Smith 3rd gen resurrection rumors

[MattyD380]

Saw this on the Smith forum:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/687941-gen-3-s-coming-back-2.html

Think it’s actually a possibility?

I’d love to see a new line of metal DA/SA autos from Smith. Whether they’re faithful copies of the originals or more “4th gens” with evolutionary changes… I’d probably buy one. Though my preference would honestly be for something closer to the latter. I think something like a 6906 with G10 grips, modern sights and less pokey levers would make a solid case for itself.

[Polecat]

Update the CS9, use a CSX mag, ameriglo sights and get rid of the shitty hogue grip, sit back and sell the xxxx out of them.

[MattyD380]

Update the CS9, use a CSX mag, ameriglo sights and get rid of the shitty hogue grip, sit back and sell the xxxx out of them.

Word. I’d buy one.

[HeavyDuty]

4506, 4576, 1006, 1076…

[willie]

The steel guns were heavy, a fact that might inhibit sales in today's market.

[Squib308]

5906 + Polymer frame + Decocker (no safety) = just take my money

[jlw]

The 3rd Gen S&Ws are more popular now than when they were when in production, and they are only popular as a niche interest now.

To produce them now, expect a hefty price tag.

[DrkBlue]

The steel guns were heavy, a fact that might inhibit sales in today's market.

Hell… The S&W 3rd Gen alloy guns were heavy.

I had a 4053 that pulled my pants down on the regular. Nearly 40 ounces IIRC.

A fully loaded Glock 23 was 25% less in weight, had three more rounds and shot way better for me.

The 3rd Gens belong in the past. RIP.

[45dotACP]

No optic readiness, no rail, heavy as heck and TDA?

Just isn't the way the world is headed friends.

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

[Lester Polfus]

The 3rd Gen S&Ws are more popular now than when they were when in production, and they are only popular as a niche interest now.

To produce them now, expect a hefty price tag.

I'm guessing SIG P210 money at least. My 4006 served me well during a particularly bad day at work, but if I had SIG P210 money, I'd buy something like a SIG P210.

[JTQ]

The steel guns were heavy, a fact that might inhibit sales in today's market.
I have a 4506, that I bought in the late 1980's. Every time I get the feeling my 1911 Government model is big and heavy, I pull out the 4506 and realize how sleek the 1911 is.

The 4506 is a nice gun, but I don't think I'd buy it today.

[Noah]

I highly doubt this, but I would also happily buy an updated alloy frame 4th gen Smith with am optic cut. Very happily.

[TDA]

I never tried to run a 4506 really fast, but the 5900 series was kind of the shit for a high capacity handgun you could be fast and accurate with. If you sent it back for the PC action tune, those guns left a lot of pistols in the dust.

[willie]

Hell… The S&W 3rd Gen alloy guns were heavy.

I had a 4053 that pulled my pants down on the regular. Nearly 40 ounces IIRC.

A fully loaded Glock 23 was 25% less in weight, had three more rounds and shot way better for me.

The 3rd Gens belong in the past. RIP.

A CZ da/sa should satisfy those wishing for a 3rd gen Smith. I regret trading off one of these but would not buy another even if cheap because Smith no longer supports them. Mine was an excellent specimen but nowhere as good as a CZ P-07 or PCR. My opinion.

[fatdog]

Think it’s actually a possibility?

No, not a chance, more likely I will grow antlers and wings and become a flying moose.

They might make metal frame M&P's similar to the Sig AXG, but they are not going to invest in building a new line to build gen 3 DA/SA guns in that new plant in TN and I believe they want to move as much production as they can there and get it going with the current product lines.

[Clusterfrack]

A CZ da/sa should satisfy those wishing for a 3rd gen Smith. I regret trading off one of these but would not buy another even if cheap because Smith no longer supports them. Mine was an excellent specimen but nowhere as good as a CZ P-07 or PCR. My opinion.

Yes. I don't miss my 1006 or 669 one bit. My only regret is that I didn't discover CZ before buying them. I'd still have those guns.

[Lester Polfus]

I never tried to run a 4506 really fast, but the 5900 series was kind of the shit for a high capacity handgun you could be fast and accurate with. If you sent it back for the PC action tune, those guns left a lot of pistols in the dust.

I really thought my agency's transition from the 5906 to the 4006 was a step backwards. The 4006 was just plain more fatiguing to shoot. My 4006 was accurate enough, but the 5906 was like shooting a laser beam.

[MattyD380]

I'm skeptical. I think it's probably just an empty rumor. Especially since Smith just released two other metal-framed guns in the last year.

Still...

Smith doesn't offer any DA/SA autos at the moment. Most of their competitors do.

I don't know how well their 1911s are selling. But it seems to me some kinda new 3rd gen would inhabit that same ~$1000 / premium niche that their 1911s currently occupy. If SA TRPs and Colt Series 70s are outselling Smith E-Series and Pro Series... maybe it makes sense to bring in another premium offering in that niche? Especially something that's more "native" to their brand?

They can't be oblivious to the fact that there's a decent amount of interest in these guns these days. And it seems like their competitors are having some success with nostalgia plays (Python, SA35, etc.) Sure, lots of gun buyers have no idea they exist. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't buy one if it looked cool and felt good.

If they did do something in this vein, I think they'd have to modernize/streamline it. Like, get rid of that doofy sideplate thing. Maybe change the weird barrel-camming setup with angular ledges in the frame.

I dunno... it's all probably much ado about nothing. But it's fun to think about. At least my 4506-1 will probably continue to hold its value.

Speaking of which...

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/620033fd78f5b0602e9defd6/2cef8075-2ffc-40c4-a8cf-1d276ec4faf3/image18-1.jpeg?format=1000w

[Lester Polfus]

I am skeptical but I don’t see it as unpossible as it was a few years ago.

Right now the market is saturated with polymer framed striker fired guns that are for all intents fungible. When people argue about Glock vs Smith M&P vs Hk vs Beretta plastic people poppers, they are usually arguing over gnats ass differences. The reality is you could throw an example from each manufacturer in a sack, pull one out at random and be well served for the rest of your life.

The gun industry exists by getting people who already own guns to buy more guns. Getting them to buy a new! Improved! Ploymer striker gun right now may be hard, so you can 1) offer a new chambering (I see you in the corner .30 Super Carry) or 2) a new platform that you are touting as the next big thing.

What will be interesting is if the gun media influencers start pushing the merits of metal framed hammer guns as the next tactical fashion. If striker guns become yesterday’s news, carried by clueless fudds, and metal hammer guns become the new gun hipster fashion, we could see a pivot.

If Smith DOES make a metal framed hammer gun, I am quite certain it won’t be a re-released 3rd Gen gun. It will be a design they can sell for $1000 or less.

[MattyD380]

Right now the market is saturated with polymer framed striker fired guns that are for all intents fungible. When people argue about Glock vs Smith M&P vs Hk vs Beretta plastic people poppers, they are usually arguing over gnats ass differences. The reality is you could throw an example from each manufacturer in a sack, pull one out at random and be well served for the rest of your life.

Great points.

I think you're seeing manufacturers test the waters, outside the polymer mainstream. Walther with the Q4. Sig with the AXG. And now Smith with the CSX and the metal M&P.

[MandoWookie]

No, not a chance, more likely I will grow antlers and wings and become a flying moose.

.

I recall similar sentiment about Colt bringing back the Python.

That is to say, they may bring out a DA/SA or SAO all steel frame gun that evokes the look of the 3rd Gen guns, but is in fact a whole new design that is easier to manufactur..

Like how the Python isn't really a ye olde Python, and FN bringing out the High Power that isn't a HI Power, or even the Sig P210s.

Probably not, but with the smattering of similar types of 'retro' guns currently out there, not impossible.

