S&W 59 vs Sig P6

[Babarsac]

Looking to buy a surplus\used decocking 9mm for plinking and maybe a little open carry duty. I've narrowed it down to two choices. The Sig P6 from JG Sales and a S&W 59 I've found locally. Once you factor in the handpick, shipping, and transfer fee the Sig comes out to about $400 which is also what the S&W is going for. I've handled both and like the way they felt but I'm at a loss as which one to get.

Anyone have any experiences with either one that could chime in?

 

[Babarsac]

The S&W in question

 

[Lvl21nerd]

i can tell u what i would do (since i have experience with neither), i would buy the S&W assuming it has a decent trigger

im not a fan of Sig pistols...if you are, maybe u should go with the Sig instead but you dont get to test the trigger on it...keep that in mind

 

[GrandmasterB]

You get almost double the firepower with the S&W 59, since it is a doublestack.

Both are good quality guns, so get the one you like.

 

[notjustanothermini]

is it a sig P8 or a sig P225? makes a big difference, as for one P6's manufac. before '89 have bad feed ramps that choke on HP's, after '89 the P6 has the same feed ramp as the P225, able to feed the most aggresive HP designs. also all P6's have like a 15 pound-ish trigger, as the P225 have a decent pull weight.

for one to not like sig, i dunno what to say to that?

so lets do a quick compare, the sw sigma which retail (msrp that is) for just under 500. and a sig P250 is listed at just over 500,

if one was to go with the smith in this case it shows a lack of handgun experience. not saying that to you poster #2, but there isnt a smith alive (being built) that can come close to a sig.

also make sure you dont get stuck with a european heel style mag release.

oh yeah and i own both of the aformentioned guns, and i bought both as used police trade ins. the sig i got is a 1982 import, and was already finished with a robar finish, and had the ramp already done (40-50 bux) by a local gun smith. and i also replaced the springs to make the trigger light, i did a trigger job in the smith too.

and honestly i like the trigger ont he smith now better than the sig, and i liked the sig trigger better than the smith after the sig got the trigger job and before the smith got its.

as far as practical apps. go, yeah the smith does give you a bout 50% more round count as the sig.

 

[Jbabbler]

I would get the Sig for the simple fact that the decocker is on the frame and easier to use.


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[nalioth]

I would get the Sig for the simple fact that the decocker is on the frame and easier to use.

Yep, the Sig is going to be more ergonomic to use and easier to carry.

The S&W design team must not have stayed in a Holiday Inn before they sat down at the drawing board for their auto pistols, IMHO.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Though I personally like the P6 quite a bit, magazines are scarce and expensive and you can no longer get any kind of tech support for them. Something to consider since these guns are all going to be used but since they were usually issued to police, they were probably not used much.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I've owned and fired both extensively and will offer this.

1. the M59 pictured looks like a 1st Gen and can be a bit finicky about feeding ammo
2. the M59 has a mushy trigger, but a very short reset
3. the M59's slide mounted safety/decocker is a bit harder to flip on and off...it doesn't reset automatically

4. some P6s have different feed ramps which will need to be polished and contoured
5. P6s were spec'd with a heavier mainspring, but this can be switched with the 225 mainspring
6. the P6 will be more accurate
7. the decocker is very handy
8. the P6 will take down easier

I would think how each fits your hand would be a bigger determining factor. In my hand the M59 felt like a 2"x4"...and I regularly shoot a Beretta 92/96 or a Sig 226

 

[Onward Allusion]

S&W 59 (series) all the way. Double the capacity while the grips are still slim, especially with the 1st & 2nd gen 59's. They'll also eat anything.

BUT $400 is high for a 1st gen S&W 59. For that much, I'd get the 5906 (3rd gen all Stainless) which will last several lifetimes of range shooting. Besides, it so dang heavy that you can use it as a club should you run out of ammo.

Babarsac
S&W 59 vs Sig P6
Looking to buy a surplus\used decocking 9mm for plinking and maybe a little open carry duty. I've narrowed it down to two choices. The Sig P6 from JG Sales and a S&W 59 I've found locally. Once you factor in the handpick, shipping, and transfer fee the Sig comes out to about $400 which is also what the S&W is going for. I've handled both and like the way they felt but I'm at a loss as which one to get.

