Liberal Forum

Skans » 08 Mar 2024, 9:51 am » wrote: ↑

08 Mar 2024, 9:51 am

This is a Smith and Wesson 659.  A double-stack 9mm from the late '80's.  Do any of you know the truly extraordinary things about this pistol?

• Engraving?
• Elephant Ivory grips?
• Other?

Well, I'll give you a clue - it's "other".  Since only a few of you will ever look at this post anyway, I'll give you the answer.  Its the sights.  The ugly dog-eared sights that were typical of this gun have been removed and replaced with a sleek, low-profile adjustable target sight.  The rear sight on this gun has always been the problem, because no one makes an aftermarket sight that nicely dovetails into the slide.  But, this one is freaking perfect!  This is how the gun should have been made in the first place.  I believe the maker utilized the internals of the original sight, but milled a perfect base for it. Also, the front post was milled to accept a dovetail bright red ramp. Another excellent performance improvement.  The third improvement which is really a nice touch, is the color-coded safety - I'm not quite sure how this was done, but a nice functional touch. Moreover, I can see where a lot of refinements were made to the frame as well.  I would love to know what has been done on the internals. 

The work that went into this gun probably cost thousands of dollars  - even in the over 20 years ago. It won't sell for a big premium because the gun itself is not all that collectible.

Not to mention, the engraving is rather nice and the engraver died over 20 years ago.  The 659 was a very ordinary, police workhorse in its day.  These guns never became very collectible on their own.  Out of the box, they were rugged and well made, but not very precise.  Then again, they were designed to be duty guns, not range toys. 

This gun "speaks" to me!!!  
WHAT THE GUN LOOKS LIKE IN THE RAW
(grips not original)