[WobblyPossum]

I’m sure they’ll sell every one they make, assuming this will be a limited run of a few hundred units. If it’s a normal release and they make tons of these, they’ll likely languish on the shelves until distributors blow them out at close out prices. I might buy one but I’m a gun enthusiast like everyone else on the forum. Normal people aren’t really buying a ton of metal framed TDA guns. Sig and Beretta recently culled sizable chunks of their DA/SA catalogs. There was a thread on the form recently about rumors that CZ was going to discontinue a bunch of guns too. While I absolutely love metal framed TDA guns, the average gun buyer doesn’t. They want a plastic framed striker fired gun. If S&W can price these in the general area of Beretta 92s and CZ 75 variants (the basic ones, not the competition guns), they might compete fairly well against those two guns. If they’re priced like 1911s, they won’t sell many.

[Gary1911A1]

If S&W farms out the parts to be made in a country like Turkey that makes 1911s' at a low price then I think it could be done. Parts made there and assembled in the USA. I know many on this forum wouldn't like this, but it would keep cost down.

[jlw]

I'm guessing SIG P210 money at least. My 4006 served me well during a particularly bad day at work, but if I had SIG P210 money, I'd buy something like a SIG P210.

I carried an issued 4006 for seven years. I grew accustomed to it and have a certain nostalgia for it, but now when I get it out, I put it right back up after a moment or two of handling it.

They didn't sell when they were $200 more than a Glock. Why are they going to sell when they are $500-600 more than a Glock?

[claymore504]

If S&W takes the time to update these models with features that people want right now I think they will sell fast. S&W is pretty good about pricing things right, they just better make sure they roll them out with very good QC and make a good first impression. If they can beat the higher prices of the Sig P22X series guns I think they will be on to something great.

[Poconnor]

I hope they make them plus a bunch of small parts for the old gen 3 guns. My 3913 needs a decocker kit.

[Hambo]

They didn't sell when they were $200 more than a Glock. Why are they going to sell when they are $500-600 more than a Glock?

They were popular when Glock wasn't on the approved list because they were cheaper than everything else. They worked if officers kept them lubed, but had a tendency to have parts breakages when shot a lot, whereas SIGs and Berettas did not. Whether it was accurate or not, all Gen S&W were seen as less reliable than other options.

FWIW I saw an LAPD shooting video recently, and the officer had an old school S&W.

[Trooper224]

I hope they don't. Most of you obviously aren't cool enough for the Hammer of Hepheastus.

95580

[OlongJohnson]

I've talked with Frank Glenn about doing action jobs on my 3953s. He said he's tried everything to get a lower DA press beyond just friction reduction (stock tests the limits of an 11-lb trigger pull gauge - a bit much for a compact) and as soon as you reduce spring force, ignition reliability goes away.

Beyond that, if you've detail stripped them and other guns, it's obvious why they wouldn't be made today. It's like they were designed by someone who could always figure out how to squeeze another lever or doohickey into the Rube Goldberg box. Just the frame machining is extremely complex and would be very expensive. A classic Sig, in comparison, is a few simple but also elegantly complex parts created by some Swiss watchmaking genius that do an elegant and beautiful ballet.

(I give H&Ks a pass on complexity because their complexity is modular, and the benefit of it is you can Mr. Potatohead your way to a full-on Goldilocks set of characteristics as far as manual of arms and trigger press unlike any other pistol I know of.)

If S&W does produce a metal-framed TDA, I hope it's far better and far more modern than the 3rd gens, without being fashionably stupid. But I'm not investing many fucks in it, particularly due to my nearly unlimited faith in S&W's ability to send scrap metal out the door and charge gun prices for it.

[jlw]

They were popular when Glock wasn't on the approved list because they were cheaper than everything else. They worked if officers kept them lubed, but had a tendency to have parts breakages when shot a lot, whereas SIGs and Berettas did not. Whether it was accurate or not, all Gen S&W were seen as less reliable than other options.

FWIW I saw an LAPD shooting video recently, and the officer had an old school S&W.

They weren't popular in this part of the country. I used to be the "only" guy with one at training. Every now and then one would see a Sig. Most agencies here went from wheelguns to Glocks.

[TCinVA]

I carried an issued 4006 for seven years. I grew accustomed to it and have a certain nostalgia for it, but now when I get it out, I put it right back up after a moment or two of handling it.

They didn't sell when they were $200 more than a Glock. Why are they going to sell when they are $500-600 more than a Glock?

Because people are bored with Glocks.

S&W had all the pieces necessary to make a double stack, single action 9mm pistol of the sort that's gaining popularity and traction now.

Something like the 945 but in a double stack 9mm version would probably do pretty well.

The 945 was a fucking sexy handgun.

Springfield is selling P-35s. Stac-A-Toes are selling. FN is selling a new updated High Power. It wouldn't surprise me to see Beretta releasing a single action 92 variant, so it wouldn't shock me to see S&W dig up a little late 3rd Gen Performance Center vibe and make something that bored people with disposable income will buy.

[Rex G]

Some few of the Third-Generation models were manufactured well into this century, so, the tooling may still exist, in decent condition. The internals of these S&W autos are amazingly complex, with many fiddly little parts, so, I doubt that it would be economically practicable to build actual reproductions/clones of the Third Generation pistols, if the tooling is no longer available.

I am the guy who missed my early-Nineties Model 3913 and 3953 so, after my 2018 retirement, started accumulating “replacements;” a 3913 TSW, a 908, a 3914 LS, and a 3913 NL, plus, searched the evil bay to source a whole upper unit for a 908s, plus some other spare parts. I also accumulated some Wolff springs. The panic-demic caused a postponement of live-fire vetting of these pistols, but whether they remain a “collection,” or start being carried on the streets, I am happy to have them. This will be especially true if I shift to left hand primary carry, because my “smarter” left hand does well with the DA/SA transition. (I write lefty, and throw right-handed. I chose to carry “primary” on my right side, ‘way back in 1983. Over time, my right hand has not aged as well as my left, so, things are subject to being changed.)

So, I am not in need of buying new S&W Third-Generation autos, especially on my reduced retiree’s budget, but wish S&W success, if they bring ‘em back.

Regarding ther all-metal construction, well, metal damps recoil, all else being equal. That can be a good thing.

[TCinVA]

I would also like to point out that the entire gun world changes its mind on everything every 15-20 years.

We're right on cue for the stuff that the cognoscenti laid down 20 years ago to be the heat now.

[Clusterfrack]

[QUOTE=OlongJohnson;1405194...Beyond that, if you've detail stripped them and other guns, it's obvious why they wouldn't be made today. It's like they were designed by someone who could always figure out how to squeeze another lever or doohickey into the Rube Goldberg box. Just the frame machining is extremely complex and would be very expensive. A classic Sig, in comparison, is a few simple but also elegantly complex parts created by some Swiss watchmaking genius that do an elegant and beautiful ballet.[/QUOTE]

Yes, exactly. It's almost like the people who called themselves engineers at S&W took a look at a Glock and decided to use exactly the opposite approach.

[jlw]

Because people are bored with Glocks.

S&W had all the pieces necessary to make a double stack, single action 9mm pistol of the sort that's gaining popularity and traction now.

Something like the 945 but in a double stack 9mm version would probably do pretty well.

The 945 was a fucking sexy handgun.

Springfield is selling P-35s. Stac-A-Toes are selling. FN is selling a new updated High Power. It wouldn't surprise me to see Beretta releasing a single action 92 variant, so it wouldn't shock me to see S&W dig up a little late 3rd Gen Performance Center vibe and make something that bored people with disposable income will buy.

I get the "bored with Glock" thing. I just don't get the notion that there will be a rush toward the 3rd Gen.

[MattyD380]

I get the "bored with Glock" thing. I just don't get the notion that there will be a rush toward the 3rd Gen.

I don't think it would have to be a 3rd gen, to whet the appetite for something different. But... for Smith & Wesson... it may make more sense. Whether they have the tooling they can fire up or find ways to improve / economize the design.

