July/August 1978 - American Handgunner

By MASSAD F. AYOOBT THE time of the Model 39's intro-A duction, no one seriously predictedthat it might become a tool for domesticlaw enforcement. Policework in the fiftieswas strictly revolver-only, save for, therandom .45 automatic in the hands of aTexas ranger, Southern sheriff, or metrofelony squad detective. The .357 Magnumrevolver, after twenty years, wasjust making inroads to real policeacceptance.By the Sixties, though, things hadchanged. Armed robbers were becomingmore sophisticated and were operating inteams. Ambushes of cops were escalating.The unnerving spectre of the RiotYears had given lawmen an itch for firepower.And the police began to take a secondlook at the Model 39.It burgeoned mostly in California, thatbellwether of modem law enforcement, insmall communities. The two biggest stepscame later. The milestone was in 1967when, accompanied by headlines in boththe gun mags and the law enforcementjournals, Illinois State Police adopted thegun for its entire force, which now has anauthorized complement of 1700 sworntroops. Salt Lake City PD followed, thefirst large metro agency to do so, and thetwo were held up as shining examples ofprogressive thought by police gun buffs.The biggest spun came with the introductionof the 15-shot Model 59. With250% of the firepower of a service revolver,the 9 mm DA auto was more attractivethan ever, and police across thenation began ordering them. Soon, thefactory was producing three 59s for everytwo 39s.But by 1977, a disturbing trend hademerged: an inordinately high percentageof the agencies that adopted these autoswere switching back to the wheelgun. Tosee why, let's look at some of the agenciesthat went to the 39 and 59, why somekept it, and some didn't.Salt Lake City, at this writing, is completingthe transition to the Model 64(fixed sight, stainless) S&W .38 revolver.The reason, their Major Bryant told me,was purely "that the troops weren'thappy with the Model 39." They hadbeendemoralized, he said, by several incidentsin which the .auto went off whendropped on the muzzle, and by jammingon the practice range. Neither gun norcartridge ever failed on the street, however."We only had three shootings withthe 39," said Bryant, "but when we didshoot someone with the 9 mm, they wentdown."Wrentham, Massachusetts, may havebeen the first police department to adoptthe Model 59. I wrote an article on it forthe Massachusetts Police Associationedition of SENTINEL magazine, andrightly or wrongly, was attributed somePart Ill: Law Enforcement(Above) Model 39 or 59 has firepowerthat can be comforting to lawmen suchas these Illinois State Troopers. That is, ifthey are completely confident.Illinois State Police trooper with 39 (opposite)on firing line with the Model 39.Author believes more training is neededthan with a revolver.,S &WAutosfor L ~ Enforcement TMassad Ayoob photograph courtesy of Trooper Magazine, and Organization Services Corporation publication.AMERICAN HANDGUNNER JULYIAUGUST 1978