[Coffee357]

Picked up one of these, used, today for a price of 209.00 + tax. A great feeling little pistol and, being a DAO and lacking the slide safety, is a very slender pistol. Haven't shot it yet but it looks to be in great shape (a police trade-in). Very little visible wear and came with 3 magazines and some dust bunnies (now set free!). The more time goes on the more I'm attached to the idea that handguns are meant to be handy and so the more I focus on the compact models. I think this will be a great addition to my fledgling compact collection. Any 39** owners have any input or advice?

Coffee

[10-Ring]

Looks like you found yourself a deal!

[Landric]

Howdy,

I used to own a 3913. It was an excellent gun, I can't remember now why I sold it.

Mine was so reliable it would feed empty cases 100% of the time. I loaded my mags with a combination of live rounds and emptys to induce malfunctions and practice clearing them. However, since the 3913 would feed the emptys, the only malfunction I could practice was the tap, rack, bang....

I think I might buy a 3953 someday. I don't care that much for the S&W DA-Only pistols, but I like the slickslide design. The one thing I didn't like about the 3913 was the slide mounted safety/decocker.

[Berg01]

I'd take several at that price; that is a genuine STEAL!

[Spackler]

They are fantastic pistols and you really found a great deal on it. I love the 39xx series pistols.

[Boiler_G]

I am considering a 3953 and the Kahr K9, do you have any experience with the Kahr? If so, how does the trigger compare to the 3953? I am going to try to test both guns. I want to see the trade offs b/t the two in terms of reliablity, cost, weight, and feel.

That price is a great deal though and I think I would have nabbed it up real fast.

Let us know how it shoots!

[4v50 Gary]

Sorry, no imput @ $209 plus tax, that's a great deal! :cool:

[benEzra]

That is a FANTASTIC deal. That price is almost in Makarov territory!!!

My daily CCW is a 3913LS (LadySmith version, with the slanted frame and non-ambi safety/decocker, which I prefer). It has at least 2,000 rounds through it and not a single failure of any sort. I shot it side by side with a Glock 34 (longslide) at the range one day and although the Glock was very accurate, the 3913's groups were the same size!! Off a sandbag, it has hit a 24" steel plate 8 for 9 at 110 yards with Winchester value-pak 115-gr ammo, and the dropped shot was my fault, I think. Easy to conceal, too, since it's fairly flat.

Trigger pull started out pretty good and has only gotten better with time.
The stainless finish is pretty much impervious to holster wear, too.

(Can you tell I like mine?:D )

Someday I'll probably buy a replacement recoil spring for it, and maybe some of the tritium Novak sights in place of the standard Novaks it came with.

[Landric]

Howdy,

I have a Kahr K40, and I had a 3913, so its not exactly what you are looking for, but...

The trigger on the Kahr is much better than the DAO S&W pistols. The kahr is, IMO, a better pistol, but there is nothing wrong with the 39xx series S&W pistols. Generally, the S&W would be cheaper. You will never find a Kahr in any kind of shape for $209 used.

If the prices were the same, I'd go with the Kahr, but if the S&W was significantly cheaper, I'd give it a very hard look.

[PCRCCW]

Ive been in love with Kahrs for a LONG time...LOL. Ive also had 3 going on 4 very soon, DAO S&W 3rd gen autos.....

The 3953 is a stellar gun. Great CCW gun...one of the best. The triggers are different than the Kahr....cant compare the two. Very different.
The S&W trigger is very consistant, short on pull but high in pull weight.
Ive had a 5943 SSV that had a trigger (S&W PC job) that put my Custom K40 trigger to shame.....believe it or not!
The Kahr is a step up in guns...IMO and I love smiths. Its just that good of a gun...Ive got my old mans K40 in my safe to mold with for a little while....
Ill stall as long as I can before giving it back to him.....Ya, I suck :D

With a little trigger help or not....you did amazingly well. You just got a very very good gun at an unheard of price. Shoot it, carry it and trust it.

Shoot well

[Coffee357]

Thanks for all the replies! I still haven't got this one to the range and may not have that opportunity for a few more weeks - the suspense is killing me! Anyone have any word on the shooting characteristics of this or the 3913 pistols? Muzzle flip? Reliability? POA/POI? Anything else?

Thanks!

Coffee

[glocksman]

My first centerfire autopistol was a 3913.
It was also the testbed when I learned to reload ammo. :uhoh:


I put over 3000 rounds through my 3913 in the 3 years I had it, a good 85% of which were reloads whose quality was spotty in the beginning (I replaced the Lee Pro with a Dillon XL650 and my ammo became more consistent).

I only had one failure to feed, and that was caused by a round that wasn't seated and crimped properly.

The only maintenance I performed on it (other than routine cleaning) was replacing the recoil spring after 2000 rounds.

I replaced it with a Glock 19 because I wanted the 15 round magazines.
The 3913 was a solidly built, reliable weapon.

If your 3953 is in decent shape, you got a heck of a deal.

[PCRCCW]

Anyone have any word on the shooting characteristics of this or the 3913 pistols? Great shooters in all regards.
Muzzle flip? actually not alot for its small size and weight
Reliability? Never had a Failure of any kind with factory ammo.
POA/POI? All of mine have been right on the money

Anything else? Enjoy the hell out of it.....................

Shoot well

[benEzra]

Shooting characteristics? Very controllable. Recoil is not harsh--it is milder to shoot (to me) than a PPK-style .380, since it is less "snappy." Once you get some practice with it, I think you'll be quite pleased with the accuracy and pointing characteristics.

[Coffee357]

Thanks folks, but I'm starting to think I may should have passed on this pistol. I keep fondling it at the house when my wife isn't home and I'm starting to gaze fondly at other S&W compacts I see in the stores. It seems so concealable and yet has just enough weight to feel like a real gun. Now I'm thinking a 3913, a 908, and a 6900 series pistol may also have a part to play in my life. Well fit pistols and much cheaper than the european types I've been latching onto in the past. (sigh) How can a man have just one?!

Coffee