In a sense, the Lionheart guns are kinda like modernized 3rd gens: https://www.lionheartindustries.com/

Domestically produced, and they're able to offer them @ $1000

[Clusterfrack]

...the Lionheart guns are kinda like modernized 3rd gens: https://www.lionheartindustries.com/

Domestically produced, and they're able to offer them @ $1000

And just like S&W's they come complete with retarded design features like no magazine that properly fits (https://www.lionheartindustries.com/product/regulus-blackout-beta/) the compact Beta model (either extended or a 10-round with plastic spacer).

[ST911]

If S&W takes the time to update these models with features that people want right now I think they will sell fast.

Like what, for example? In my mind, if they did that they'd be of little resemblance to the original.

[MattyD380]

And just like S&W's they come complete with retarded design features like no magazine that properly fits (https://www.lionheartindustries.com/product/regulus-blackout-beta/) the compact Beta model (either extended or a 10-round with plastic spacer).

I agree. It's dumb they don't offer a 12-round, flush mag for the compact.

But Smith 69XX 12-rounders will run in these. I've used the Smith mags in my Daewoo compact.

[Clusterfrack]

I agree. It's dumb they don't offer a 12-round, flush mag for the compact.

But Smith 69XX 12-rounders will run in these. I've used the Smith mags in my Daewoo compact.

That’s good. I’m feeling like a curmudgeon with all these negative comments. I am a huge fan of TDAs, but get enraged by crap engineering. When there’s an obvious example like this, I can’t help wondering what else is wrong.

[MattyD380]

Like what, for example? In my mind, if they did that they'd be of little resemblance to the original.

I think some better grips than the one-piece wraparounds would be a nice start. G10s. Wood. Something.

Some modern hi-vis sights.

Sort sort of melonite-ish finish.

More nicely crowned / finished barrels. The barrel crowns on 3rd gens often seemed a little rough.

Lower-profile levers / decock only

[MattyD380]

That’s good. I’m feeling like a curmudgeon with all these negative comments. I am a huge fan of TDAs, but get enraged by crap engineering. When there’s an obvious example like this, I can’t help wondering what else is wrong.

Yeah, it seems like they're a bit lazy. The original mag design for the compact Daewoo/K5 was a 10-rounder. So, they're just passing that through; and 10 rounds is compatible with all states. And I will say the Smith 12-rounders do swell a bit when full... and you get some "snuggness" in the magwell. But they work fine.

[LockedBreech]

The issue that remade retro guns always seem to run into is that there just isn't a big enough market for how expensive they are to produce in limited runs, even for people that want them.

A good example is the Sig P225A1. I actually really wanted one. I thought they looked beautiful and would be fun to have. But then they were $750-1000 everywhere and I gave up on it. $750-1000 money, which is what I imagine a Gen 3 revival would run for to make it economically sensible, is hard to spend. It's an optic-equipped Gen 5 Glock, a pretty decent 1911 or a tricked out Beretta 92.

I would probably love a new-production 5906 or 4506 with some checkered wood grips. If money wasn't an object, I'd get on that all day long. Unfortunately, in 2022 money is very much an object for most folks and I can't see the line making money for Smith.

The Beretta 92 and Hi-Power revivals show it's possible, just quite difficult. If Smith goes for it, I wish them the best of luck and hope to be able to scrape together the cash to buy one.

[Navin Johnson]

If they’re Alou minium probably be in the price range of a Sig P series

A line of lighter polymer TDA guns might be some thing

Hopefully with a magazine disconnect safety and plenty of warnings stamped into the gun to read the owners manual and which end the projectile comes out.

It is time for the industry to do something else as mentioned above because strikers are probably boring now and they are all fairly homogeneous

Right now it seems to be a race on who can make the lightest trigger on the striker gun that doesn’t go off unexpectedly like a 14-year-old looking at his first porn. YMMV

[Clusterfrack]

Yeah, it seems like they're a bit lazy. The original mag design for the compact Daewoo/K5 was a 10-rounder. So, they're just passing that through; and 10 rounds is compatible with all states. And I will say the Smith 12-rounders do swell a bit when full... and you get some "snuggness" in the magwell. But they work fine.

Ugggg. I need to stop looking at this thread.

[Hambo]

I've talked with Frank Glenn about doing action jobs on my 3953s. He said he's tried everything to get a lower DA press beyond just friction reduction (stock tests the limits of an 11-lb trigger pull gauge - a bit much for a compact) and as soon as you reduce spring force, ignition reliability goes away.

Beyond that, if you've detail stripped them and other guns, it's obvious why they wouldn't be made today. It's like they were designed by someone who could always figure out how to squeeze another lever or doohickey into the Rube Goldberg box. Just the frame machining is extremely complex and would be very expensive. A classic Sig, in comparison, is a few simple but also elegantly complex parts created by some Swiss watchmaking genius that do an elegant and beautiful ballet.


They aren't as bad a P7, but they're a runner up.

[OlongJohnson]

Yes, exactly. It's almost like the people who called themselves engineers at S&W took a look at a Glock and decided to use exactly the opposite approach.

Except when they basically ripped off the Glock and had to cease and desist.

One thing I didn't say in my previous post is that the SD9 is actually a great design. I think it even has strengths vs. the Glock. Very similar (but not too similar), yet better in some ways, without even pointing out that its grip angle is like all the other guns that aren't Glocks. If they manufactured it worth half a heck, I'd still have mine and recommend it to other people.

The three generations of TDA were old-school engineering from the bad old days. It's more accurate to say that Glock took a look at them and decided to use exactly the opposite approach. They were fragile, with little parts that required replacement early and often. They required a staff of armorers who would be called gunsmiths today to keep a fleet of them running, just like the wheelies, and there have been posts here by people whose departments used them that they often cracked frames around 35k rounds.

[Hambo]

They weren't popular in this part of the country. I used to be the "only" guy with one at training. Every now and then one would see a Sig. Most agencies here went from wheelguns to Glocks.

IDK why, but Glock couldn't get in the door in my area. Haters in power, too dangerous :rolleyes:, BGs used them in Die Hard 2..quien sabe? Eventually Glock won it all, but it took a long time.

[TCinVA]

They required a staff of armorers who would be called gunsmiths today to keep a fleet of them running, just like the wheelies, and there have been posts here by people whose departments used them that they often cracked frames around 35k rounds.

The aluminum framed guns could certainly have that happen, especially if recoil springs weren't switched out like they need to be. Peening of the locking surfaces on the barrel and frame were a concern. If I see a used 3rd gen S&W, that's one of the first things I look at.

The steel framed guns, on the other hand, were tanks. They could absorb six figure round counts and keep going.

[OlongJohnson]

In spite of it all, there's a part of me that wishes I'd been clued in enough to pick up a pair of those 4586s Bud's was blowing out for $276 back in 2014.

[RevolverRob]

Not really interested in a new 3rd Gen.

No, now that I've said that I am wrong.

I would be VERY interested in decock only models that were optics ready and threaded. Maybe a modern variant of the MK22 Hush Puppy. And a decock only variant of the CS9 that calls out to the ASP - clear grip panels and all.

Those things would interest me, purely from the perspective of getting close enough to my "wants" without blowing huge amounts of cash.

Kind of like how a 2.5" Model 69 would scratch a Jovino itch or a new 3" Python solves my desire for an old 3" Python.

[Screwball]

I would be down for new 10mm magazines… if they did them right (no black MIM parts), maybe something like a 1066 that I could convert to decock only like my 1006.

Make them “different” so magazines/parts don’t work… [emoji107]

[OlongJohnson]

I would be down for new 10mm magazines… if they did them right (no black MIM parts), maybe something like a 1066 that I could convert to decock only like my 1006.

Make them “different” so magazines/parts don’t work… [emoji107]

Sig has made the P220 long-slide 10mm guns in DA as well as SAO.

