Best Smith and Wesson auto

I have two favorites, the 5906 (always loved the original hooked trigger guard and arched backstrap - stock image, not mine), briefly issued one as a reserve cop in the early '90s, later models w/Novak sights were great.


And, of course, the original "boat anchor," the 4506 (I'm still kicking myself for trading one off for *ack* a Glock back in 1998). So heavy, but so reliable.

I carried a 5906 as a duty weapon. Hated the DA/SA trigger pull. Never missed it when it was replaced by something else. It was made well and reliable. Just didn't care for the trigger.

ColtPythonElite said:

I carried a 5906 as a duty weapon. Hated the DA/SA trigger pull. Never missed it when it was replaced by something else. It was made well and reliable. Just didn't care for the trigger.

Click to expand...

Inclined to agree with ya on the trigger, but in the spirit of collecting some old classics, I am still sentimental about it. Mine have always fed everything and hold up well. These were the pistols that spawned the later generations of really good autopistols...

Model 645 .45 ACP
I greatly prefer the 1st and 2nd Gen guns with full metal gripframes. The way the mainspring sits in the plastic grip module on the 3rd gens is a stupid design weakness, IMO. It may not bother most folks, but triggers my OCD.

You can't go wrong with any of the S&W 5900 Series. A lot of my LEO friends carried the 5906 or the 5904. It was the issue sidearm of the Illinois State Police for many years, and many other agencies. I have a Model 915 I bought for myself, which I carried in a college department and loved it. I still have it. It was introduced as an "Economy model" made in the early '90s for us poor cops on a budget, but there's nothing economy about it. Great handgun.

The 59 was an upgrade from the S&W 39, which borrowed heavily from both the Walther P38 and the Browning Hi Power. You can thank the 59 and it's variants for ushering in the era of the modern wonder 9, so they are of great historical significance as well as being great handguns for regular use. Magazines are interchangeable between the 59, 5906, 5904, 5903, 915, 910, among others.

Attached is a pic of my 915... my favorite auto to date...

I have always liked the feel of the 39. Haven't found a first generation 39 in decent shape yet, so had to settle for this NIB Model 539:

Old Dog

And, of course, the original "boat anchor," the 4506 (I'm still kicking myself for trading one off for *ack* a Glock back in 1998). So heavy, but so reliable.

Click to expand...

I will pretend I didn't just read that and verily go about my business unaware such a thing like that could ever have happened...

52…

Not a center fire, but get one…41

KY DAN

My favorites of the Model 39/59 series were the smaller, compact Models like the 469, 669, and the 6906. They fit my smaller size hands pretty nicely , were fairly well built, and reliable. Trigger was a bit long and mushy in DA mode but sort of decent when shooting it SA. Never liked the slide mounted safety.

Does nobody love the SW 410 and 411? I just discovered them this past week and I wonder about them.

My favorites are the 3913 and 1076

One is concealable and petite and the other is larger thundercannon.

Any third-Gen model. I have a 915, 5906, 6906, 4506, and 4006.
My 4506 is even set up to run 45 Super.

1006, ASP.

thunderbyrd said:

Does nobody love the SW 410 and 411? I just discovered them this past week and I wonder about them.

Click to expand...

The 411 and 410 are basically the same gun chambered in .40 S&W... both budget models of the 4004, same as the 915 and 910 were budget models of the 5904.

The 411 came out in early 90s at the same time the 915 was introduced.

The 411 came out before the 410. Clinton's Crime Bill of 1994 limited new production guns and mags to 10 rounds, so Smith & Wesson changed the name of the 411 to 410 and started producing 10-rnd mags for it. But they will both take 11-rnd mags.

Same story with the 915/910. First came the 915 which came with a 15-rnd mag. After the crime bill was passed the 915 was produced as the 910 and came from the factory with a 10-rnd mag. Both the 915 and 910 accept 15-rnd mags just like the 5904, 5906, etc.

When the crime bill expired in 2004 it didn't matter. You could buy mags above 10-rnd capacity again, and you could always use pre-ban high cap mags that you already had before the ban.

The 411 and 915 are IMO slightly better than the 410 and 910. They cut some corners, adding more plastic parts in those later runs. However they're all good. And many parts are interchangeable.

I've had a few.

I really liked my 4566TSW. Nice Commander sized 45acp. Shot real well. Those 3rd gens will feed anything you can fit in the magazine.

I just can't stand slide mounted safeties.

My 908 is slender, light and ultra-reliable ; almost as easy to conceal as my Russian Makarov. The 908 (a 3rd. Gen.) is mostly a clone of the single-stack 3913 and 3914.
I owned the all-steel 5906 to use as a range toy.

If you are near Memphis, my regular shooting buddy has an attractive 6904 (double-stack 9mm) for sale. DA/SA.

That 6904 has an ok DA pull, with moderate stacking, but could use a little smoothing. Pretty similar feel to the DA pull on my CZ PCR.
If you are a >> TN resident << willing to drive to the Germantown or Lakeland areas, he would probably make a face-to-face sale.

I have quite a few 3rd Gen variants, but my favorites are my 3914DAO (NYPD authorized) for concealed carry and my 1006 for OWB outdoors carry.

I don't know if this is the best. I know it is my favorite.

this 3913 in 9mm is my only S&W auto loader.

Does nobody love the SW 410 and 411? I just discovered them this past week and I wonder about them.

Click to expand...

Those were budget guns very similar to the classic Smith auto's with cast aluminum frames vs steel and a few other cost cutting features. Those were in 40 S&W The 411 was pre-AWB and held 11 rounds, after the AWB they changed to a 10 round mag and called it the 410. They also made a 915 and 910 in 9mm as well as the compact 908 version and a 457 in 45 ACP. I had both a 457 and 411 back in the day. They were decent, reliable guns. But most people preferred the steel framed ones.

The only SS versions I ever actually owned was a 4506 and a 645. But ultimately the DA/SA trigger and mag disconnect were features I just didn't like and I moved on.

5906 and 3913

thunderbyrd said:

Does nobody love the SW 410 and 411? I just discovered them this past week and I wonder about them.

Click to expand...

Like this one?

S&W "Value-line" M411


Scored it for $325 in very early 2020 before all the Corvid- and election-inspired panic run on guns and ammo.

The paint was a little chippy in spots but the internals were solid. Great shooter too. I scored a few more eleven round 40XX-series mags from CDNN to add to the three that came with it. Box and papers too.

Carries AIWB like a 9mm, but punches like a low-end 10mm, ... which is what a .40 is supposed to do anyway.

I love the 10mm caliber, and I have several really nice handguns in that caliber but my favorite is my 1066.


It is very accurate @ 25yds. as well.

Chief Special- CS9, CS50, CS45. Third generation single stacks. Still a competitive single stack EDC, and a forerunner of what happened in polymer striker-fired handguns a decade ago. Dumb me sold a CS9 about 8 years ago and I found a CS40 to replace it last year.

Second choice is third generation compact like the 6909 (or 2nd gen 669, very late issue in the 2nd gen series).