S&W autos...what's your opinion of them?

[Grunt]

A few days ago, I traded off a .40 S&W Chiefs Special for a Glock 21. I guess I didn't really think it was as compact as it could have been and that the bore axis was pretty high as well leading to a lot of muzzle flip when it was fired. Another gripe I had was that the slide stop was in front of a piece of spring steel that the plunger rode against to keep it down until the last round was fired. Seems like every time I tried to release the slide with my strong thumb, I would never hit the slide stop but instead rake my thumb across that piece of metal. All-in-all, I wasn't too impressed with it. However, today thumbing through the Shotgun News, I see that J&G sales are selling a lot of S&W autos (police trade-ins I'd suspect) and the 4516 sort of caught my eye. Not really thinking of buying one (saving my money for an HK P-2000 sub-compact when they come out) but it does make me wonder what opinions others have about S&W autos?

 

[Marcus]

To be honest the Chief`s series never really turned me on either for various reasons. However my 1006 is an absolute keeper! I have a 4053 I like very much too. They`re not the most ergonomic pistols ever made but they suit me fine and they`re far from the worst. They`re both very slim,which makes them a pleasure to carry. Yes,even the 1006,with a good belt and IWB holster it`s no problem at all. In fact I was carrying it all day today. They`re very well made,durable,reliable and accurate. I don`t really care for the Walther style safety on the 1006 (one reason I bought the DAO 4053) but I`ve gotten used to it. Marcus

 

[orangeninja]

To be honest....waaaayyyyy too much money for not nearly enough gun. They are in the same price range as Sig, and they are NOT Sigs.

 

[Paco]

Gary,

There was a thread started by me recently that might interest you. It's essentially about the 5906, which I think is the underdog of the hangun world. I have never in near a 1000 rds, had one thing go wrong with it unlike my 1911, my glock, my taurus/M9 clone, makarov, sigsauerP220 etc. etc... The others are a bit lighter and friendlier in some departments, like the 1911 having a better trigger, ect. but overall???

The 5906 has some strong Kung-fu.

 

[rde]

Have a 6906 and a 908s and I have no complaints of any kind. Zero malfunctions of any kind. The 6906 was a police trade in like seen in SG News. Worked out so well I ordered the 908s.

 

[Abominable No-Man]

I have had a 5906 S&W for about ten years or so. I have lost track of how many rounds I have put through it, but I don't remember it ever choking on me. There have been a few malfunctions that I chalk up to crappy ammo.

After my wife and I got married, we went through a bad time financially, and for a couple of years it was the only pistol I owned. The rest got sold off for one reason or another. Before we moved, we lived in a sometimes questionable section of town. Thankfully those days are over now, but at the time having that pistol was a great comfort.

It's probably not as accurate out of the box as a Sig, but it's still more accurate than most shooters will be able to take advantage of. The trigger is good, and it would probably feed rocks if I stuffed them in the magazine.

It's an all-around good, good pistol.

ANM

 

[MikeJ]

I have a 5906 that I bought in the 80's that is still one of my favorite guns of all time. I find it to be extremely ergonomic in its design and the way it fits my hand. I definitely believe that the 3rd generation S&W pistols can hold their own with any other brand, and I do own Sigs, Berettas, Brownings, Colts etc.

 

[walking arsenal]

i own a smith 39-2 that i love and is an excellent gun. i owned a smith sigma that i kept for a week and then sold becuase it was a jam-o-matic.
seems to me the newer smiths are kind a ugly, but functional.

 

[wally]

Nothing really wrong with them but like others have said there are many better guns for equal or less money.

S&W model 59 was my first auto pistol. Its also the only gun I've ever traded away. No regrets.

Still have a model 669 which was one of the first "sub-compact" full power guns.
I've little intrest in any other S&W auto, especially the DAO models.

--wally.

 

[The Reverend]

My S&W's...

Well my first serious autoloader was in fact a S&W, a 915 if I recall correctly. That basic 9mm was a very good gun, better than most said it would be. It shot well, handled well, never FTF, and despite its lackluster finish was beautiful. This was my first experience with folks saying S&W 3rd generation semi-autos were only mediocre, and my first experience having those folks being wrong. Had to sell that beloved pistol to pay the rent...

My second S&W was and is a 4506-1. I absolutely love this .45 to death! It is simply the sweetest .45 I have ever fired. Totally reliable and a dream to handle. The only thing I had to adjust to was the grip. The curved backstrap, and Hogue rubbers proved to be too big for me, but the original straight backstrap is the best for me. This is an absolute keeper for me... Heck I even sold a P226 to reduce the number of guns in my collection. I probably need to say that I have been making a switch to .45 from 9mm, and I really liked the P226.

I liked the 4506-1 so much, I got her a companion... a 4516-2. Knowing I wanted a compact .45 and my impression of the 4506 made this one a no-brainer. Yeah, its a bit heavy for a compact, but like its bigger companion it has proven itself to be a perfectly reliable pistol. By the way if you are looking at the 4516, please make sure you stick with the -1 or -2 models. Originally the 4516 proved to not to be reliable from the box. S&W did some work on the slide and frame to get the weights right. Avoid the original 4516 if you can. The -2 models can be tough to find, but if you do snatch it up... quickly!!!

God Bless!

