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1. Nice article, had looked at the 59 that a customer of mine wanted to part with years ago but decided to pass on it cause I was concerned that the 9mm round was anemic.

2. It’s nice to see a review of this little classic. As a young police officer right out of the academy I purchased a new 6906 with the later style rounded front trigger guard. At the time (1992) it was a great choice because it could carry 12+1 in the pistol and with 2 spares on my belt I never felt under equipped. It was also great as an off duty gun. I sold it many years ago when our department standardized on the .45 for duty use and the Sig P220 was fantastic. I still have 1 factory mag for the 6906 laying around hoping to find a nice pistol to go with it again someday.

3. Wasn’t the 39 standard carry for the IHP about the time you were carrying one?

4. I still have and carry my Model 669 (I think the predecessor to the 6609). Note that the magazines are interchangeable with my Marlin 9mm carbine. I’ve never had a miss-fire with mine. Alien Gear has a holster that fits it nicely. That being said mine isn’t very accurate. Since eyesight isn’t what it used to be I’ve recently moved on to a Sig P320 X-Carry with a Romeo 1 dot sight that I can easily see.

   1. Interesting that you mention accuracy of your 669. I had one as well. It would digest anything I put in it, but nothing I tried would make it as accurate as I wanted.
      I usually carried it in a shoulder holster.

5. Mod 39 also came steel frame , mine had threaded barrel ,loved the feel in the hand ,subsonic ammo was not much better than 22lr

6. Dear Pat: Since you won’t test the Taurus G2C, would you please test the new Taurus G3!

7. How does the 6906 do with a stainless slide and aluminum frame; is there any galling of the frame?

   1. SS and aluminum won’t gall. Galling was a problem with early stainless guns that
      used same steel alloy for moving parts (e.g. slide and frame). By using different
      alloys for ‘rubbing parts’, the galling problem was put to bed.

8. With all the wonderful concealable handguns available today, the S&W 39 series can still hold it’s own against the competition. I switch my carry guns often. If I am not carrying my S&W – M&P Shield, Many times I will grab my S&W 3913, the 8 shot version of the series. The thinner grip and perfect weight and size make the 3913 an extremely comfortable carry gun. It was my main off duty gun during my former life. Now that I have emerged from the ashes of what used to be part of the United States of America, I have been blessed with lots of choices here in FREE AMERICA. That said, the 3913 is like an old friend that I like to visit often………

9. I believe the late Skeeter Skelton wrote a lengthy article for Shooting Times on this pistol in the 1970’s.
   Wish I had kept a copy of the article.
   Skeeter fired 10,000 rounds through this pistol in a very short time period and the results were amazing.

10. When I was working, I carried the 6906 for plain clothes work, as well as for a back-up for uniform duty. Here is the thing about the 6909. It was never intended for long range work. Inside 15 yards, the accuracy on the little beast is far more than is really necessary, for the intended purpose of the weapon. I routinely shot 1 1/2″ groups, even rapid fire, at 15 yards offhand. The secret is not to aim, after you establish your initial POA. With the proper grip [two-hand of course], the weapon drops right back onto line, without the use of the sights. The functioning was near flawless. And, it is concealable, to a fault. In uniform, I carried a SIG P220, .45ACP. The accuracy on that weapon was, unsurprisingly, incredible in a out-of-the-box pistol. I always enjoyed carrying the little krunchenticker and felt secure doing it. I have gone on to a SA XD-45c, since I retired. But, the little beast is still fully loaded in the gun safe.

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