As for MIM on 3rd gens, the chrome action parts only looked good on the outside. Inside the gun where you couldn't see them (including on surfaces that mattered), they were horrific. Far and away the best 3rd gen trigger press I've ever felt was a late (2014-ish) all steel Houlton gun with MIM everything. Bass Pro wanted way too much for it.

[Screwball]

Sig has made the P220 long-slide 10mm guns in DA as well as SAO.

As for MIM on 3rd gens, the chrome action parts only looked good on the outside. Inside the gun where you couldn't see them (including on surfaces that mattered), they were horrific. Far and away the best 3rd gen trigger press I've ever felt was a late (2014-ish) all steel Houlton gun with MIM everything. Bass Pro wanted way too much for it.

Have two SIGs… P228 and P938. Not paying the money for their guns. Sorry, zero interest.

I probably should get a Houlton gun… since I live there, but with the workforce in the area, I’m really not that interested. My neighbor works at S&W. Same neighbor that I had to put out a tea party (antifreeze) for the rats he attracted due to the garbage in the front yard.

Personally, zero issues with the old parts. My 1006 works perfectly.

https://i.imgur.com/yH0IhCw.jpg

Sorry, but if I’m going 3rd Generation… it’s going to look similar to the above.

[Wonder9]

95627

I'm just going to leave this here.

[Trooper224]

95627

I'm just going to leave this here.

I'd like to have one of these, just for reasons.

[Trooper224]

Have two SIGs… P228 and P938. Not paying the money for their guns. Sorry, zero interest.

I probably should get a Houlton gun… since I live there, but with the workforce in the area, I’m really not that interested. My neighbor works at S&W. Same neighbor that I had to put out a tea party (antifreeze) for the rats he attracted due to the garbage in the front yard.

Personally, zero issues with the old parts. My 1006 works perfectly.

https://i.imgur.com/yH0IhCw.jpg

Sorry, but if I’m going 3rd Generation… it’s going to look similar to the above.

You have one of the few things I'd call a grail.

[HeavyDuty]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

[Brian T]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

Nah, you dont. I promise. That decocker will fall apart if it thinks you looked at it the wrong way.

[JSGlock34]

Lucky Gunner had a pretty good article on the S&W autos, complete with this awesome chart. I had good experience with my 5903...3rd Generation introduced many improvements, such as Novak sights, to the lineup.

Lucky Gunner: Guide to Smith & Wesson Semi-Auto Pistols & Their Model Numbers (http://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/guide-smith-wesson-semi-automatic-models/)

http://loungecdn.luckygunner.com/lounge/media/SW-semi-model-chart-1.jpg

[JSGlock34]

Fantasy wish list if they do any kind of resurrection

Fantasy wish list you say?

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/--vkbc2Lgyo/maxresdefault.jpg

[Cecil Burch]

Fantasy wish list if they do any kind of resurrection


5946

CS9 in DAO

1086 to satisfy my inner gun nerd

All three would have me jumping for joy, but I’d gladly take any one of them.

They could easily do what Colt did with the new Cobra family guns and update the internals a bit to meet current manufacturing needs and still retain the essence of the third gen guns. The only thing that would truly kill it would be NOT making the magazines the same.

[HCM]

The only thing that would truly kill it would be NOT making the magazines the same.

Yup. Exhibit 1 being the recent FN High Power reboot that doesn’t take HP mags. Fail.

[Trooper224]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

Those Decockers are one of the true abominations in the 3rd Gen series. Leave it to the FBI......

[HCM]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

If you want a P220 buy a P220. If you want a 4566, buy a 4566.

The S&W frame decocker guns were poorly conceived and executed.

FaceTime uncommon guns are uncommon for a reason. That reason they are s**t.

[Catshooter]

If you want a P220 buy a P220. If you want a 4566, buy a 4566.



FaceTime uncommon guns are uncommon for a reason. That reason they are s**t.

Absolutely true. Sometimes.

The Smith Shorty .45 was very uncommon, but the last thing they were was shit. They were a totally awesome pistol, with everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. Dead reliable, would feed empties (or anything else) from anywhere in the mag. Most accurate pistol I ever fired, shot the smallest group ever for me. The entire group would completely hide behind a US quarter.

Pissed me something fierce when Smith stopped supporting them.

[Lost River]

I love the 4506.

Especially the decocker version that I have. It is a stellar, shooting machine.


https://i.imgur.com/kjqpnCMl.jpg




That said, there is one 3rd Gen that truly rules them all.

The Performance Center 4563 CQB.

https://i.imgur.com/YDAYKfDl.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/Kkwa7GQl.jpg?1

A great DA trigger, and a single action trigger that is pretty dang close to a 1911.

This is one truly amazing gun.

If I could keep only two .45s, I would keep my Les Baer 1911, and the 4563.


This really is the gun they need to re-introduce if they could build it to the same standards that this one is built to. It is a hand built tack driving freaking gem. From what I understand though, these are extremely uncommon.

[MattyD380]

I agree. Cool-factor and nostalgia aside… the 4506-1 is one hell of a nice-shooting gun.

95682

I’ve found I prefer it to a P220. I’ve also found it really does feed empty cases.

My 5906 and 6904 are no slouches either.

As for my personal “3rd gen fantasy”…

69XX with G10 grips, melonite finish, Ameriglo orange front dot w/ tritium insert. Also give it a match-grade barrel and ultra low-profile levers.

Would go for a 59XX with that same setup, too.

[HCM]

I agree. Cool-factor and nostalgia aside… the 4506-1 is one hell of a nice-shooting gun.

95682

I’ve found I prefer it to a P220. I’ve also found it really does feed empty cases.

My 5906 and 6904 are no slouches either.

As for my personal “3rd gen fantasy”…

69XX with G10 grips, melonite finish, Ameriglo orange front dot w/ tritium insert. Also give it a match-grade barrel and ultra low-profile levers.

Would go for a 59XX with that same setup, too.

I can understand preference for shooting a 4506 vs a P220 but which would you prefer to carry 12 or 16 hours a day ?

[Trooper224]

I can understand preference for shooting a 4506 vs a P220 but which would you prefer to carry 12 or 16 hours a day ?


I happen to have done both. A P220 was my first duty weapon when I went to work for the state, and I've carried a 4506/4566 type weapon extensively as a personal choice. I'd choose the S&W choice six days a week and twice on Sunday. I've carried that P220 for two days straight on a rural manhunt, and I've carried the 4566 for two weeks straight in the summer, in Florida and the 4506 on a daily basis. I choose the 4500 series pistol.

I apologize for any grammatical errors. I'm having guy time with my sons and I'm quite in my cups as I type this. Still, I find the 4500 series pistols to be rock solid choices that I continue to bet my life on. If ones balls aren't big enough.......... I jest, I jest. That's the two bottles of Gold Schlager talking. Oh, fuck it. You're a pussy if you don't acknowledge the greatness of the 4500 series and I can't help you. I jest, but do I.......:)

[Hambo]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

As others have said, you don't. The decocker is a flimsy POS, and IIRC it caused some serious problems in FBI guns. I don't believe S&W would have put it in commercially available pistols except that they were building oddball models in every possible configuration at the time.

[HCM]

I happen to have done both. A P220 was my first duty weapon when I went to work for the state, and I've carried a 4506/4566 type weapon extensively as a personal choice. I'd choose the S&W choice six days a week and twice on Sunday. I've carried that P220 for two days straight on a rural manhunt, and I've carried the 4566 for two weeks straight in the summer, in Florida and the 4506 on a daily basis. I choose the 4500 series pistol.

I apologize for any grammatical errors. I'm having guy time with my sons and I'm quite in my cups as I type this. Still, I find the 4500 series pistols to be rock solid choices that I continue to bet my life on. If ones balls aren't big enough.......... I jest, I jest. That's the two bottles of Gold Schlager talking. Oh, fuck it. You're a pussy if you don't acknowledge the greatness of the 4500 series and I can't help you. I jest, but do I.......:)

So they’re guns for drunks ?

