime at S&W brought about a marked inconsistancy in quality control. Thing got better when Lear-Siegler bought the firm in the early 80', but the guns of the late 60's and early 70's especially can leave a lot to be desired compared to previous eras of Smith and Wesson craftsmanship. Anyone purchasing a Smith and Wesson handgun made in that time-frame is well advised to take special pains in checking the firearm out very carefully.

Mark L.

I am still repairing Bangor Punta firearms

 

[ooglassoo]

Hey thanks guys for all the info, but I'm gonna pass on this one. I have a Makarov pistol I just rebuilt. I think I would rather get a nice SKS right now, so if anyone has one or knows where I could find one please let me know.
Round gun I will send you a pm with the info, let me know how it works out for you.

 

[Gammon]

The 59 isn't a bad gun but the 5900 series is a vast improvement (I own several). I would hold out for a 5906; you could probably get a used one for the same price.