# sons new gun



## trago (Nov 27, 2010)

my youngest son [25] got his first self protection 'sock drawer' gun today, an all steel 459 or 469 s and w . Looks brand new, is used. Can anyone shed some light on when these were manufactured? I have a mint 659 that is one of my favorite range guns, and this new acquisition seemed to keep right up wit it, tight groups, ate lots of variant ammo, a real delight. would like to learn more about it,,,thankyou


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

According to the Blue Book and depending on the exact model, these guns were discontinued between 1983 and 1988. A 14-shot all-steel model should be the 559, the stainless version was the 659. The 469 (blue) and 669 (stainless) 9mms were compact models (12-shot magazine), but they were only made with an aluminum-alloy frame and steel (or stainless-steel) slide assembly. The 469 and 669 had a small finger extension on the base of the magazine.

559 - discontinued in 1983
659 - discontinued in 1988
469 - discontinued in 1988
669 - made from 1986-1988 only

The full-sized models had a click-adjustable-rear-sight option; the compact guns were fixed (drift-adjustable-only) rear sights.

Overall, they are decent guns. I owned a 469 for several years, never gave me any problems.

Many of the S&W autoloaders were affected by recalls in the late 80s for various problems. More info here:

Firearm Recalls and Safety Warnings- FirearmsID.com

Scroll down to find a specific model (it may be listed in several different areas). I think S&W can still upgrade these guns if they have not yet been modified by the factory; contact S&W customer service for more info (they have a listing of which guns have been modified, so if you give them the serial number, they can tell you if it's okay or still needs an upgrade).


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