3rd Generation S&W's- what is/was the impression?
- Thread starter lsudave
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Tom Fury
Member
My favorite:
It pains me that it isn't something sexier, but I keep coming back to the 457.
There are a couple things I wish it was/wasn't, but I do love it for what it is.
Dead reliable, reasonably accurate, all you need and nothin' you don't. S&W got it right even if it isn't sexy;
can we have it back again in Scandium with Melonite and night sights ? Or 10mm?
Bring back the economy series in alloy and stainless! 1076 grip profile!
The SS version has just about everything in the wish it was category.
J
S&W 645, 745, 4506x3 457x2 4563 CQBx2, 4513, CS-45, 3914, 5903, 6904
It pains me that it isn't something sexier, but I keep coming back to the 457.
There are a couple things I wish it was/wasn't, but I do love it for what it is.
Dead reliable, reasonably accurate, all you need and nothin' you don't. S&W got it right even if it isn't sexy;
can we have it back again in Scandium with Melonite and night sights ? Or 10mm?
Bring back the economy series in alloy and stainless! 1076 grip profile!
The SS version has just about everything in the wish it was category.
J
S&W 645, 745, 4506x3 457x2 4563 CQBx2, 4513, CS-45, 3914, 5903, 6904
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I ended up with a like new 3913 is a trade deal. It came with the box and all, I put 125 rounds through it and it shot very well. I got it form the original owner who only put 100 rounds through it. I decided it was too nice to shoot and now it sits in the safe. I wish I has a beater to shoot and carry often. Its too bad S&W doesn't make them any more.
Yes, last time I have seen 4506 in excellent condition it had tag of $750 and sold quickly. If you hold on to that it will probably be worth more than a SIG 239. It looks like soon Gen 3 S&Ws will not be worth buying because one will get used SIG in same shape for same money. Big plus in addition to trigger pull quality accuracy there are spare parts because pistols are still made.
The G26 is superior to both SIG 239 and S&W 3913. It is a mute point because Glock now makes single stack 9x19 pistol. Another good option is S&W Shield. The original slim plastic framed gun was Walther PPS. All of those would be better than 3913 or SIG 239.
I currently own a G26 and the 3913 and did own the Shield. Size wise the 3913 is about the same as a Shield with the 8 round mag. The only carry advantage the Shield has is some weight and some grip length with the smaller mag that compromises capacity. The G26 is enough thicker to make a difference IWB. Some like the DA/SA system as well as a safety. I dont think better is fair, just different. The Sigs size with the lower capacity seem hard to make a case for.
Most of my guns are Glock's, but I can't help myself when it comes to the SA/DA trigger of the S&W autos, I grew up on revolvers, switched to Semi auto in the mid 90's (mostly Glock) sold a 617, 686 and a 629 for a G17 and G20 (still miss the 686 and still have the G20, which I will never part with) but i didn't discover S&W auto's until last year. I now have one 2nd gen and one third gen and am always on the look out for more at a good price.
The S&W autos (2nd and 3rd) are IMO, some of the most under-rated guns on the market.
As always YRMV.
The S&W autos (2nd and 3rd) are IMO, some of the most under-rated guns on the market.
As always YRMV.
USAF_Vet
Member
I don't think they're all that under rated anymore. The secret is out. I got my 469 2nd gen in 2011 for $250, and since then I've turned down offers that would have doubled my money.
I see 3rd gen pistols pop up at the LGS often enough, in all calibers (haven't seen a 10mm, yet, though), and not a single one of them sells for anywhere near what I got mine for. Seems $500, give or take, is the going average rate, with several being higher, and a few being lower.
The police trade in market for these is about depleted, as most departments are now trading in their Gen 1/2 Glocks that were their replacements for the S&Ws.
I think I got a great deal on my 2nd gen, but have not seen a deal anywhere near as good since.
I see 3rd gen pistols pop up at the LGS often enough, in all calibers (haven't seen a 10mm, yet, though), and not a single one of them sells for anywhere near what I got mine for. Seems $500, give or take, is the going average rate, with several being higher, and a few being lower.
The police trade in market for these is about depleted, as most departments are now trading in their Gen 1/2 Glocks that were their replacements for the S&Ws.
I think I got a great deal on my 2nd gen, but have not seen a deal anywhere near as good since.
Trunk Monkey
member
One of my favorite guns
Confederate
Member
I have a Sig P220 (early Model) .45ACP that came with the magazines and is like new. It was my dad's, and though I've read many good things about it, the long, heavy double action pull and lack of a safety make me want to keep it in the safe. My S&W 645 is a much better gun overall. To use the Sig, I'd have to cock it first and carry it like a Glock, which I wouldn't do. The 645 has a decent double-action pull and enough of a take up that I could easily draw it and cock without having to worry about an accidental discharge.
The weight of the Sig is nice, but it would be far better with a cock-and-lock safety.
Maybe because that early thing was Made in W. Germany. If you want to experience finger straining trigger try the DA in original P6 police pistol. It's not far ahead of Soviet Nagant or P-64 in double action.
I have a 4576, which is the 45 version of the FBI's 1076 10mm. Bought it new. Very accurate pistol and will run along side a lot of 1911s. Also a long time owner of a 3913NL and more recently added a 4013 Tactical. These are all favoites with the family when we go to the range.
Murphys Law
Member
I need to start looking for one of those, Although I'm probably going to suffer from "sticker shock" when i find one.
