Whatever kind you decide on, I think you'll like. I was so ticked off when the Ladysmith came out because I wanted one. I just wasn't going to walk around with a gun called a Ladysmith!
The 59 was the first of the series and had a reputation of being a
jamomatic. Agencies that switched to it for its high capacity magazines went nuts trying to get the guns to where they'd work. Finally, after S&W had gained a truly awful reputation in the semi-auto market, they finally managed to get their act together. Still, so many people didn't trust them that they decided on a second generation.
An old magazine I have actually ran an article entitled, "Why a $49
Raven .25ACP is Better Than a $220 Smith & Wesson 9mm 59." The writer
argued that the Raven worked every time the trigger was pulled, but
that the S&W 39/59s would not.
In one of the military trials, the S&W 459 (aluminum frame) actually came in second place to the Beretta 92. The 459 jammed, or malfunctioned, once in an average of every 952 times if I recall correctly. That's very good. But the 92 malfunctioned on an average of once every 2,000 rounds, which tipped the hat to the Beretta. Nothing else came close to these, and the Colt 1911 was so far back in the bus that it just didn't make a showing at all.
In subsequent tests, the Sig 9mm made a great showing and even today it's got a reputation of being ultra reliable and ultra strong, with excellent accuracy.
Meanwhile, S&W pulled another rabbit out of their hat. They came out with the all stainless 659/639 pistols and later the 645 .45ACP, all of which exhibited excellent reliability. The 659 and the newer 5906 were such attractive guns that the producers of the X-Files made them the team's standard autos and featured them in all sorts of creative shots during the third season. The fact that they were stainless and highly visible also were probable factors. The two later switched, I think, to the Sig.
The series does not admit to using the 659, but I've seen Mulder use one that
had the characteristic round spacer for the left-sided hammer drop, as shown in
this photo of my own 659:
Of the two guns, I prefer the 659 because it has a stronger grip. To cut
corners on the 5906, S&W made the plastic grips cover the spring housing. The
first guns tended to break in the grips if dropped. In fact, the company
later sent replacement grips (made of a more robust polymer), but I made sure I
kept the originals, just in case. (If you have an early 5906, the company will still
send you replacement grips.)
S&W 5906 (top) and 659. Both are great pistols, though some
with smallish hands found them to be a bit "boxy."
.
:banghead:
