Smith 3rd Gen pistols have been gtting a lot of attention lately, and deservedly so. They are wonderful pistols. I have obtained several of them over the past year. Second Gen guns, mostly transitional, seem to take a back seat. My experience is that many 2n Gen guns are just as fine as the 3rd Gen, if not moreso. The 2nd Gen have the firing pin blocks that the 39 and 59 lacked, and while some of the earlier 2nd Gen guns that I have seen have had some finish issues, function seems to be fine. The 2nd Gen aren't as refined as 3rd Gen, but they offer some excellent guns worthy of consideration. My 645 is an incredible shooter, and my 469 is accurate and reliable beyond what I could hope for. My 669 was full of tool marks and required re-finishing, but there was a lot of potential there that has paid off bigtime. The 745 is also a fine gun.
Just this past weekend I picked up a minty 659 (shown below) in near 100% condition. The gun looks like it was fired a few times and never cleaned (it was as dirty as a pig). It was wearing Pachmayrs that made the grip way too thick that I swapped out for Uncle Mikes. It's one of the most solid guns that I have held, as heavy as they come, but I am anticipating a good solid shooter. The fit and finish is about the same as the more refined 3rd Gen guns. This gun was from 1986 and seems to be from a time when Smith had their act together with the 2nd Gen.
I think that you have to be a good bit more careful in selecting 2nd Gen guns, but there are some real gems out there that I think are often overlooked. From what I have seen they are often priced well below 3rd Gen guns, even police trade-ins.
Just something to consider.
Just this past weekend I picked up a minty 659 (shown below) in near 100% condition. The gun looks like it was fired a few times and never cleaned (it was as dirty as a pig). It was wearing Pachmayrs that made the grip way too thick that I swapped out for Uncle Mikes. It's one of the most solid guns that I have held, as heavy as they come, but I am anticipating a good solid shooter. The fit and finish is about the same as the more refined 3rd Gen guns. This gun was from 1986 and seems to be from a time when Smith had their act together with the 2nd Gen.
I think that you have to be a good bit more careful in selecting 2nd Gen guns, but there are some real gems out there that I think are often overlooked. From what I have seen they are often priced well below 3rd Gen guns, even police trade-ins.
Just something to consider.