 

[Jed Carter]

I have owned a S&W 39 and 59, I do own 5 SIG pistols and a 556 rifle. I don't own any S&W pistols now. I loved the 39, it was my first pistol, the 59 I pick up in the Ban, it was a beautiful used pistol. I tried to like it, but it made me hate the 9mm, it would not function reliably, or hit what I aimed at. Not until 2008 did I find a pistol that really showed the potential of the 9mm, a Glock G34, I now have 4 9mm pistols, all shoot rings around the old 59.

 

[rooster59]

$400 is way high for a used 59.

Look for a 3rd gen S&W for that amount.

 

[joe_security]

39/59 = no passive firing pin lock. Use caution. Carry with the safety on.

 

[weisse52]

is it a sig P6 or a sig P225? makes a big difference, as for one P6's manufac. before '89 have bad feed ramps that choke on HP's, after '89 the P6 has the same feed ramp as the P225, able to feed the most aggresive HP designs. also all P6's have like a 15 pound-ish trigger, as the P225 have a decent pull weight.

I have a 1/82 P6 that feeds anything I put in it. No work done at all. The surplus P6's are going to show more holster wear, but in most cases have not been shot all that much.

9mmepiphany in post #9 does a great job of stating the pro's and con's. But, the decision is yours.

 

[cchris]

Having not handled the 59 but owning a P6 and P228 (double stack), I'd have to say I thoroughly enjoy the "slim" feel to the P6 more. It's my favorite autoloader. The decocker location is great, and everything about the gun just feels "right". I'd say at least handle both, and one of the two should just "jump out" at you.

 

[Elmer]

I had several 59's and 39's back in the late 70's, as they were the only auto's allowed for plainclothes/hideout use back in my revolver days. I never got the 59's to work reliably enough to feel comfortable enough to carry. It could have been the hideous soft point ammo we were required to carry, but the 39's ran pretty good with it.

 

[19&41]

Make sure the Smith does not have much wear to the frame. If it does not and you get it be sure to grease the slide/frame rails as part of the lube regimen.

 

[W.E.G.]

I don't think $400 is "way high" for a 59 in very good condition.
Show me where you can get such a gun anywhere for significantly less.

There seems to be a glut of SIG single-stack guns lately.

 

[W.E.G.]

39/59 = no passive firing pin lock. Use caution. Carry with the safety on.

Gen 1 S&W autopistols can still fire if dropped on the muzzle, irrespective of the position of the safety lever.

Putting the safety on only accomplishes two things:
1. prevents the hammer from contacting the firing pin if the gun is dropped on the hammer (or hammer struck by some unintentional extraneous act); and
2. disconnects the trigger from the hammer so that if the gun falls into the hands of an unqualified person, that person may be unable to fire the weapon.

 

[ABTOMAT]

I'm not sure the hand-pick is worth it in P6s. Unless choosing it saved me from getting a really disgusting looking P6 while mine was merely beat-up. I would spend the $10 for white-dot sights, though.

 

[Tom Fury]

Neither one...but

I think you couldn't go wrong with a 5904 or 6 (915) or 6904 or 6; cheaper than a 225 too. 3914 if you're wedded to the single stack idea; I think the negative comments about SW ergonomics are snobbish; I really can't tell a significant difference between my S&W 4566 and a Sig 220... (used to call them Smigs, I recall...)
Cheers, TF

 

[9mmepiphany]

I think the negative comments about SW ergonomics are snobbish; I really can't tell a significant difference between my S&W 4566 and a Sig 220

I can't either, especially my steel framed 220ST, as they are both single stack guns and sized for the long .45ACP cartridge.

However, there is definitely a different feel between the double stack S&W M59 and the single stack Sig P6...even though the grip panels of the P6/225 are thick enough to be comparable to the 228. The contouring of the M59 is very different and reminds me of the feel of a Para-Ord