Confederate
Member
Yes, it was made in W. Germany. Does that affect the value of it? If I keep it, do they sell sporting kits for it? As it is, if I had to carry it in a place where I needed it, I'd probably carry it cocked. Wonder why they wouldn't put a safety on the bloody thing? I don't mind the magazine release being on the bottom. I'm used to it on account of having shot so many Ruger Mark Is!
I'd trade it any day for a 4506 in mint condition!
boricua9mm
Member
You must be thinking of a different pistol. For all intents and purposes, these pistols are the same size. I'll need to measure them, but the slide on the 3913 may be slightly thinner, but not enough to make a difference.
One problem with BOTH of these guns is that many owners will go out and buy these slim single stacks, then slap a big ole' fat set of grips on 'em. Next thing you know, they are complaining that it's too fat and doesn't have enough capacity for the size.
I like the 3900 series a lot. I personally think they are the best of the DA/SA Smiths. A 2-tone 3914 was my first carry gun. Unfortunately, it was a Dealer Demo gun and it developed a little crack in the bottom of the slide behind the extractor. I then moved to a 239-9 and never looked back...until a family friend wanted to sell off her 3913LS.
I will say that the P239 has a little more gusto nowadays, much of that on account of it being in NSW inventory as a plainclothes/concealment carry gun.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
My EDC is a 3913 Ladysmith (single stack DA/SA 9mm) that I bought new in the mid-1990s. I have several thousand rounds through it, and to this day the only failure of any kind was a single round of Winchester bulk-pack from Walmart that was apparently missing the priming compound in the primer; the firing pin smashed the primer nearly all the way down to the bottom of the primer cup and it didn't go off even on restrike. It is remarkably accurate for its size, reliable, the SA trigger is excellent (and the the DA trigger is good enough), and I like having the option of a manual safety. It is a little bit heavier than a modern polymer-framed gun of similar size, but not all that much more (aluminum alloy frame helps here), and the capacity is lower as a consequence of the thinner grip (only 8+1), but it's a great CCW gun. I once looked at a 6906 at a gun show, which IIRC is comparable in size but double-stack, and I think one of those would make a great CCW pistol as well.
I also owned and shot a 5906 for a couple of years (a CDNN police trade-in), but it was steel-frame and HEAVY, about 2.4 pounds empty and 2.9 pounds loaded. I used Mec-Gar 17-round magazines and it was absolutely reliable; I had exactly one failure to feed in that time, a round of WWB with a split case that was so out of spec it wouldn't fit all the way into the chamber. I was a little disappointed in the accuracy, in that it was slightly less accurate than my 3913 in spite of having a longer sight radius and longer barrel; I looked into upgrading to a match grade barrel, but the aftermarket for accurizing 3rd-gen Smiths just isn't there anymore. I eventually sold it, mostly because of the weight (nearly 3 pounds in the holster), and replaced it with a FN 9mm longslide that gives the same capacity, better accuracy, and an inch more barrel with only 2/3 the weight.
For history's sake, here's an early '90s S&W ad for the 3rd-gen pistols:
I also owned and shot a 5906 for a couple of years (a CDNN police trade-in), but it was steel-frame and HEAVY, about 2.4 pounds empty and 2.9 pounds loaded. I used Mec-Gar 17-round magazines and it was absolutely reliable; I had exactly one failure to feed in that time, a round of WWB with a split case that was so out of spec it wouldn't fit all the way into the chamber. I was a little disappointed in the accuracy, in that it was slightly less accurate than my 3913 in spite of having a longer sight radius and longer barrel; I looked into upgrading to a match grade barrel, but the aftermarket for accurizing 3rd-gen Smiths just isn't there anymore. I eventually sold it, mostly because of the weight (nearly 3 pounds in the holster), and replaced it with a FN 9mm longslide that gives the same capacity, better accuracy, and an inch more barrel with only 2/3 the weight.
For history's sake, here's an early '90s S&W ad for the 3rd-gen pistols:
I have quite a bit of experience with both the G26 and the 3913LS, and I personally prefer the 3913, although the G26 is certainly a fine gun. The 26 was harder to conceal, for me (stubbier but thicker, and for me the limiting factor was grip thickness), and I found it somewhat less accurate than the 3913 as well. I also prefer a manual safety on a gun that will occasionally be carried AIWB, which is especially convenient in the summer here in NC.
SwampWolf
Member
I own and like a variety of pistols, including those made by SIG, Beretta, CZ, Colt, HK, Ruger and others but, if I had to pick one to stake my life on, it would be a Second/Third Generation Smith & Wesson. I carried a Model 6906 for a couple of decades before I retired from le and after digesting countless rounds of Agency reloads, that (relatively) little pistol never stuttered once. Reliable, well-made and plenty accurate, it's still a pistol I carry concealed as a "civilian". Did I mention that it's reliable?
The 4506s in excellent condition have become surprisingly expensive. Last one I seen had tag of $750 and it did not last long. If I wanted all metal DA/SA service size .45 Auto I would be just as happy with lowly Ruger P-series which can be found for well under $400.
wvshooter
Member
I have several carry options in both steel and polymer. Glocks, Sigs, CZ's and others but my every day carry is a Smith 5906 carried in an Alien Gear kydex holster. Yeah, it's heavy but it's a fantastic gun.
hemiram
Member
I got a good offer for my 4506 and I sold it for a nice profit, but I have regrets. When I have some spare cash, I will start looking again. I don't plan on selling my 5906 or 6906, but who knows what my future $$$ will be?
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