I used to work at a place that issued 5906s. They were nice to shoot but they’re bricks and many chose not to carry them. At one point I had both a 645 and a P220. The 220 stayed and was carried on duty for a while. I’ve had another 645 and a 4506 since, mostly because of Miami Vice but both went down the road. If I had to carry a stainless 3rd Gen S&W .45 it would be a 4566 but they’re still bricks.

S&W made a gun (the 4563 mentioned up thread) that could have addressed the issue and been more viable but in typical S&W fashion they were never made widely available. Like Colt, S&W is its own worst enemy.

[Hambo]

Like Colt, S&W is its own worst enemy.

They made some really cool pistols in their gun of the week era, but they failed to introduce any as standards. The 5943 SSV was like an aluminum framed G45 with a good DAO trigger. There was a .45 DAO that was similar, but I only saw one and can't recall the model number.

[JSGlock34]

They made some really cool pistols in their gun of the week era, but they failed to introduce any as standards. The 5943 SSV was like an aluminum framed G45 with a good DAO trigger. There was a .45 DAO that was similar, but I only saw one and can't recall the model number.

There were definitely some odd/cool variants. They even produced some single action 5" 5906 guns (still using the slide mounted safety, which is a head scratcher) for competition use. Some of these are called the 'Super 9s'.

http://www.skjos.net/sw/super9/Super9FlierWeb.jpg

[Lost River]

The steel guns were heavy, a fact that might inhibit sales in today's market.


I have a 4506, that I bought in the late 1980's. Every time I get the feeling my 1911 Government model is big and heavy, I pull out the 4506 and realize how sleek the 1911 is.

The 4506 is a nice gun, but I don't think I'd buy it today.



https://i.imgur.com/EjhclKFl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CRAmNgyl.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/zU41u8Dl.jpg


The 4506 actually weighs LESS than a 1911.

That has been one of those things that gets repeated so much that it sticks in people's mind so much they believe it. Like in the old days my grandfather's WWII generation would tell stories of how a hit from a .45 could blow an enemy's limb clean off. The old 4506 is a tank and the 1911 weighs less is one of those frequently repeated things that is actually not really accurate.

They feel different in the hand, and I agree that the 1911 does feel more sleek. Balance of the two guns is slightly different. I agree with both Willie and JTQ as far as what they posted. People may not be interested today in the 4506, but good marketing could overcome that.

What I have noticed is that it makes a significant difference switching from the big, softer, more round butt style Hogue grips, to the thinner, hard plastic grips. The thin grips really change the way the 4506 feels in the hand.

And she does weigh a little less. The scale does not lie. :)

[Gary1911A1]

Oh, my.

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/952698629

Do not need, do not need…

Wow! I have always wanted one of these. Only ever saw one in my life and another guy was buying it as I came into the store.

[Lost River]

Another cool gun.

the 4563 TSW

4 &1/4" barrel on the TSW

4" barrel on the black CQB.

I never noticed this for a while until I put them side by side.

https://i.imgur.com/BKJQ1Gml.jpg?1


https://i.imgur.com/b21zSLZl.jpg?1

[JSGlock34]

The steel guns were heavy, a fact that might inhibit sales in today's market.

Dunno - it seems in some places (predominately competition circles) there's a trend towards heavier guns. Would S&W aim for a heavy steel gun to compete with the likes of CZ and Beretta for competition shooters?

[fatdog]

Another cool gun.

the 4563 TSW

https://i.imgur.com/b21zSLZl.jpg?1

better without the rail...:cool: mine was converted to decock only. if they made this gun again, I would probably buy another

95714

[MattyD380]

That’s really surprising the 4506-1 weighs less than a 1911. I could see the no dash 4506 weighing less… but the -1 has a thickened slide and frame. Maybe the one-piece grip saves some weight? Maybe there’s more hollow spaces inside?

Also…

I’m in New York this week—I’m 99% sure I’ve seen 59XXs in NYPD holsters. I also remember seeing some 59XXs being carried by cops in Canada, in 2018.

Maybe more 3rd gens are still in service than we think? Maybe Smith decided they need to make parts... and, while they're at it... capture some market share on the consumer side?

If that's the rationale... maybe these things would actually be closer-in to the original formula vs. a redesign.

[WobblyPossum]

That’s really surprising the 4506-1 weighs less than a 1911. I could see the no dash 4506 weighing less… but the -1 has a thickened slide and frame. Maybe the one-piece grip saves some weight? Maybe there’s more hollow spaces inside?

Also…

I’m in New York this week—I’m 99% sure I’ve seen 59XXs in NYPD holsters. I also remember seeing some 59XXs being carried by cops in Canada, in 2018.

Maybe more 3rd gens are still in service than we think? Maybe Smith decided they need to make parts... and, while they're at it... capture some market share on the consumer side?

If that's the rationale... maybe these things would actually be closer-in to the original formula vs. a redesign.

The NYPD officers who were already carrying 5946s are still carrying them and aren't required to give them up, but there aren't any new ones. The 5946 is no longer an option for new recruits at the academy and I don't think it has been an option for a few years now.

[DrkBlue]

I’m in New York this week—I’m 99% sure I’ve seen 59XXs in NYPD holsters. I also remember seeing some 59XXs being carried by cops in Canada, in 2018.

Maybe more 3rd gens are still in service than we think they are? Maybe Smith decided they need to make parts... and, while they're at it... capture some market share on the consumer side?

If that's the rationale... maybe these things would actually be closer-in to the original formula vs. a redesign.

The last 3rd Gen I saw on the hip was about four years ago at Chicago OHare. There was a very grizzled 50-something Narc with a Chicago Police Star and compact 3rd Gen on his hip. He was flanked by two CPD Airport Division officers. My assumption was they were meeting an extradition case.

The plainclothes detective looked like he could chew wire and spit out nails. He had a shiteating grin on his face, so whoever they were waiting for was going to have a bad day.

There are lot fewer CPD officers in the O’Hare terminals these days. The numbers seemed to begin declining about 2015 but in all my post-COVID flights, I have yet to see any CPD officers in the terminal. I do see the unarmed Dept. Of Aviation police, but no obvious armed officers. I don’t care for that trend and speculate that the chronic Chicago staffing issues have hollowed out the CPD airport officers.

I recently had a number of flights in and out of John Wayne/SNA in Orange County, CA. Lots of County Deputies there and appeared well prepared.

[gato naranja]

The aluminum framed guns could certainly have that happen, especially if recoil springs weren't switched out like they need to be. Peening of the locking surfaces on the barrel and frame were a concern. If I see a used 3rd gen S&W, that's one of the first things I look at.

The steel framed guns, on the other hand, were tanks. They could absorb six figure round counts and keep going.

My 3913 beat itself into senility so fast that the experience soured me on alloy frames for a decade, and the 908 I bought as an understudy quickly got traded off for something unmemorable.

This was a shame, as I really liked that 3913.

[dogcaller]

Beyond that, if you've detail stripped them and other guns, it's obvious why they wouldn't be made today. It's like they were designed by someone who could always figure out how to squeeze another lever or doohickey into the Rube Goldberg box. Just the frame machining is extremely complex and would be very expensive. A classic Sig, in comparison, is a few simple but also elegantly complex parts created by some Swiss watchmaking genius that do an elegant and beautiful ballet.



Really well said.

[HCM]

The NYPD officers who were already carrying 5946s are still carrying them and aren't required to give them up, but there aren't any new ones. The 5946 is no longer an option for new recruits at the academy and I don't think it has been an option for a few years now.

Correct.

The 5946s were among the last 3rd Gen guns still made /supported by S&W due to contractual obligations with NYPD and RCMP.

Unlike RCMP, NYPD officers get a choice of three duty guns. The 5946 was the second most popular between the G19 and the P226 DAO. Going forward the 5946 was replaced as option 3 for new officers by Glock 17s with 15 round magazines because when you have 40,000 people with minimal training and you have to qualify 1000 people a week telling people to put 15 rounds in 17 round mags and expecting compliance is a non starter.

