This is a poll just for those members who EDC one of their beloved S&W 3rd Gens. I'm interested today in finding out what your best alternative would be (what you'd actually buy and carry daily or often) if suddenly all 3rd Gens mysteriously vanished overnight off the face of the earth (humor me on this one!).

The main point I'm trying to evaluate is how much "brand loyalty" there would be when the main S&W pistol alternatives are plastic and when there are other alternatives available in both all-metal and plastic?

Just for fun, of course. I don't really believe that all the 3rd Gens are going to mysteriously disappear overnight. Well, not tonight anyway!

An HK 45C. No compromise. Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

I am actually (almost) in that situation now. I retired from my PD and bought my 5906, and had a 6904 for a BUG. Now I am thinking about joining my SD, and they carry Glocks. But the Sheriff says any 9mm is okay. Out of all the ones I've handled, the M&P seems closest in handling to the 3rd gen. But that trigger...... So apex kits it is!

First post, my 2 cents...

CZ PCR

Twilight Zone........ S&Ws 3913/14 and PC Shorty 9mms disappear overnight.......................




My initial thought is; what's in the safe......cus Zombies may be next.

9mm; Beretta 92 Compact (13+1) or the single stack Compact Type-M (8+1)........... a 92F Compact was my first hi-cap auto;actually carrying the "M" today in a Sparks Summer Special.................

.45; Sig 245..........or maybe a 220



Got an idea...........Anyone still in the business of cutting down Model 39s into mini-guns?

Might be tempted to go "cocked and locked" with a Browning Hi-Power......... w/ Mec-gar 15rd magazines.

Probably my 3" Model 13.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

If the Smith autos disappeared overnight- there'd be a few slots to fill in the safe!

I voted "j-frame", which is what's usually with me in the nice weather. It's extending into fall this year, and I'm not really feeling the urge to dust the autos off just yet. I think I'm getting old...

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Because of the metric system?

My Hk USP 9 DAO,Not a Fan of S&W's M&P Pistols


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I should have put CZ on the choices list. Damn. We here in MA tend not to think about the guns we aren't allowed to buy... but a nice CZ makes a lot of sense.

As usual, the Bam has many answers! I should have set-up the poll for multiple choices!

BHP cocked and locked? Was that serious?

Kahr P9 / PM9. Very similar to my DAO S&W single stack guns in trigger and overall feel.

Another good choice that I should have listed!

One; I'm a lawyer what do you expect!!!!!!!!!

Two; I love the feel/handling and slimness of the BHP.......would seriously consider carrying one or two if the Zombies/Walking Dead are TEOTWAWKI ...........but in the "Burbs of the Burgh" I'll probably stick with a traditional DA/SA design........which means a couple of CZs would be on my very short "buy it now" list.

The only reason I don't have any CZ pistols is.......I don't have an answer....at least not a good one!!! I looked at them back during the AWB in the 90s...... but no hi-cap mags at anything near reasonable prices......kind of like Mass. today

;D

My vote would be for the steel-framed Kahrs, MK9 and K9 specifically. Love my K40 as well, but the tight action makes ejecting a live round a real PITA.

I'd also look into the Sig 239's for carry, as well as the Beretta 92 Compacts for a double-stack. Maybe a Ruger LCP if I ventured into the world of plastic...

I think that's a smart decision re: the BHP. As much as I love the gun and hope to own one someday, it would be a little strange as a lawyer's EDC in peacetime Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, the sole gun left on my 2016 Possibilities List (my re-named Want List) is the elusive (in MA) CZ 75BD. As everyone knows, CZs are not on our MA EOPS list and highly disapproved of by our moonbat AG lady too. Getting one here is very hard and very costly.

It will likely transfer to my 2017 Possibilities List. And then to my 2018 Possibilities List. And then...

Well, you get the picture.

BAM just wants to live out his Kevin Costner fantasy...or is it Eddie Murphy???

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Because of the metric system?

I think the Bam was just goofing on us.

I thought I remember Bam being a compact Sig guy but I guess the old memory is fading. I do remember him mentioning his love for the Beretta 92 Compacts. I could see myself getting into one someday, but with two full-size 92's already and with very limited cash for the foreseeable future thanks to the retirement place we plan to build, it won't be real soon.

CZ 75 P-01 (9mm) with Cajun Gun Works trigger job and Dawson combat sights.

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2B1ASK1

Hummmmm..... think I'll go with Kevin in "The Bodyguard".......though Eddie does copy my style.................

Come on guys ,,,,, the BHP is a classic in its own time...... slap on a set of Hogue or Spegel grips...... and it fits your hand better than your...............well you know............................... your 1911!

TTSH... yep my first hi-cap was a 92F compact in 1988.....I've accumulated Compacts in F, SB, and FS Inox formats........ "Compact Sigs" is an oxymoron.........228s and 229s are IMHO full size guns ..... the 239 is "thick" (compared to a 39xx)......OK maybe the 245............ maybe!

I admit I don't actually EDC my 3rd Gens. I used to carry my CS-45 a lot, and I still frequently carry my 6906 when I am going someplace that I consider to be a target rich opportunity for "Tangos" but, otherwise, I generally EDC a 2" K frame. If my clothes prohibit that I might carry a 642 in my pocket.

I'm feeling you. I think this is the (first in awhile) year that the 3rd Gens hibernate for the winter. Sticking to my J-Frames (442 and 60-15), with a BHP MkII for special "hi-cap" occasions around those dang "Burbs" you're always talking about!

