What to know about a S&W 469??
- Thread starter jrothWA
- Start date
carguychris
New member
This was one of S&W's first compacts in their DA/SA metal-frame centerfire automatic line. It's part of the so-called 2nd generation of these pistols; the 1st-generation was full-size only.
The short version:
This is a very reliable and durable pistol with a reasonably good trigger, but compared to newer tactical plastic, it's wide and heavy and has somewhat kludgy ergonomics. It's also not exactly pretty.
This, together with a generalized lack of collector interest in the more common 2nd-gen models, has kept resale values fairly low for all but LNIB examples; most sell in the $275-$350 range, and I would not pay more than this unless the pistol is truly pristine. IMHO they're a good value for a knockaround carry piece.
More info:
The code used for S&W 2nd-gen model numbers is XYY: X = 4 denotes a blued or nickel slide and a black or silver anodized aluminum alloy frame, YY = 69 denotes compact 12rd double-stack 9mm. IIRC most 469's are blue/black but some two-tone blue/silver examples are out there. The full-size version of this pistol was the 459. The stainless version of the 469 was the 669.
The 469 uses (thin) black plastic grip panels. Many are found with Pachmayr or Hogue rubber wraparound grips, as the stock ones aren't very ergonomic. Speaking of which, the grip shape of 1st and 2nd-gen 59/69 series pistols is very blocky, and this is a common complaint about these guns.
2nd-gen Smiths feature a trigger-actuated firing-pin block for safer DA/off-safe carry, a simplified and more durable fixed rear sight than 1st-gen guns, and an optional RH-side ambidextrous decocker/safety lever. Regarding this last feature, if the lever is attached with a very large and tacky-looking Philips or hex-head screw, believe it or not, this is NOT a cheap makeshift gunsmith mod- this is how they came from the factory! (This is the reason one sees suspiciously few pictures of the starboard side of these guns online.
)
This gun, along with all standard DA/SA Smiths, came equipped with a magazine disconnect. If you're one of the folks who's really bothered by this (FWIW I'm not), it's fairly easily removed, although the procedure requires partially drifting out the rear sight.
Speaking of sights, the front sight on these guns is integral with the slide; night-sight kits are available, but require skilled 'smithing to drill and inlay the front unit into the sight blade. This was changed to a dovetailed and readily replaceable arrangement on the 3rd-gen 69xx series. FWIW the other obvious 3rd-gen 69xx changes were a more svelte and comfy wraparound grip, and a more attractive RH-side decocker/safety lever retained by a plunger and tab instead of a screw.
OEM-style 469/669 mags have been off the market for some time, but the pistol accepts 3rd-gen 69xx magazines, which are plentiful; if you shop used, you'll find lots of 10rd units, as many 69xx pistols were sold while the AWB was in force. 59-series mags will work in the pistol but will project from the grip frame. This includes extended-capacity 20+ round mags, some of which were produced for the Marlin Camp Carbine, and may be marked as such. (The Marlin was designed to use 59-series mags, and the larger Marlin mags are backwards compatible, so to speak.
)
The short version:
This is a very reliable and durable pistol with a reasonably good trigger, but compared to newer tactical plastic, it's wide and heavy and has somewhat kludgy ergonomics. It's also not exactly pretty.
This, together with a generalized lack of collector interest in the more common 2nd-gen models, has kept resale values fairly low for all but LNIB examples; most sell in the $275-$350 range, and I would not pay more than this unless the pistol is truly pristine. IMHO they're a good value for a knockaround carry piece.More info:
The code used for S&W 2nd-gen model numbers is XYY: X = 4 denotes a blued or nickel slide and a black or silver anodized aluminum alloy frame, YY = 69 denotes compact 12rd double-stack 9mm. IIRC most 469's are blue/black but some two-tone blue/silver examples are out there. The full-size version of this pistol was the 459. The stainless version of the 469 was the 669.
The 469 uses (thin) black plastic grip panels. Many are found with Pachmayr or Hogue rubber wraparound grips, as the stock ones aren't very ergonomic. Speaking of which, the grip shape of 1st and 2nd-gen 59/69 series pistols is very blocky, and this is a common complaint about these guns.
2nd-gen Smiths feature a trigger-actuated firing-pin block for safer DA/off-safe carry, a simplified and more durable fixed rear sight than 1st-gen guns, and an optional RH-side ambidextrous decocker/safety lever. Regarding this last feature, if the lever is attached with a very large and tacky-looking Philips or hex-head screw, believe it or not, this is NOT a cheap makeshift gunsmith mod- this is how they came from the factory! (This is the reason one sees suspiciously few pictures of the starboard side of these guns online.
) This gun, along with all standard DA/SA Smiths, came equipped with a magazine disconnect. If you're one of the folks who's really bothered by this (FWIW I'm not), it's fairly easily removed, although the procedure requires partially drifting out the rear sight.
Speaking of sights, the front sight on these guns is integral with the slide; night-sight kits are available, but require skilled 'smithing to drill and inlay the front unit into the sight blade. This was changed to a dovetailed and readily replaceable arrangement on the 3rd-gen 69xx series. FWIW the other obvious 3rd-gen 69xx changes were a more svelte and comfy wraparound grip, and a more attractive RH-side decocker/safety lever retained by a plunger and tab instead of a screw.
OEM-style 469/669 mags have been off the market for some time, but the pistol accepts 3rd-gen 69xx magazines, which are plentiful; if you shop used, you'll find lots of 10rd units, as many 69xx pistols were sold while the AWB was in force. 59-series mags will work in the pistol but will project from the grip frame. This includes extended-capacity 20+ round mags, some of which were produced for the Marlin Camp Carbine, and may be marked as such. (The Marlin was designed to use 59-series mags, and the larger Marlin mags are backwards compatible, so to speak.
)
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