This is an agency which had people carrying grandfathered revolvers as primary duty guns till 2018 so the existing pool of 5946 will be around for a while and slowly thin via attrition.

[HCM]

I’m in New York this week—I’m 99% sure I’ve seen 59XXs in NYPD holsters. I also remember seeing some 59XXs being carried by cops in Canada, in 2018.

Maybe more 3rd gens are still in service than we think? Maybe Smith decided they need to make parts... and, while they're at it... capture some market share on the consumer side?


No.

It took years for S&W to kill off the 3rd Gen guns. They were so intent on it they were doing straight swaps for M&Ps. The last 3 users of any size were the West Virginia State police with 4566 variant, NYPD (as detailed above) and RCMP, both with the 5946.

WVSP and NYPD have moved on. Not sure how many guns and parts RCMP has stockpiled but sooner or later they will have to move on too.

[Mas]

The return of the Gen 3 S&W is (or was) devoutly to be wished. I always liked them. My department adopted the 4506 in 1988 when they came out. I committed to the platform and for years carried the 4506 on duty, a Bob Houzenga-tuned 4506 off duty in winter, a Rick Devoid-tuned 4013 in spring and fall, and a Karl Sokol-slicked 3913 in summer. My older daughter now has the latter as her primary carry gun. I won an adjustable sight 4506 at ASLET one year and Wayne Novak gave it a Model 52 trigger conversion, SAO, that I used in matches.

Been away from them for a while, though.

And, as a result of this thread, I touched bases with Smith & Wesson on the matter.

They say it ain't happening.

Apologies for the buzzkill.

[MattyD380]

The return of the Gen 3 S&W is (or was) devoutly to be wished. I always liked them. My department adopted the 4506 in 1988 when they came out. I committed to the platform and for years carried the 4506 on duty, a Bob Houzenga-tuned 4506 off duty in winter, a Rick Devoid-tuned 4013 in spring and fall, and a Karl Sokol-slicked 3913 in summer. My older daughter now has the latter as her primary carry gun. I won an adjustable sight 4506 at ASLET one year and Wayne Novak gave it a Model 52 trigger conversion, SAO, that I used in matches.

Been away from them for a while, though.

And, as a result of this thread, I touched bases with Smith & Wesson on the matter.

They say it ain't happening.

Apologies for the buzzkill.

Thanks for looking into it, Mas. It’s nice to get a definitive answer. Not the answer we hoped for… but in no way surprising. I figured it was probably hearsay, but, it made for a fun discussion. And it’s interesting to see that the prospect of a resurrection did pique some interest—enough to keep this thread going for 9 pages, anyway.

To me, the 3rd gens have a certain “utilitarian charisma” that’s unlike anything else. And I happen to like the way they shoot. Especially my 4506.

Which I now know is lighter than a 1911… thanks to this thread.

[ssc45]

I had a few. I carried a 469 for a year. I was never impressed with them and the slide mounted safety. I shot with some CHP guys when they had them. They constantly had reliability issues. My cousin was issued a 3rd gen. He and fellow parole officers had issues. Can’t remember which model. For me, they are a hard pass.

Cheers, Steve

[Vista461]

I had a 5906 and 4003 and I’m mad at myself for selling them a number of years ago to get other guns.

[revchuck38]

King's (https://www.kingsfirearmsonline.com/products/smith-wesson-528-96ef0903-bd87-424a-9870-6bfb76914823) has a bunch. Just FYI.

[RAM Engineer]

Doesn’t that South Korean company still make guns based on the Daewoo, based on the S&Ws?

[Mark D]

I know this is heresy, but my 3919 was a massive disappointment. For me, it had shitty ergos, crappy aftermarket support, a low payload, and a poor relationship between POA/POI (consistently printed high, IIRC).

I've always admired the asthetics of the guns, and at classes I've seen CHP guys do good work with their issued 3rd gens (4006?), but pistol design and manufacturing has moved on.

[MattyD380]

Doesn’t that South Korean company still make guns based on the Daewoo, based on the S&Ws?

Yup. Lionheart does. They're all US-Made, now: https://www.lionheartindustries.com

I have the OG Daewoo compact. Basically a 6904 with a DA+ trigger and a slightly better fit & finish. It's a very nice little pistol.

97112

[MattyD380]

I know this is heresy, but my 3919 was a massive disappointment. For me, it had shitty ergos, crappy aftermarket support, a low payload, and a poor relationship between POA/POI (consistently printed high, IIRC).

I've always admired the asthetics of the guns, and at classes I've seen CHP guys do good work with their issued 3rd gens (4006?), but pistol design and manufacturing has moved on.

Honestly, I love 3rd gens... but I agree with you. I had a 3913TSW... it was hard to hit POA. Yet, for some reason, the double-stack 69XX guns always shot very well for me.

[Hemiram]

All three of my 3rd gens shoot great, especially the 6906. I kick myself for not jumping on the fully hammered one a LGS had a few years back. I had the $$$, but passed on it. I ended up with a near new bobbed hammer 6906 that is fine about a year later, but when you see one on GB with a full hammer, it's crazy money time now, unless it's a mess. Mine has just the slightest scratch on the frame, not anywhere it's easily seen unless you flip the gun upside down. My 4506 is not quite as nice as the 6906 or 5906, but it's close, and I got a surprise as it came with still glowing night sites on it. No mention of it in the auction listing. The only problem I have ever had with a 3rd gen gun is my long gone 4006TSW's decocker screw disappeared at the range one day. I was lucky to find another one in a box of screws a friend's dad had. Oh, and the mags that came with my 4506 had followers that were really in bad shape. I found those on Ebay for about 5 for $5. I still have one left, someplace.

[DanTheWolfman]

I know Mas said he reached out but...

A modern 6906 hopefully w/ decock only option could sell well. MacGar makes 17rder 5906 series mags so that wouldn't hurt. Smith could do 12/15/17 rd mags included which is something nice similar they are doinq w THE EQUALIZER ... could maybe be designed to use same equalizer barrels

Or a modernized Hicap THINNER CS9...w mag compatibility to...shield plus/equalizer maybe? A Spiritual Modern CS9 would be nice...would much rather have like a 3.3" to 3" barrel myself though..perhaps they'd use same 3.1" shield barrels to cut cost.

Anyone have interest in an early 4513 6-rd TSW?
I think an 8 rd grip aluminum frame but 4513 3.75" .45 could sell well with the older market that would have the money to buy such a thing. There really isn't a lot of great carry .45's that are just barely light enough to carry & have a barrel long enough to get reliable JHP expansion AND offer 8+1.

I don't know if a modern rds ready heavy as heck 5906 could gain traction for comps over CZ's and such...though the short reset 9 on a heavy as heck pistol with flat rds tracking would offer some benefits.

Whomemever had the CQB very nice.

A cqb and a Shorty45 recently went on GB

Since .40 is out of favor if I can ever grab a shortyfourty at a steal will try to

[revchuck38]

Puerto Rican LE trade-ins, here. (https://www.classicfirearms.com/smith-and-wesson-5906-good-hg1806g/)

ETA: I got one, a belated Christmas present for myself.

[Polecat]

Don’t just resurrect them, better them! Use a 1.5 stack concept, slim em down, make em lighter, optic cuts, ameriglo hack sights, improved textures. Heck, just be that guy, the one to make a DA/SA compact, sub, AND micro carry, Aluminum or polymer I don’t care which.

[Basher]

Puerto Rican LE trade-ins, here. (https://www.classicfirearms.com/smith-and-wesson-5906-good-hg1806g/)

ETA: I got one, a belated Christmas present for myself.

OOS, those didn’t last long… :(

[Joe in PNG]

Yup. Lionheart does. They're all US-Made, now: https://www.lionheartindustries.com

I have the OG Daewoo compact. Basically a 6904 with a DA+ trigger and a slightly better fit & finish. It's a very nice little pistol.

