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Old 12-10-2010, 08:39 PM
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Been thinking about picking one up for a Home Defense/CCW gun. Summit Gun Brokers has em' for $295, seems like a pretty good deal. Anyone else have one, what do you think? Will the square back grips fit this gun or do I have to use the round back grips that come on it? Thanks for any info.
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Old 12-10-2010, 09:27 PM
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For much CCW I'd personally pick up a 5906, which is the same gun in stainless. Nothing wrong with the 5904. Make a dandy range gun or HD gun, just not as durable a finish. The straight grips will fit fine.
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Old 12-10-2010, 11:18 PM
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Thanks for the reply. I don't carry as much as I probably should and it seems like the alloy frame would be a bit lighter and easier to carry then the stainless although the stainless would hold up better to body sweat and stuff.
I'll have to get both grips and give em' a try to see which one I like better, I know from a looks point of view the straight ones look a lot nicer to my eye.
I was thinking about a Sig Pro 2022 for $415 which is a heck of a deal but with what I'd have into it I can get the 5904, a couple new mags, paddle holster and a couple boxes of FMJ for practice. I've still got 50 rounds of Hornedy Personal Defense 135gr stuff for HD and CCW so I'm good to go there.
Anyway, talk to ya'll later.
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Old 12-11-2010, 12:13 AM
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The 5904 is an excellent gun and the lighter alloy frame makes it much more pleasant to carry. As long as you wipe the gun down from time to time with CLP the blue finish will stand the test of time and durability.

I am one of the few people who immediately swap out the curved grips for the straight ones. Just feels right in my hand. Plus the swap out only takes a minute or two and used grips are easy to find.

It's no secret around here that the 3rd Gen Smiths are the single most under-appreciated semi-auto you can find today. They are accurate, reliable, durable and easy to maintain. The are other good guns out there but you cannot go wrong with a 5904. Especially at that price.
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Old 12-11-2010, 12:41 AM
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My 5904 is one of my favorite semi's. The DA trigger is fantastic (better than some of my revolvers) and the gun was NIB. I find myself warming to the black finish, but am always impressed with the reliability and consistent combat accuracy of 3rd gen S&W's. You can't go wrong with buying a 5904 at the price you describe.

Regards,

Jerry
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Old 12-11-2010, 12:55 AM
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I have the same gun with a stainless slide and alloy frame (5903) and love it. I like the straight grips better too. It seems to point better and feels more like a 1911. The gun is accurate, reliable and just plain fun. If you have never bought a gun from Mark at Summit he is a pleasure to work with. That is a heck of a deal too. His add says they are in great condition. You can believe him.
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Old 12-11-2010, 09:48 AM
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IIRC I think I did get a 2nd Gen Glock 22 from him a couple three years back. It was in like new shape. I just can't warm up to the 40cal for some reason. I've owned about 4 or 5 pistols in 40cal but it just seem like it's a bit too "snappy" for me. Granted, I CAN handle recoil, had a T/C single shot in 45/70 Gvt. and it'd kick right hard but the 40cal just feels "odd" when I shoot it. I'd rather have a 9x19mm or if I feel I need something BIG then a 45acp, both of which I shoot pretty well.
I really do think the 3rd Gen Smiths will be the semi auto that I get into. The price is right, they're reliable and rugged and you can get mags and holsters for em' pretty easily too.
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Old 12-11-2010, 10:08 AM
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Summit Gunbroker has mags for sale too. I just bought some for my 5903. Factory S&W mags for $18 ea. They were in exc cond. You can't go wrong with the 5904. If the finish gets worn just have it Duracoated. I had a 59 I bought in 1987, that was a Police trade in. The finish was worn on the frame and the slide was 90%. I had the lower finish removed and frame polished. It looked sharp with the two-tone look.
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Old 12-11-2010, 10:37 AM
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Thanks for the Heads Up on the mags, I didn't know that. Wish I could just send it out to Robbie at Robar's and have it NP3'ed. That'd make it as durable as a stainless gun.
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Old 12-11-2010, 01:45 PM
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Well, local dealers are a bust. One place had a used 5946 DAO, stainless and they were asking $429 for it then you've got to add the almost 10% tax and $10 buck TIC fee to it. Nope, think I'd be better off just ordering from Summit Gun Broker. Who knows, he maybe have some other 3rd Gen Smiths in by the time I'm ready to order. Just have to keep an eye out, that's all.
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Old 12-11-2010, 04:36 PM
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Take a look at Cole Distributing also. They have several 5904's on GB right now under the gcolecoledist seller name. For some reason they have not had any guns listed on their web site for a while but do have them on GB. All in the $230-250 range, and some with the 3 dot sights.
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Old 12-11-2010, 11:38 PM
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Lots of great deals to be had online for 3rd gens, but only a few people show up here with awesome deals they found at local gun shops.