 

[Rexrider]

I currently own a 908s also. This pistol has proven itself to be a very reliable handgun. I did have to take a file to the bottom of the extractor claw to round it off a little bit. After that it has never failed to function. Period. My wife has taken quite a liking to the 908s. It has also been a good pistol for her to learn to shoot something bigger than a .22 (caliber wise)

I had also owned a 457 about 5 yrs ago. I wish i still had it. Once again, it was 100% reliable and surprisingly accurate for what it was. I also considered it a very good value. The sad thing is I traded it for a Para Ordinance P13. The Para was quite a dissappointment and ended up trading it in on a Glock 23. Oh well, live and learn. I could really see buying another 457 in the future.

Cheers
Rexrider

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

My favorite Smith & Wesson self-loader has to
be the one and only model 39 and 39-2.They
were some great weapons that should have NEVER
been discontinued!

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[PieThatCorner]

I must agree with the others regarding the S&W 5906 - I've owned one for the past thirteen years and it's never had a malfunction - it's really held up quite well. I'll never give that one up.

On the other hand, I have the S&W 4566 and the S&W 4513TSW, and I've unfortunately experienced a number of malfunctions with the 4566 during qualifications - and only one malfunction with 4513TSW. Always seems to be the same malfunction; extractor failing to clear around the lip of the cartridge, resulting in the slide stopping just short of being in-battery. In fairness to the 4500 series, one could always chalk it up to operator error.

Grunt - re: the Glock's slide stop lever...

...Seems like every time I tried to release the slide with my strong thumb, I would never hit the slide stop but instead rake my thumb across that piece of metal.

Glock's slide lock is actually not meant to be used as a slide-release lever - instead, the overhand grip on top of the slide with the support hand is meant to be used to disengage the slide stop to put the gun back in battery after a speed reload. This is what Glock firearms instructors teach and is taught in the Glock Transition Schools that I'm aware of, including my Department's (it may take a while to break from this habit). Personally, I like this method better... but your mileage may vary.

As a side note, there are departments that still teach the slide-release method with the thumb - I suspect this accounts (somewhat) for the demand for Glock manufactured oversized slide locks.

-Jim

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I have 4 S&W autoloaders and like them very much. Not my most favorite handgun in the world, but not the worst I own by far.

 

[agtman]

I've found Smith's 3rd Gen 10XX-series & 45XX-series to be very accurate, highly reliable pistols. I've fired one or two 5906s and they handled and shot fine as well.

 

[gp59]

Grunt I to was not sure of the S&W autos until i traded for one some time back. I traded a glock 23 that i wasn't comfortable shooting for a S&W m457 .45acp compact. its the plain model with houge grips and a very smooth trigger job. I am very pleased with this gun and it is now my every day carry gun. I carry it in a Don Hume IWB holster. you can pick good used smiths up for 350.00 to 400.00 around here. so look around and see what the used market has. good luck.

 

[LynnMassGuy]

I have a 910s and I absolutely love it.

 

[stans]

I once had a 39-2 that turned out to be a dog. I bought it used, evidently it had been well used and, at the time, I did not know what to look for in a semi-auto. My current 439 has been very reliable and is fairly accurate; 3 to 4 inches at 25 yards with good ammo. I also have an early model 4506, actually mismarked as a 645. It is not all that accurate, only 5 to 6 inches at 25 yards, but, after a thorough cleaning, it is very reliable.

 

[Super Trucker]

I have a 3913 ( 9mm )that I like very much, no problems with it ever.

 

[ddj8052]

I had a S&W 910 which was a good gun. It was very accurate. I never had any kind of problems with it. I sold it because I could not get excited about it. The grips are terible. It feels like holding a 2X4. The hogue grips add considerable size to the gun. Overall, if it fits you than go for it. Youwill not be disappointed with the gun just make sure you like the way they feel.

 

[tex_n_cal]

The ex still has a 5904 (alloy frame) that has never jammed, not once that I can recall. The 3rd gen guns are usually very reliable, if a little funky in design. The 5606 and 3906 are awfully good 9mm plinkers.

If you find one, the 745 (my brother loves his), 945, and 952 are awfully neat target pistols.

 

[Alan Fud]

As stated earlier, S&W autos are not cheap and I own more S&W auto's than all of my other guns combined

 

[RON in PA]

Based on my experience with my 5906 and 3913: Excellent DA triggers, short trigger reset on SA, 100% reliable and for me good ergonomics.

I have come to the conclusion that Smith and Ruger semi-autos hold their own with any other brand.

 

[fastbolt]

Well, although I never really cared for the 2-digit S&W semiautos, and didn't start using S&W pistols until we adopted 59XX/69XX/645 weapons in 89/90 ... since that time we've had something like over a million rounds fired downrange through various 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP S&W's, both agency & personally owned, and without significant problems.

They grudgingly impressed me enough that I eventually applied to become one of the S&W trained armorers for my agency, and now I own several different S&W pistols. They've all been outstandingly reliable.

The current TSW models can be favorably compared, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder, accuracy-wise, with any other pistol in their price range.

They may not be for everybody, but what firearm is?

 

[JNewell]

Gen 3 pistols are tough, accurate and well made. My only complaint, based on a lot of experience tearing down Berettas, SIGs, Glocks and 1911s, is that IMO (YMMV) there are a lot more small parts that are harder to strip than in the other designs I'm familiar with. For most uses, however, I don't think that matters. I personally think that the S&W 10xx series is one of the all-time great pistols of our time.