I just picked up my 1st gen 3 auto this week...a 6906. As I looked at the 39's, 59's, and 69's I learned that the early ones had a square trigger guard but didn't see any reference as to why square and why they later went to the round guards. Can anyone answer this curiosity for me? Haven't been to the range yet but look forward to it. I am thinking I should buy a new recoil spring just due to age...how long should the original last before replacement? Mine dates to the late 80's. Thanks for the help!

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It was a fad wherein the shooter put his off side trigger finger up there for additional control and support.

It seemed to fade away after a while.

The reason was that the square guard thing was just in "vogue" at the time, due mostly to the the popularity of a finger in front of the trigger guard two handed hold being used then.
Most autos that came out around that time (late '80s) had a similarly "hooked" guard - Beretta 92f, Glock, Sig P226/220.

ETA: Fastbolt has mentioned here before that aroud the 5000 round mark is a good time to replace the recoil spring on the compacts. Since you don't really know how long your spring has been in there, you should probably just go ahead and replace it - springs are cheap!

I see some square guards still around...glock, xd's are a couple.

I like to put my weak hand finger on the trigger guard but I don't mind if the trigger guard is rounded.

It felt better after I played around with thumb placement!

The main purpose seems to be for stringing shots vertically. At least that is the main effect.

JimG

I may be wrong, but I believe the early models had round trigger guards and the newer models were square.
Or at least on the 2nd gen S&W they were, my 639 is an early model round guard.
Somebody on here more knowledgable than myself should be able to clarify.

Just googled some info between the round verses square trigger guard on 5906/6906 models.
I am wrong on the description that round was older. You are correct, the square guard is older.
Apparently a significant manufacturing change was that the old square guard models had forged components (hammer/trigger), but the change to MIM parts were phased in with the new rounded guards.
Sounds like a toss up to me?

I personally like the square ones better, they look more unique. I certainly don't love my 4006 any less though for having the rounded trigger guard! I've read elsewhere that the squared guard was more friendly toward glove usage. Makes sense I suppose, that's why the H&K MK23 and USP series also have such large trigger guards, and the squared Smith trigger guard certainly offers up more real estate for gloved fingers than the newer round ones!

Because S&W wanted to ensure that only half their buyers could find holsters off the shelf for their pistols.

Fair enough for ya? In all honesty im rather glad my S&W's have rounded trigger guards. Easy to find holsters for them, and you can still put your weak hand's index finger in the checkered front strap should you choose.The 4506 I used to have with the square trigger guard was actually too far forward to comfortably shoot that way.

the hooked guard is a real skull-buster if needed.

The phase in of the MIM parts was quite a few years after the change to round trigger guards.

it was a hold over from the old days, shooter used and still do put one of there fingers on the trigger guard to steady the gun and my dad still does it to this day when handling a revolver.

hell the beretta cheetah series still has it along with the P99 series till 2004

but what it comes down to really is personal preference, personally I Think the third gens look too plain jane without that squared trigger guard for my tastes.

and the beretta 92 holsters do work for the square trigger guarded ones.

When S&W went to the square guard the Smith & Wesson LE rep explained it was for barricade shooting, as in pressing the trigger guard into something and using it for support. This was apparently a requirement in a number of large police bids that were coming out.

I never liked them back then, but now they have some kind of weird appeal to me.

A good example of one is the 5944 that I have had since the late 80's. Check out the pics on my "Guns for Sale" post in the classifieds

I saw a youtube vid where Hickok45 (popular retired English teacher who reviews guns) used a Dremel tool to round a squared trigger guard off one of his Glocks. I think it looked better after he did that. Old IPDA and IPSC shooter. Sure didn't bother his shooting (guy routinely bangs an 80 yard target with compacts, and every once in a while will shoot a 230 yard steel target).

Sig Sauer never got the word that it was "just a fad."

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Glen

Got no use for a square trigger guard, or rails either.

I prefer the rounded trigger guard;all my 3rd. Gens have it. Just a personal preference. My 6906 has the checkering on the front of the trigger guard, & i reasoned that I could put the index finger tip of my left hand on it to steady my aim. I tried it at a pistol class I took & the instructor insisted that I not do it that way. Oh well.

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Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

Yes, fashion of the time. I shot IPSC in 1980-81, it was the "in" thing to have a squared trigger guard. That hold never worked for me.

At one time, squaring the trigger guard on a 1911 was considered a required modification for IPSC.

1. As note in some of the posts above, it was popular at the time early production began in mid to late 1988.
2. It saved on production costs (a corporation is always looking to save a few cents on production ), saved on weight (especially on the large steel frame models), and had actually started falling from favor by 1990.

FWIW