A while back I mentioned that I was going to do this and then Dregg asked about conversions so I went ahead and did it.
The parts substituted were from a 4043TSW(DAO) that I had converted to TDA.

4043TSW DAO/TDA Conversion

The TSW DAO parts seem to back fit any TDA S&W (2nd or 3rd gen) but the most important part is what S&W calls the "Firing Pin Retainer". It is the part that replaces the Manual Safety. There are two sizes. One for the 9mm/.40s&w slide and one for the .45 slide.
The trigger and hammer on the TSW DAO pistols are the same on all models.
From the last price list I have (under two years old) the DAO conversion parts had a total price of under $70.00 from S&W (if they have them) and assuming one could make the conversion themselves, as there are no permanent modifications to the pistol, I would say it's eminently practical.

The same four parts from the 4043TSW conversion.

John

Attached Images

6906DAOConversion001_zps298550d9.jpg (126.8 KB, 1982 views)

I searched, but couldn't find a related post. So please forgive my forum necromancy....


Could this work in the other direction? I'm considering taking my new 4586TSW and converting it to TDA. I've seen one already done that way in one of the threads regarding the relatively recent melonite WVSP 4566 threads.


I don't think it will be difficult acquiring the parts. will there be any springs and plungers needed as well for the TDA safety lever/FP retainer? I see them on the parts diagram, but they are obviously not in the above pic, so I'm not sure they are to assumed to be part of the TDA assembly or not.


I'll likley just shoot the gun as it is. I bought it for the challenge of the DAO experience, but thought the trigger. would be closer to the pre-TSW DAO that was seen with the older 3953's and it' contemporaries, with the extended slide and frame. This just feels like a slightly smoother first pull of a TDA gun, rather than the short, quick, pull on the earlier DAO guns. Just want the options.


Thanks guys!

Hi, DanP7!

Yes, the 4586TSW can be converted to TDA with the substitution of the above four parts: trigger, hammer, sear release lever, and manual safety assembly.
The spring and plunger which retain the firing pin retainer on a DAO pistol are the same two parts used on the body of the manual safety. No other pins or springs are needed. Everything else is the same.
These TSW models are amazingly dimensionally consistent. While you will probably need to fit a new sear release lever, all the other parts should be a direct substitution. (Would that be "plug-n-play"?)
They were designed to be convertible.

John

Would the same work for converting a 5946 to TDA?

__________________
Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

If the 5946 is a TSW model, the conversion would be easy.

If the 5946 is an earlier non-TSW model, the conversion would be quite difficult, owing to significant machining differences in the frame and slide.

John

More thread necromancy here.
I think this thread should be a sticky.

My 5946 has a serial number prefix that looks to be late 1999? (VJN)
It has black MIM hammer and trigger.
It precocks the hammer 50% or so.

Are these conditions correct for an unmodified 5946 of that vintage?

The slide looks to be longer than my 5906 slide. I need to remove them and compare whether it's a difference in slide, frame, or both.

I'm not looking to convert my 5946 to TDA, because I like it so much as is.

Now, my TCZ-prefix 5906 and 6906?
Yes, I'd be interested in converting them to DAO, if I can have the precocked version with the shorter trigger reach than the TDA. My hands relate to glove sizes thusly: Large width/thickness and Medium finger length.

__________________
What would Jim Cirillo do?

Best way to tell what the converted trigger pull would be like is to lay your hands on any TSW DAO model and try the trigger yourself.

It will not be as long as the double action trigger pull on a TDA (DA/SA) pistol and it will not be as short as an early non-TSW DAO pistol (and will definitely not be as short as a single action trigger).

Your 5946 is very late production, however it does not share a hammer or trigger with the TSW DAO pistols, but still utilizes the longer slide/frame, so I would suspect that it has a slightly shorter, pre-cocked trigger pull than the TSW DAO.

John