When it comes to mags also look at MecGar. They make a flush fit 17 round mag that feeds and functions as good as factory with 2 extra rounds to boot. They also cost less than new factory mags.
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Old 12-11-2010, 11:56 PM
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Watch out...like eating peanuts...can't stop. In past 6 months I've adopted a 5906, 3913NL, CS9, 39-2, and today found a nice 3953 for $300. Then there's the 2206 & 422. Every one a bargain, in my view.

You have the right idea, try both grips. I much prefer the straight on my 5906. Used on Ebay about $8.
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Old 12-12-2010, 10:54 AM
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I know that Mec-Gar makes a lot of "Factory" mags for many of the big manufactures so the quality is there. Pro-Mag also seems to be a good mag.
With my budget one will probably be all I can afford for a while. I've always been a huge S&W revolver fan the only semi I've had was the Sigma and I like the feel(didn't shoot it much so can't comment on function) but the resale value sucked on ice.
I checked and the 5904 is 10oz less then the 5906 all stainless gun. Since it'll also double as a CCW gun that 10oz is huge for making a gun that's almost too heavy to carry vs one that'll work out ok.
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Old 12-12-2010, 12:15 PM
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The weight of the 3906 and 5906 make them excellent weapons after you run out of ammo
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Old 12-12-2010, 01:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XAVMECH View Post
The weight of the 3906 and 5906 make them excellent weapons after you run out of ammo
I figure that a fully loaded 5904 would probably weigh about what the 5906 does unloaded. If Kel-Tec would bring out there PF-9 with a 12 round, double stack mag for about $250 we'd not even be talking about the 5904 but for now it's the least expensive pistol that I can find with a 10+ mag capacity. I set my minimum ammo limit at 10 rounds because if I need to grab my gun and flashlight in the middle of the night to go check on something I want at least 10 rounds if not more.
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Old 12-12-2010, 03:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TNFrank View Post
I figure that a fully loaded 5904 would probably weigh about what the 5906 does unloaded. If Kel-Tec would bring out there PF-9 with a 12 round, double stack mag for about $250 we'd not even be talking about the 5904 but for now it's the least expensive pistol that I can find with a 10+ mag capacity. I set my minimum ammo limit at 10 rounds because if I need to grab my gun and flashlight in the middle of the night to go check on something I want at least 10 rounds if not more.
Keltec has the P-11 that has the capacity you want and also the light weight. BUT even though the P-11 is a pretty good gun it is not in the same class as the S&W semi-autos. If you have any idea of carrying you should go with the alloy frame models. In my experience I prefer carrying guns weighing up to 30 ounces empty. The heavier all steel guns usually weigh 38 - 41 ounces. I recently carried my 4506 for a few days and it can be done but it really doesn't make sense.

In your situation with price considerations the 5904 makes sense. For a few dollars more you could also find a used 6906 that is light and holds 12 rounds. A police surplus Glock could also be a choice for you because they offer high capacity, light weight and excellent reliability at very reasonable prices.

Bill
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Old 12-12-2010, 05:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dot_mdb View Post
Keltec has the P-11 that has the capacity you want and also the light weight. BUT even though the P-11 is a pretty good gun it is not in the same class as the S&W semi-autos. If you have any idea of carrying you should go with the alloy frame models. In my experience I prefer carrying guns weighing up to 30 ounces empty. The heavier all steel guns usually weigh 38 - 41 ounces. I recently carried my 4506 for a few days and it can be done but it really doesn't make sense.

In your situation with price considerations the 5904 makes sense. For a few dollars more you could also find a used 6906 that is light and holds 12 rounds. A police surplus Glock could also be a choice for you because they offer high capacity, light weight and excellent reliability at very reasonable prices.

Bill
The P11 has a truely horrendous trigger. Periodically, I carry a Kel-Tec PF9, which is much more concealable and has a decent, though fairly stiff trigger. Down side is that it is a single stack and only carries 8 rounds max. CDNN has PF9's in their latest catalog for $229, THey are not in the same league as the S&W. As long as a little finish wear doesn't bother, the 5904 would make a great carry gun. Something you could actually stake your life on.
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1911, 3906, 3913, 3913nl, 3953, 4506, 45acp, 5906, 6906, ccw, cdnn, cs9, glock, s&w, sig arms, sigma

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