Oooh, I love the questions and the discussion. This is a fun topic on a great pistol.
In order:
1) Definitely makes sense to compare it to the 5903/5904 more than the 5906. I believe I chose to compare it to the 5906 because the 5906 is far more available and (in my circles), tends to run much closer in price. Frankly, I don’t see many 5903/5904 available anywhere, but 915/5906 I see everywhere.
To that end, the 5903/5904 also beat the 915 handily, IMO. You get far better sights and much better finish. As much as I like the 915, a cheaper finish on a handgun S&W has not made. The 915’s finish durability may be it’s biggest achilles heel (if it has one.) The 915’s finish is nowhere in the hemisphere of “durable.”
1A) steel frame vs alloy frame, you say that different situations call for one or the other, and I will definitely agree with you there, but I can’t exactly agree that one isn’t better than the other. It occurs to me that in basically EVERY facet of a handgun being a handgun, steel frame whups on alloy frame every time in every possible way that matters in every direction -EXCEPT- for having to carry it all day long, day in & day out. Put another way: if you have to haul it around and maybe 1% of your 25-30 year career need to shoot someone with it, alloy is a better choice. However, if you intend to shoot the gun (for ANY reason) and you want the shootability and durability and handling and follow-up shots and anything else possibly related to actually shooting, I can’t imagine any argument that will convince me that an alloy frame is somehow better than good ‘ole American STEEL.
2) The 910... as was said, absolutely NOT the same as a 915 with a ban-era magazine. The 910/410/908/909 are what S&W actually intended for the “Value Line.” Cheap plastic parts in key places, including the magazine catch and guide rod. And from a collector or simply an enthusiast’s viewpoint, they are also UGLY. The slides are all squared and blocky. The way I describe them is that they look like a Chinese copy of a 3rd Gen that should be sold in a blister pack, hanging on a peg near the cash register. I don’t like them.
3) 915 vs 411. Okay, I hear your argument and while I will agree that everyone AND their mother hates the .40cal these days, I must say this before I concede your point: the 411 is crazy hella scarce, while they made a gujillion 915’s. From a “collectibility” and scarcity standpoint, the 411 has is all over the 915 in spades. As for desirability... I’ll give you that the 915 > 411.
3a) I love the single sided decock lever also, I really love it, and I swapped ambi levers on two of my 2nd Gens to get single sided levers in return. I’d do it with ALL of my 2/3rd Gens if I could! But I cannot actually imagine some folks buying a whole pistol to get a hold of the single sided decock lever. (heh, I once bought a gun to get the ammo offered with it... wait, maybe I did that twice!) Anything is possible!
