July/August 1978 - American Handgunner

Smith & Wesson Model 595107 Rear Sight Windage Nut6084 Slide Stop Plunger Spring 6257 Trigger Pin6 1 Barrel I . . Slide . .6264 Manazine Followe~61% Barrel Bushing6095 Rear Sight Windage Screw6011 Trigger Plunger Pin6103 Sear Release Lever6013 Ejector-depressor Plunger 6107 Disconnector6014 Ejector-depressor Plunger Spring 6108 Disconnector Pin6015 Sear Lever6110 Drawbar Plunger6017 Elector S~rind6111 Drawbar Plunder S~rind6019 Firing Pin - 6121 Trigger Plunger ' - 6261 Sideplate6022 Firing Pin Spring 6122 Trigger Plun er Spring 6269 Slide Stop6040 Magazine Catch Nut 6126 Trigger play Spring Rivet 6271 Stock, Left6041 Magazine Catch Plunger 6127 Trigger Play Spring 6272 Stock, Right6042 Magazine Catch Plunger Spring 6144 Hammer 6304 Sear Spring Retaining Pin6049 Manual Safety 6149 Mainspring 63118 Extractor6054 Manual Safety Plunger 6151 Stirrup 6319 Slide Stop Plunger Rivet6066 Rear Si ht Leaf 6152 Stirrup Pin 6320 Sear6059 Recoil Spring 6153 Trigger 6323 Recoil Spring Guide Assembly6061 Recoil Spring Guide 6182 E'ector Magazine Depressor 1325 Magazine Butt Plate Catch6076 Rear Sight Slide 6217 Mainspring Plunger 7158 Rear Sight Windage Screw Plunger6078 Extractor Pin 6239 Sear Plunger Spring 7159 Rear Sight Windage Screw6079 Manual Sat Plunger Spring, 6252 Drawbar Plunger Spring~xtractcr?p"ng6253 Frame6081 Slide Stop Button 6254 Frame Stud6083 Slide Stop Plunger 6256 Insertpoints low. Try your own unloaded gun afew times in front of a mirror: close youreyes, thrust the gun out to where you'dpull the trigger, and then look and seejust where it's pointing. In any case, pointshooting is not a vital consideration, sinceany time you can't see to aim you probablycan't see to identify your targeteither. . aJammingThough it has been known to perkthrough sand and mud torture tests, the39/59 has developed a reputation of beingsignificantly less reliable than the Colt orBrowning 9mms. The original problemsin the feed ramp of the 39 have beencorrected, but the gun will still bobble,now and then. It wants a good bright polishon the feed ramp, and maybe a little ofAMERICAN HANDGUNNER JULYIAUGUST 1978what the custom gunsmakers call "throating."Any good pistolsmith can do it foryou for a few bucks, and if you're carryingthe 39/59 for defense (and really, whatelse would you want one for) it gives youmuch imnroved reliability with the hollowpointsthat are essential if you'regoing to trust your life to a 9 mm pistol inan anti-personnel confrontation.When we say things like this, we drawthe wrath of 39/59 fans who say indignantly,"I've put thousands of roundsthrough mine and it never jammed!" Idon't doubt that. The Smith Parabellumhas more variance between individualspecimens than any handgun I've everworked with. One can be superbly puttogether, and just omnivorous: it'll gobbleanything you feed it without a burp. Butanother gun from the same productiorrun may have feeding problems. This iswhy I don't think I'm contradicting myselfwhen I say the 59 is an excellentweapon for the individual officer whoknows his guns, but a poor choice fordeparmental issue. That single cop willhave made sure that his personal specimenpercolates reliably, but it is safe toassume that out of an order big enough tooutfit a department, some of the 59s or39s are going to have problems.SightsS&W has been working for severalyears on a second generation series of9 mms that will have fully adjustablesights and ambidextrous safeties. We'restill waiting. The sights have been testproducedin small batches and checkedout, but proved to be too frail to take thebattering of the slide slamming back andforth. (This is not an indictment of theS&W product by any means. Colt's deluxeGold Cup is infamous for shearingthe pin that holds its Elliason sight inplace, often causing it to fly off the slide.I'ts just that a high-pressure auto cartridgeslams the slide to and fro so forciblythat an adjustable sight that works onit has to be super rugged:)MMC, 212 E. Spruce, Deming, NM88030, makes a very good little combatsight for the 39/59. It has a low, snag-freeprofile, and it gives you the ability to adjustyour elevation for the different pointsof impact between, say, a 90-gr S&Whollowpoint and a 124-gr. Remington"ball" cartridge. The windage adjustmentsthat come on 39/59 sights areadequate.S&W makes rear sight blades in threedifferent heights to accommodate differentloads. They are available to policearmorers, but I don't believe they're inthe retail catalogs. You might be able toget some from the company's service department,though. Good luck. Try to get amilitary m139 magazine and ejection portdust-cover, while you're at it.It was said that the 39 was sighted toshoot low when it was first produced, onthe theory that in a gunfight, most peoplewould tend to put their first shot high.Most owners simply filed down the frontsight to compensate. Today's 59s and39-2s tend to shoot pretty much on.Another worthwhile option on theseguns is Julio Santiago's $40 Nite-Site.Since most of these weapons are used forpersonal protection or home defense, andsince most such applications occur afterdark, it could give you a definite edge.The days of black-market pricing of 9 mmS&W autos is pretty much over, and theretail list is quite reasonable, so this kindof accessory is affordable.Shooting CharacteristicsSgt. Louis Seman (ret.) of Illinois StatePolice, the guy who turned that departmenton to the 39, once built his own9 mm target pistol, kind of a bastard cross(Continued on page 66)A 1