S&W 3rd Gen Semi Autos

[1775usmarine]

My 3906 was made 6/17/89 for the oldest 3rd gen, and my 3913 was made 4/20/2000 for my newest. The rest were all 1990 or 1992.

 

[1775usmarine]

That's pretty neat.

Are there any other rail options for these?

I found that b square on a whim on fleabay. Besides the TSW I think you would have to find one of these which I guess were only made for the square trigger guards or find a custom made one.

 

[dbrier]

I decided to clean my 3913 really well.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

not for sale

 

[sloughfoot]

I have owned my 5943 for over 20 years. Tuned to a 8 lb double action trigger pull by my good friend, Dean Ingmire, I competed with it in the Service Pistol class at the 1994 and 1995 National Police Shooting Championships in Jackson MS. I also carried it for several years on the PD until I was forced to switch to the G17. You cannot stage the trigger on a G17 like I did several times with my Third Gen S&W.

I still have it near me every day.

 

[Bigtanker]

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/parts-accessories/423978-nw-ind-hand-gun-mags.html

This just popped up.

 

[oldpink]

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/parts-accessories/423978-nw-ind-hand-gun-mags.html

This just popped up.

The prices for the S&W 3913/908 mags are perfectly reasonable.
Too bad that the 1000 series mags are now selling for at least $80 and often a C note these days.

 

[1775usmarine]

The prices for the S&W 3913/908 mags are perfectly reasonable.
Too bad that the 1000 series mags are now selling for at least $80 and often a C note these days.

It was only a few years ago I could pick up 4506 mags for 18-22 bucks off fleabay now those even have pushed past 30. If I can find mags for under 30 I try to snatch them up even though the wife at one time thought 20 4506 mags was nuts and her is asking me what I plan on doing with 18 5900 mags. It would be nice to find a sub 2k to compliment my 5900's and make use of those extra mags.


I've started to make a list of gun parts I would like to stock up as the parts from the mother ship have all but dried up. I really need to start buying springs first. I understand these were built like tanks and if kept clean will do their part way past our life, but would like to leave future kids something they can enjoy as well as know how to strip one down to bare frame and slide.

 

[kaveman]

I'm a relative newcomer to the S&W 3rd gens. I've never liked the DA/SA trigger system and from my experience with S&W back in the 70's I assumed that's what they made so I paid no attention to them. Back in early 2013 I was cleaning up and straightening out my mess and found a handful of 5900 magazines I'd picked up somewhere and realized I didn't have a pistol that took them. I started searching for non-S&W guns that accepted S&W magazines but couldn't find anything I was interested in. I did learn that S&W made pistols other than DA/SA.

I fell in love with the 3rd gen DAO models and have been buying them up ever since. Most are police trades and a fantastic bargain. I won't even try to count how many I've picked up, but with 9mm, .40, and .45,........stainless and alloy,.......silver and blue,.......and service, compact and sub-compact,.....I think I've got a dozen or more different models. I believe in having backups so that probably represents 40-50 pistols in all. All DAO.

I have picked up a few DA/SA pistols along the way when they were cheap and interesting and have branched off a little into the 1st and 2nd gens too, but the bulk of the S&W collection and all my interest is still in the DAO guns. I've got piles of striker fired guns too but they no longer serve any purpose. I think of the plastic striker guns as tacklebox guns now.

 

[1775usmarine]

I'm a relative newcomer to the S&W 3rd gens. I've never liked the DA/SA trigger system and from my experience with S&W back in the 70's I assumed that's what they made so I paid no attention to them. Back in early 2013 I was cleaning up and straightening out my mess and found a handful of 5900 magazines I'd picked up somewhere and realized I didn't have a pistol that took them. I started searching for non-S&W guns that accepted S&W magazines but couldn't find anything I was interested in. I did learn that S&W made pistols other than DA/SA.

I fell in love with the 3rd gen DAO models and have been buying them up ever since. Most are police trades and a fantastic bargain. I won't even try to count how many I've picked up, but with 9mm, .40, and .45,........stainless and alloy,.......silver and blue,.......and service, compact and sub-compact,.....I think I've got a dozen or more different models. I believe in having backups so that probably represents 40-50 pistols in all. All DAO.

I have picked up a few DA/SA pistols along the way when they were cheap and interesting and have branched off a little into the 1st and 2nd gens too, but the bulk of the S&W collection and all my interest is still in the DAO guns. I've got piles of striker fired guns too but they no longer serve any purpose. I think of the plastic striker guns as tacklebox guns now.

