Howdy, guys.

I came late to S&W autopistols. When I was growing up, when someone said "Colt" you thought about the Government Model (i.e., the 1911A1), and when someone said "Smith and Wesson" you thought about a 4" Combat Magnum. Yeah, I suppose by that time they were actually the Model 19, but we still thought of them as the Combat Magnum.

I never really paid much attention to the S&W autopistols, though, like I said above. I knew the general outlines, the slim 39 and the fat 59, but I never really ginned up any enthusiasm for them.

I did rent a 645 that I really liked, but I stuck with my Government Model.

Well, time marches on. A year or two ago I got the itch to try something new, and was haunting a gun show looking for something I hadn't tried before. I ran across a 5946 that caught my eye.

Hmm. First off, it was dirt cheap---$250 with two mags. I looked it over, and realized that the changes S&W had made for the 3rd Generation pistol suited me. The relief cut under the trigger guard made a huge difference in how it felt.

Well, I "pulled the trigger" on the deal, and I'm glad I did. Impressions follow.

Big, for one thing. It's no monster sized pistol, but a full-on service pistol, yes. Heavy, at least by modern standards, since "modern standards" means polymer frames instead of steel. I hefted it in comparison with my 1911---if the Smith isn't a hair lighter, it's certainly no heavier.

I really like the trigger, too. For years and years I said that what I really wanted in a service pistol was a good double action trigger, and, ideally, a good double action only trigger. This 5946 has just that. Fairly short, but smooth, and the weight suits me just right.

As for accuracy, well, I'm not a very good shot. When I'm in practice, which sadly I'm not at the moment, I can dump sixteen rounds offhand at 25 yards into a paper pie plate in under ten seconds----and, then, slower, put another hundred or so rounds into the same pie plate. Them's my standards, and I'm sure this pistol would do better, in better hands.

As for recoil, well, the 9mm is famous for its brutal recoil to begin with, right? In this all steel, double stack pistol, it almost feels like shooting a .22!

I've spent $250 in all kinds of worse ways.

Welcome to the Forum, pictures are required.

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Sure you did

Awesome gun at an awesome price. I am a big fan of the DAO Smiths and the 5946 is one of the softest shooting of them all. Accuracy will come with trigger time. The DAO trigger is pretty easy to master once you let go of you single action (or safe action) muscle memory. Congrats.

Thanks, guys. Pics should be forthcoming . . . sometime. I really like this pistol. Deep down I'm a .45 guy, and I still remember a Colt catalog that described the 9mm by saying, "This foreign cartridge is popular in Europe." (I still get a kick out of that line.) With that said, if I can rely on the .38 Special, I can rely on the 9mm, right?

Awesome pistol, absolutely! I remember Jeff Cooper writing about how weapons aren't just weapons, they're symbols, they're statements of who and what and when and how we are. This Smith is smooth, steel, a Smith, and "steady."

I'll confess that my daily carry is a 1956-vintage Colt Cobra 2". I hope that, although this IS the S&W forum, you guys can understand that I like Colts also.

I have a Colt PPS and a Colt Diamondback in my safe as I type. I am pretty sure S&W fans are supporters of any quality gun. Besides Colt and S&W both have some serious history behind them.

This post should not have seen the light of day until appropriate photos are ready for posting, it's just a tease.

Great choice and excellent price!

Nothing wrong with that!! I still do.

Welcome to the forum! I'm a big fan of the 59 series pistols. Very nice pistols you picked up.

Actually, I don't have a Combat Magnum any more. I swapped it for---of all things---a 4" Colt Trooper .357, the Trooper iteration that has (essentially) the Python action, and stag grips.

No offense to the 5946, but it doesn't have "quite" the same place in my heart as that Trooper, or the Combat Magnum either. (Trust me, that's not an insult by any means---I'm a sixgunner at heart.)

Welcome to the forum, from the great lakes state of Michigan. Your going to have fun. We love pictures.