How to make sense of the Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistols

This week, I’m joined by Weerd Beard to discuss the auto-loading pistols produced by Smith & Wesson.

Some people say you need a decoder ring to make sense of the Smith & Wesson handguns, and, while that may be true, there is a method to the madness.

Smith & Wesson uses a numbering system that denotes the material of manufacture, capacity and other things. For example, a model number with a “6” as the first digit indicates it is made of stainless steel. The last two digits being “39” indicate a single stack, and the two numbers “59” indicate a double-stack magazine.

So a Model 659 is a stainless steel, double-stack 9mm, and a 639 is a stainless steel single-stack magazine 9mm.

Before they were known for their polymer M&P handguns, which is S&W’s entry into the striker fired polymer handgun market. S&W made a plethora of stainless and carbon steel handguns like the Model 39, Model 59, 659 and so many others.

They are handguns that have a certain character to them, and many people love them, with an equal number of people hating them. The slide-mounted safety/decocker is definitely a disadvantage compared with the relatively easy and accessible decocker of the Sig-Sauer pistols.

Weerd Beard and I discuss the merits of the S&W autoloaders and how you can determine which is which. Listen to the podcast here.

Ryan Michad

About Ryan Michad

Ryan Michad is host of the Firearms Radio Network’s Handgun Radio. He started shooting revolvers around age 10 with a Smith & Wesson Model 66 and hasn’t looked back since. His interests include historical firearms, revolvers, semi-automatic handguns & unusual firearms designs. He's a recent graduate of the University of Maine and is always striving to keep an open mind, learn something new & hopefully pass that knowledge on to someone else. He resides in Waterville.