As I've posted before, one of my all time favorite 3rd gens and my daily CCW pistol is a 4014. (Although otherwise I seem to prefer stainless 3rd gens)
The 4014 is a compact, Single stack, alloy framed, blackened .40 S&W. I have a copy of the S&W letter on this gun somewhere, but they either made 500 or 550. I think around 500.
Our son kind of covets mine I think. I carry it in a custom IWB TT Gunleather holster.
A year or so ago I missed a chance to buy a second one at a LGS (thankfully, one of our members got it).
So imagine my surprise to have seen one on a major internet auction site last week. Mint. No box or papers, but relatively unfired and with 7 mint factory magazines. My first one I got LNIB with 2 factory magazines, for about $390 I think.
This one I won last night was as a little higher priced than I would have liked to have paid (just north of $500), but when you factor in 5 additional factory magazines - actually not a bad price at all!
And I may sell a few of the mags here.
I'll probably have Tim Thurner make me another holster since he has the 4014 blank. Maybe an OWB this time.
Then I'd like to return the first 4014 to S&W and see if they will do an action/trigger job, night sights and melonite treatment for the slide.
Actually, I go through Parkersburg, WV a fair amount and would love to have Novak install night sights and do a trigger job. But I hear he's no longer doing them for 3rd gens. Anybody have recent experience in that regard? I'll probably call him later.
The son graduates from engineering school in a year and then one of these 4014's will be his.