As some of you might remember from last year, I lost about a dozen handguns during a burglary. The theft was accomplished by defeating a Homak-type steel gun cabinet (not a safe).
One of the guns stolen was a S&W Model 39 9mm. While the frame had been bead-blasted to bare aluminum and I kind of liked the 2-tone look, what really hurt was that this was the first handgun I ever purchased. Taking that gun, my S&W M-58 and a Model 28/25 conversion seriously pissed me off and depressed me at the same time.
I've met a lot of good folks here at TFL, the kind who will help you with a shooting problem, do research to answer your question and give you encouragement when you need it. But some folks go way above and beyond being "good people".
It was a local TFL'er here who spotted a near mint M39-2 in a shop and he was willing to put a deposit on it so I could check it out. But another customer offered to buy it outright then and there. Some of us might have let it go, but not this TFL'er. He plunked down a considerable sum to purchase the gun himself, risking that I'd purchase the gun from him. He was right, as I did purchase the gun from him, for what he had paid for the gun -- no profiteering -- which was his suggestion.
Within a week of picking up the M39-2, another one showed up at a store local to me, also in 99% condition, sans the box and papers. Now that I've put them side by side, they make a very pretty pair.
Boa2 -- I owe you bro! Thanks a million!
Now for the photography (note: I shoot pistols better than cameras).
An intersting footnote. The top specimen was built in 1972 and the bottom one in 1981. The year I graduated school and the year I first married. Go figure!
The colors are more correct in this photo.
One of the guns stolen was a S&W Model 39 9mm. While the frame had been bead-blasted to bare aluminum and I kind of liked the 2-tone look, what really hurt was that this was the first handgun I ever purchased. Taking that gun, my S&W M-58 and a Model 28/25 conversion seriously pissed me off and depressed me at the same time.
I've met a lot of good folks here at TFL, the kind who will help you with a shooting problem, do research to answer your question and give you encouragement when you need it. But some folks go way above and beyond being "good people".
It was a local TFL'er here who spotted a near mint M39-2 in a shop and he was willing to put a deposit on it so I could check it out. But another customer offered to buy it outright then and there. Some of us might have let it go, but not this TFL'er. He plunked down a considerable sum to purchase the gun himself, risking that I'd purchase the gun from him. He was right, as I did purchase the gun from him, for what he had paid for the gun -- no profiteering -- which was his suggestion.
Within a week of picking up the M39-2, another one showed up at a store local to me, also in 99% condition, sans the box and papers. Now that I've put them side by side, they make a very pretty pair.
Boa2 -- I owe you bro! Thanks a million!
Now for the photography (note: I shoot pistols better than cameras).
An intersting footnote. The top specimen was built in 1972 and the bottom one in 1981. The year I graduated school and the year I first married. Go figure!
The colors are more correct in this photo.
