From the Vault: Elvis Presley's Smith & Wesson Model 39 Pistol

Today Steve Ostrem and Keith Ford put on their blue suede shoes and head back to Rock Island Auction Company, where they're all shook up about a certain Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol. It's a Plain Jane, factory-stock Model 39-2, so why do the guys love it so tenderly? Because it was owned by Elvis Presley. It was presented to the King of Rock and Roll by a police officer fan in Charlotte, NC, and Elvis later gave it to his longtime bodyguard Sonny West. It's in overall good condition, with a little exterior surface rust, probably due to being carried in a shoulder holster. At the risk of engaging in too much conversation and not enough action, the guys give us some background on the S&W Model 39. Developed in the 1950s, it was one of the first domestic double action semi-auto 9mm pistols. In the late 1960s, the Illinois State Police adopted the Model 39, becoming one of the first American police agencies to hang up their revolvers in favor of a semi-auto. The big rush to "Wonder Nines" took off later in the '80s, but in the 1970s, the Smith Model 39 and the high-capacity Model 59 were the main choices in the U.S. for a double action 9mm. But now, after holding Elvis's personal Model 39, the guys have to return to sender - unless they wanna be singin' jailhouse rock!

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