97112

And the perfect backup for a K2 on rooftop overwatch.

[Navyguns]

I picked this up recently in a trade. I’ve wanted one since I first saw it in the Demolition Man being used by Simon Phoenix. It might have had 100 rounds through it and doesn’t have a scratch. The model 3913 Ladysmith debuted in 1990. The dramatic upswept dust cover gives it a clean, elegant look. One of the more attractive handguns from the 1990’s.

99200

[HeavyDuty]

I picked this up recently in a trade. I’ve wanted one since I first saw it in the Demolition Man being used by Simon Phoenix. It might have had 100 rounds through it and doesn’t have a scratch. The model 3913 Ladysmith debuted in 1990. The dramatic upswept dust cover gives it a clean, elegant look. One of the more attractive handguns from the 1990’s.

99200

This breaks my heart.

Somehow I ended up in a minor correspondence and phone relationship with Steve Melvin, S&W’s CEO around this time. He and I used to write, fax and call every week or two for a few years. I wasn’t an insider in any definition of the term, but he seemed to like getting the pulse of everyday shooters and gun store workers.

One of the things I was lobbying hard to get them to make was a non LadySmith version of the 3913. Problem is, when they were finally released I didn’t have enough money to get one! Some day I’ll find a clean 3913 or 3914 NL and complete the circle.

[Navyguns]

This breaks my heart.

Somehow I ended up in a minor correspondence and phone relationship with Steve Melvin, S&W’s CEO around this time. He and I used to write, fax and call every week or two for a few years. I wasn’t an insider in any definition of the term, but he seemed to like getting the pulse of everyday shooters and gun store workers.

One of the things I was lobbying hard to get them to make was a non LadySmith version of the 3913. Problem is, when they were finally released I didn’t have enough money to get one! Some day I’ll find a clean 3913 or 3914 NL and complete the circle.


I believe there is a market for a metal single stack in 9, 40/357Sig, 45 akin to the 3913, P239, P245 families of pistols. The Shield 45 is a good pistol especially the performance center version. I wouldn’t even mind a single stack M&P metal in .45 ACP similar in size to their M&P 45 compact 1.0.

[Stephanie B]

Puerto Rican LE trade-ins, here. (https://www.classicfirearms.com/smith-and-wesson-5906-good-hg1806g/)

Out of stock.

[Stephanie B]

Yup. Lionheart does. They're all US-Made, now: https://www.lionheartindustries.com

I have the OG Daewoo compact. Basically a 6904 with a DA+ trigger and a slightly better fit & finish. It's a very nice little pistol.

97112

Are the compacts compatible with S&W 6900-series magazines?

[MattyD380]

Are the compacts compatible with S&W 6900-series magazines?

Yes. With one caveat...

If you load to 12, the sides of the mag swell a bit and the fit gets pretty snug. They still fit and function at 12 rounds--they just don't slide in as easily. I always wondered why the compact Lionheart/Daewoo mags were limited to 10. Apparently that's why.

[MattyD380]

Puerto Rican LE trade-ins, here. (https://www.classicfirearms.com/smith-and-wesson-5906-good-hg1806g/)

ETA: I got one, a belated Christmas present for myself.

Damn. $269. I already have one. But that price, I may have bitten. The pic shows the adjustable sights, too. Which is the only way to go if you want the Mulder/Scully look.

I'm actually glad they're gone. That would have been torture :)

[Stephanie B]

Are the compacts compatible with S&W 6900-series magazines?


Yes. With one caveat...

If you load to 12, the sides of the mag swell a bit and the fit gets pretty snug. They still fit and function at 12 rounds--they just don't slide in as easily. I always wondered why the compact Lionheart/Daewoo mags were limited to 10. Apparently that's why.

Well, I'm in a ban state and my magazines are all 10-round ones, anyway. So, if I ever find a compact Daewoo/Lionheart....

[revchuck38]

Damn. $269. I already have one. But that price, I may have bitten. The pic shows the adjustable sights, too. Which is the only way to go if you want the Mulder/Scully look.

I'm actually glad they're gone. That would have been torture :)

I was originally going to pass, but I've never had a 3rd generation S&W auto and wanted to have one just because. I've got parts to rebuild the magazine and a recoil spring in a wish list on Midway's site, I'll order them when the gun gets here. Mec-Gar magazines are widely available so I might get a few of them. I might get a holster, I'm not sure I'll ever carry it.

[MattyD380]

Well, I'm in a ban state and my magazines are all 10-round ones, anyway. So, if I ever find a compact Daewoo/Lionheart....

Gotcha.

There are quite a few full-size DP51s for sale on GB at the moment: https://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Pistols/search?Keywords=daewoo&Sort=13&PageSize=24

No compacts, though. But I'm 99% the full-size guns would accept neutered 5906 10-rounders.

Or you can spring for a brand new Regulus Compact:

https://www.lionheartindustries.com/product/regulus-blackout-beta/

Also, I got an email from Lionheart which says they're introducing a new pistol at Shot Show called the "Vulcan 9." Kinda curious to see what that is. I get the sense it's probably just a spiffed up (or down?) version of what they're already making, with the Regulus.

[Stephanie B]

Are the compacts compatible with S&W 6900-series magazines?


Gotcha.

There are quite a few full-size DP51s for sale on GB at the moment: https://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Pistols/search?Keywords=daewoo&Sort=13&PageSize=24

No compacts, though. But I'm 99% the full-size guns would accept neutered 5906 10-rounders.

Or you can spring for a brand new Regulus Compact:

https://www.lionheartindustries.com/product/regulus-blackout-beta/

Also, I got an email from Lionheart which says they're introducing a new pistol at Shot Show called the "Vulcan 9." Kinda curious to see what that is. I get the sense it's probably just a spiffed up (or down?) version of what they're already making, with the Regulus.

Thanks to FrankB, I've blown my "over three figures" gun budget for awhile. And I'm guessing that, since the Regulus Compact has an 18-round magazine, it'd maybe take 5900-series magazines.

So, no. I'm philosophically opposed to having a large-capacity gun where I have to start out 40% or better empty because of these moronic magazine limits.

[MattyD380]

I was originally going to pass, but I've never had a 3rd generation S&W auto and wanted to have one just because. I've got parts to rebuild the magazine and a recoil spring in a wish list on Midway's site, I'll order them when the gun gets here. Mec-Gar magazines are widely available so I might get a few of them. I might get a holster, I'm not sure I'll ever carry it.

Nice. The 5906 is a nice solid gun and a nice shooter. Both my 5906 and my 6904 have been 100% reliable. As have my 4506-1 and my 645.

As long as you don't break an extractor (which isn't just a drop-in part, from what I've read), I feel like the 3rd gens still hold up as practical guns. In single action, I guess I shoot a Beretta 92 a bit more accurately than a 5906? That said, I prefer the DA trigger on 3rd gens to what I find in Berettas and Sigs. The stroke seems more even and smooth, with less of a "jolt" when the hammer falls. I tend to think there's less over travel. I also wonder if the old-school, dual-sided trigger/hammer linkage contributes to the smooth, even feel of the DA in 3rd gens.

Also... the 3rd gens have thinner slides than Berettas and Sigs. Which seems trivial, but is actually kinda nice. Despite the weight, I find the 5906 to be pretty comfortable in the pants at around 12:30.

[Jim Watson]

I tried hard to like a 5906 for IDPA SSP but while it was reliable and accurate in slow fire, I could not work up any speed with it.
I went to a P226 which I did better with and preferred except for the miniature slide stop.
If somebody wanted to sponsor Team Mediocre to shoot a DA/SA now it would be a LTT Beretta.

[SW CQB 45]

I was a SW fanboy from mid 90s to 2008.

I started out with a 4506-1 that I sent to the PC and they gave it a slick duty action.