I would like to find some of the single stack full size 2nd gens as well as a 645. The 3rd gens are like Pokemon you gotta catch them all.

 

[kaveman]

Did you ever try to track down that 645 at Blythes Valpo a couple of months ago?

One reason I like to have multiples of each gun is that then it makes sense to stock spares in quantity. The Smith's are nice in that a barrel slide combo from say a 6946 will slap right on a 3953 or even a 5946 to make an SSV. There's quite a bit of cross-compatibility with parts/mags/springs etc. I pick up complete parts kits quite regularly,....or at least I did up until recently. I've got probably another dozen parts sets so it doesn't matter to me what Smith may or may not have in the future. I've found complete kits on GB from $60-150 for both gen3 and gen2. Everything currently seems to start at $200 and go up from there and I'm not finding the DAO parts like I used to.

 

[Dirtebiker]

I picked up a nice 5906 here on INGO to go with my model 59.

 

[1775usmarine]

Did you ever try to track down that 645 at Blythes Valpo a couple of months ago?

One reason I like to have multiples of each gun is that then it makes sense to stock spares in quantity. The Smith's are nice in that a barrel slide combo from say a 6946 will slap right on a 3953 or even a 5946 to make an SSV. There's quite a bit of cross-compatibility with parts/mags/springs etc. I pick up complete parts kits quite regularly,....or at least I did up until recently. I've got probably another dozen parts sets so it doesn't matter to me what Smith may or may not have in the future. I've found complete kits on GB from $60-150 for both gen3 and gen2. Everything currently seems to start at $200 and go up from there and I'm not finding the DAO parts like I used to.

I didn't have the funds at the time to do anything. I just picked up a 5903 ( early production with adj sights) a few weeks back and had to put that 92F up to please the Mrs. I may be able to swing another 3rd gen late next year depending on what happens with the election.

I have a box of parts for 3rd gens, but nowhere near what you have. I do have a complete slide and lower parts for a 908 I believe. I just have some work to do to balance out my purchases of reloading supplies and 3rd gen parts for next year. I'm on the S&W Forum but it seems to be hit or miss on activity plus if I were to need a spare part for something would probably have a better chance of bartering here to get something back up and running.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

By chance would any of you gents have a right side safety lever for a 4506?

 

[01deuce]

If you call S&W for parts they will tell you they only have certain parts available.

If you call S&W and tell them your gun is broken, then they will send you a shipping label and fix it under warranty and every part is available.
I found this out when a side plate for a 1066 could not be found anywhere. My 1066 now has a new side plate!

 

[1775usmarine]

By chance would any of you gents have a right side safety lever for a 4506?

I do not and if you cant find one here have you looked at Numrich?

 

[oldpink]

By chance would any of you gents have a right side safety lever for a 4506?

As 01Deuce mentioned below your post, S&W keeps parts on hand for themselves to perform warranty repairs, so have you tried contacting them to see if you can send it in for them to replace it?
I know exactly what you're talking about, the lever that slides into a mortise in the safety that is retained by a spring-loaded plunger, and I realize that you would rather just buy a small part that you could replace yourself, but you have to look at it from S&W's angle that they have to perform repairs for the lifetime of these guns and must have a cache of parts to honor those warranties.
In the ideal world, we'd be able to just get whatever we want and have it arrive via UPS, but, alas, they discontinued the entire third generation line in the 1990s.

 

[LtScott14]

The 3rd Gen S&Ws were fine examples of a great product, long life keeper, and now, hard to find. I have to add that mine were here but now gone.
5906
3913
6904
4013

Sold or traded, missed for sure. Glocks took their place, but not in my personel history fully equal.

 

[1775usmarine]

Anybody local with a 3913 and the S&W factory grips? I've tried one set off fleabay for I think $18 bucks and they do not fit. I have another set coming I ordered from numrich and if it don't fit would like to see if my 3913 was made different being it was produced April 2000 well after civilian sales ended and LEO contracts continued. The first set rides too high pushing the mag release. I may have grips for a 6906 instead but don't have one anymore to test out.

 

[jpr]

I traded a G17 for my 5903. Had always wanted one and didn't like the feel of the Glock. Love my new gun and I am more accurate with it than any of my others. I will look for another in the 9mm line in the future.