S&W 3913: Night Sights and Ammo Questions

[Packman]

I finally got it! Picked up my 3913NL this afternoon. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but that'll come soon.

Since this is a primary carry gun, I want to add night sights. I was wondering if the sights at the following link are good and whether that's a good price.
http://swfa.com/Trijicon-Night-Sight-P8488.aspx


Also, I was looking at ammunitiontogo.com, and they have Brown Bear for about 174$/1000 rounds, including shipping to my house. Cheapest I can find locally is Winchester White Box, which is 21 cents a round before sales tax. Brown Bear is steel cased, though. Is that OK to shoot in this gun?

Also, I'm trying to find a manual for this gun. If anyone knows of a PDF copy anywhere on the web, I'd appreciate it. I guess if that doesn't work I'll give Smith and Wesson a call.

Thanks Folks.

 

[bdb benzino]

Make sure the Brown Bear 9mm is 9mm luger and not 9mm Makarov as it will not work in a 9mm luger or para.

 

[MICHAEL T]

3913 deserves better than brown bear ammo . I regret the day I sold mine was a big mistake

 

[wnycollector]

I just ran 200 rounds of brown bear 9mm FMJ through my S&W 910 w/o incident. Accuracy was acceptable for plinking/range work given how cheap it is ($8/50). IMOO for a few $ more Fiocchi FMJ is more accurate in my 9mm pistols but brown bear is G2G at that price point.

 

[samurai]

I wonder if a steady diet of "steel" cased ammo would damage the extractor?

 

[Packman]

I wonder if a steady diet of "steel" cased ammo would damage the extractor?

Hmmm...I dunno. If the extractor is aluminum, then it might not be a good idea. If it's steel, I'm probably ok, right?

Anyone know if it's steel or aluminum?

 

[PabloJ]

This is great firearm. I picked 6+1 Series 90 small DAO automatic over 3913 by very slim marigin. I liked Hogue grips and no manual safety features of the Colt better. The only ammo I ever need is Federal 'Champion' FMJs and Federal 'Classic HiShok' JHPs. The 'Classic 115gr Hi-Shok' is about the best 9x19mm HP load one can ever wish for.

 

[TrapK80]

Congrats on your 3913! Although it's not cutting edge technology it is a solid, reliable compact 9. Had mine for over 10 years and it still sees regular use. As far as ammo, there are a lot of good 9mm choices out there. Never had a problem with different ammo or mixed ammo in a mag....shot them all. Since the frame is aluminum I would stick to standard loads/velocities. Good luck!

 

[alde]

I would not fire steel cased ammo in your 3913. If you do make sure you keep the chamber clean. Most steel cased ammo has a coat of varnish or something on it that will gum up the chamber after a while and the cases will stick and put stress on the extractor. The extractor is steel but it's not really worth the hassle to save a couple of bucks.

Broken extractors are fairley common on M1 Carbines when using steel cased ammo for the above reasons. You may never have a problem but it will cause more wear over time.

The 3913 is a great pistol. You will love it. I have the 908 which is the budget version of the 3913 and it is a super little pistol.

 

[wbwanzer]

How about a picture for the fun of it:

 

[fastbolt]

Personally, I wouldn't use steel cased ammunition in my 3913.

I prefer to use good quality ammunition made by the major American manufacturers.

The extractors used in the 3913 are steel. Replacing them is a task for the factory, a gunsmith familiar with S&W pistols or an armorer. It requires the use of a specific bar gauge (Go/No-Go) for checking extractor reach into the breach face, which is adjusted by filing on the adjustment pad surface behind the extractor hook, and a force dial gauge to check for proper extractor spring tension.

 

[jsbethel]

You may prefer the Trijicon sights with the Novak profile - they are slightly less expensive also -

http://swfa.com/Trijicon-Night-Sight-P8625.aspx

Here is an option with free shipping -

http://www.opticsplanet.net/trijicon-sa24-novak-compact-9mm-3-dot-front-rear-night-sight-set.html

The nice thing about Trijicon sights is that in the future when they dim, you can send your slide back to Trijicon to have the sights relamped for significantly less than the cost of new sights - currently $18 a lamp.

Manual - http://stevespages.com/pdf/s&w_centerfire_pistol.pdf

Here is a picture of my 3913NL -

 

[PabloJ]

That is about perfect size for 9mm pistol.