At the original AstroHall Houston Gun show, my dad and I ran into a 4566 CQB and if I recall it was around 800-900 used. I did not have the money and my dad was going to buy it but I told him no.

I later found a 4563 CQB (SW CQB 45) and I sold my 4506-1 to pay for it.

When I got moved to Narcs in 98, I found a brand new heavily covered in dust 4516-2 for dirt cheap at another Houston Gun Show (my dad and I would go every year). My first depression of the mag release was a fail as the mag release spring rusted out over the years of just sitting in a gun display case and or humid environment. I also sent it to the PC for a duty action job. SW back then would prioritize LE guns and I would get them back in a few weeks.

My dad would find a Shorty45 at the Houston Gun Show and bought it.

Then one day, I am trolling through the local gun shops and low and behold to my amazement, in the glass cabinet was a DPA5906. I think I put it on layaway and worked off duty gigs to pay for it. The action on it was butter and it was a shooter. If there was any PC I should have kept, it was this one. you just dont see them anymore.

Here is the DPA5906 and I put Hogues on everything back then.
https://i.imgur.com/RnCKkjI.jpg

I ended up with a 945 (accurate beast), 845 (Smooth and accurate), 4566CQB, 4013TSW, 3953TSW, CS9DAO, 6906 I might be missing a couple.

I eventually sold them all when SW stop making parts, plus in 2008 we were finally allowed to carry 1911 style Single Action on duty.

[HeavyDuty]

I don’t know if it was this thread where we talked about the limited number of NYPD 3983s, but here are serials NYPD001, NYPD002 and NYPD003…

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/964148256

[Rex G]

I don’t know if it was this thread where we talked about the limited number of NYPD 3983s, but here are serials NYPD001, NYPD002 and NYPD003…

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/964148256

Well, it is just as well that I do not have $5K+. Those sure do look nice.

[HCM]

You can resurrect t them yourself with these:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/959543462

99457

[entropy]

Ghost gun!

[TDA]

I was a SW fanboy from mid 90s to 2008.

I started out with a 4506-1 that I sent to the PC and they gave it a slick duty action.

At the original AstroHall Houston Gun show, my dad and I ran into a 4566 CQB and if I recall it was around 800-900 used. I did not have the money and my dad was going to buy it but I told him no.

I later found a 4563 CQB (SW CQB 45) and I sold my 4506-1 to pay for it.

When I got moved to Narcs in 98, I found a brand new heavily covered in dust 4516-2 for dirt cheap at another Houston Gun Show (my dad and I would go every year). My first depression of the mag release was a fail as the mag release spring rusted out over the years of just sitting in a gun display case and or humid environment. I also sent it to the PC for a duty action job. SW back then would prioritize LE guns and I would get them back in a few weeks.

My dad would find a Shorty45 at the Houston Gun Show and bought it.

Then one day, I am trolling through the local gun shops and low and behold to my amazement, in the glass cabinet was a DPA5906. I think I put it on layaway and worked off duty gigs to pay for it. The action on it was butter and it was a shooter. If there was any PC I should have kept, it was this one. you just dont see them anymore.

Here is the DPA5906 and I put Hogues on everything back then.
https://i.imgur.com/RnCKkjI.jpg

I ended up with a 945 (accurate beast), 845 (Smooth and accurate), 4566CQB, 4013TSW, 3953TSW, CS9DAO, 6906 I might be missing a couple.

I eventually sold them all when SW stop making parts, plus in 2008 we were finally allowed to carry 1911 style Single Action on duty.

The PC 3rd gen action tune was an astonishing bargain. I sent at least two guns in for it, and the stock 5906 came back better than the Sig 226 I sent back for the short reset trigger package (although that is also a great pistol.) I’m sorry I stopped posting on S&W forum before I had the opportunity to buy that DPA, although that’s precisely why I stopped trolling that forum.

[TDA]

And just for fun, flashback to Tamara’s 2018 5906 experience. Advertisement from the original.

99470

[Lester Polfus]

You can resurrect t them yourself with these:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/959543462

99457

That's, what? A 10% receiver? 20%?

[HeavyDuty]

That's, what? A 10% receiver? 20%?

I’m thinking about 250%.

[Lost River]

The coolest 3rd Gen ever!


https://i.imgur.com/80ZCbq5h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YS2Wqdth.jpg

[MattyD380]

The coolest 3rd Gen ever!


https://i.imgur.com/80ZCbq5h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YS2Wqdth.jpg

I can’t argue with that.

[Willard]

I can’t argue with that.

Nor can anyone else. I almost bought one at the time, but got distracted by life and bills and misguided sense of responsibility.

[Lost River]

It is only my opinion that the .45 CQB version of the 4563 is the coolest 3rd Gen ever built. That said, the pistol is extremely accurate. I know I have mentioned it here before, but the only other gun that I have shot that shoots like it, is this Baer Premier 2 that has a guarantee to shoot 1.5 " or better groups at 50 yards. The fact that S&W is an aluminum framed gun and shoots like the Baer is just amazing to me. I cannot confirm that it can shoot 1.5" 50 yard groups though, because with irons sights, I am just not capable of such accuracy. That said, it punches little tiny groups every time I shoot it.

https://i.imgur.com/CRoiw2ch.jpg

[BobM]

For what it’s worth I’ve recently noticed that more spare parts seem to be available for the third gen pistols lately.

[MattyD380]

It is only my opinion that the .45 CQB version of the 4563 is the coolest 3rd Gen ever built. That said, the pistol is extremely accurate. I know I have mentioned it here before, but the only other gun that I have shot that shoots like it, is this Baer Premier 2 that has a guarantee to shoot 1.5 " or better groups at 50 yards. The fact that S&W is an aluminum framed gun and shoots like the Baer is just amazing to me. I cannot confirm that it can shoot 1.5" 50 yard groups though, because with irons sights, I am just not capable of such accuracy. That said, it punches little tiny groups every time I shoot it.

https://i.imgur.com/CRoiw2ch.jpg

Beautiful gun. And I believe it shoots as well as a Baer. The PC 3rd gens are so cool. I always wanted one of the two-tone Shorty 9s.

I actually had a PC Shorty .40 for a minute. I'm sure it was a tack driver, but I didn't really "take" to it. The edge/corner of the slightly wider .40 frame hit my trigger finger in a weird way that made it kinda uncomfortable (compared to a 69XX/59XX, anyway). Plus, it had aftermarket sights that (for me) shot reeaally low... and it had a failure to feed with one type of ammo. As much as a I paid for it, I really wanted to love it. I didn't. So, I didn't bother keeping it around to find ways around those quirks.

And while I realize it's not on the level of a PC 3rd gen (and neither am I), my 4506-1 has yet to disappoint me at the range.

104659104660

I shoot my 5906 and 6904 pretty well, too. But the 4506-1 feels more accurate, just generally speaking. In my hands, I think it's the most accurate 3rd gen I've had.

Right now, I have an irrational desire to own a 4040PD. Because... scandium, bro. And the dustover has coolly raked angle to it.

https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/28174/smith-wesson-4040pd-40-s-w-caliber-pistol-with-scandium-frame-great-concealed-carry-gun-new-pr7536.jpg

[pfname]

The coolest 3rd Gen ever!


https://i.imgur.com/80ZCbq5h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YS2Wqdth.jpg

Jerry Miculek shoots his S&W 5906 Performance Shop Mexican Special Forces pistol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXwLi3qKD0w

[Exiledviking]

My first pistol was a S&W 5906.
My first Performance Center pistol was a 952-2. It was built to near perfection. Best trigger in a pistol I've experienced. The slide cycled like it was on ball bearings. Smooth!

I had a couple of PC945s and a PC 5906.
The guns built by the legacy Performance Center were superb pistols. Part of me wishes that I had kept the PC 952-2 and the PC 5906 (DPA serial number). Apparently the PC 5906 is a rare pistol.