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Because of the metric system?

I posed it as an EDC replacement poll just so we wouldn't be all over the place with "random guns I wish I owned" rather than that one best alternative that a 3rd Gen afficiando would choose to carry. No intended diss on occasional carriers... honest!

I have a colt .380 government model that is a joy to shoot and carry. Alloy frame, metal slide.

Attached Images

Colt 380 right.jpg (158.1 KB, 23 views)

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Patriots Forever!!

I do this already when my 3913NL gets a break

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witty signature goes here

J frame.
Or, a Charter Bulldog .44 Special.

If the Bufffalo Bore .32 or .38 loads won't do it, their .44 loads will.

Or, a CZ82 with Buffalo Bore ammo.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I voted for the J frame as we South Floridians are usually in shorts and a T shirt but I usually alternate between a Model 37 for quick grocery trips and a 3953 for day trips out and about....

If the 3953 was out of service would grab the 8 shot Model 39-2,

For less civilized areas like Miami I carry a 14 shot Model 59 ( Preferred Mi - Jami gun since 1982) .

We ain't in Chicago .....it's not the wild wild mid-west... but

"The Burbs of the Burgh" both north and south are full of Soccer moms driving oversize SUVs and talking on their cell phones..........never know when you might have to put one down!

Three tons of steel.......... with it's brain fuzzy and unfocused from internet ether!

The odds of needing a firearm is probably greater then winning Power Ball......but I take that chance too.... every once in a while........

Colt Cobra and Colt Detective Special

I find it interesting that j-frames are leading the poll. I thought I would be the oddball, considering there are so many similar firearms to choose from. Brand-loyalty, perhaps?

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Because of the metric system?

Anyone who watches the local news here would know that some areas of the 'burgh are rife with active shooters on a daily basis.

If my 3rd gens were gone (Shorty 40, 4040PD, 4046, CS9, 3913NL. 3914LS and model 39) I'd have to go back to my 1911's (Kimber Ultra Carry II, and 12 round double stack American Tactical .45).

If it was a result of government confiscation I guess I'd just open carry my Sig MCX or Windom Weaponry AR-15.

Buying new I'd stay loyal to Smith & Wesson and hold my nose for a plastic MP40.

I voted J frame as I have two (340PD AirLite and 640 Pro) although I might also carry my L frame model 69 if clothing allowed.

digiroc

That's the main purpose of this poll... i.e., to ascertain the strength of S&W brand loyalty among us devoted 3rd Gen aficionados.

Yes, S&W J-frames are leading by a healthy margin. In some ways, I'm not surprised. I am seriously considering buying a Model 442-1 (no IL) myself. But I hope we are not getting a skewed poll with votes coming in from the principally revolver aficionados.

++++++++

ETA: I also should have made clear that I didn't intend the poll to reflect what other carry gun you might already own in your collection and would therefore grab in place of your beloved (mysteriously disappeared) 3rd Gen. But if that *is* also the brand and model gun you would have bought anyway to replace your EDC 3rd Gen, then I guess the poll is still generally valid.

I'd carry a Colt Pony in those situations, or the J frame 640

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

I would suspect that 3rd Gen fans would align more with the revolver group than the new-fangled auto folks.

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Because of the metric system?

Interesting point. I guess someday I'll have to run another more specific poll to see if your theory is true.

I have two shields 9 & 45 but my wife (and I) both prefer the 3913 for here at the house. I was an *** and let my 59 series go at trade.
For actual carry its almost always been a J. A 640 until I got my 340.
Like most of you, I have other choices...

I don't have much brand loyalty. If it's good quality, priced right and reliable I'll buy it. I actually did switch. From 5906 to G19. But it just happened to be Glock. I'd be just as fine with HK (at the time I didn't have one). It could have been the M&Pc as well but I was at the right place at the right time and the G19 was priced right....so there it is.

If Toyota or Chevy made a good quality reliable gun in my price range is buy that

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3rd Gen Smiths replaced my "earlier" carry autos*........ the Beretta 92 Compact and Sig 220 (I later added their compact versions; the single stack 92 Type-M and Sig 245). .......which replaced Colt 1911s

So in response to your survey question; I'm just stepping back to what was "good to go" for me pre-3913.....when I moved from revolvers to autos in about 1988 for concealed carry. My rational is that I already have those gun, gear and magazines.........

If you had removed all automatics from consideration....... I would have just gone back to my Smith & Wesson 3 inch 65s and 66s I've had since the mid/late 80s........ and a later 60-10.

Buying new; the Sig 239...... because it's as close to a 3913 as you can get.



* I had a 2nd Gen 639 for a short while .... LOL..... but I hated it's butt..... felt like a 2x4 in my hand.


Like any City the "Burgh" has problem areas and drug issues...... but the "burbs"...especially the ones on the outer edges of Allegheny Co. are pretty quite.

This actually happened to me!! So I can give a non-hypothetical answer.

For years I carried either a j-frame in the pocket or a 4513TSW IWB.

Then, one day my 4513 just disappeared. It happened when I bought a Glock 30s. (I later found it again in the back of the safe).

However, I don't carry the G30s most often, as I've replaced the pocketed j-frame with my Bodyguard .380; and, along the way, found myself carrying the .380 most frequently. Sometimes in pocket and sometimes in place of the G30s IWB.

So my answer (at least 2/3 of the time) is the BG380 (sporting MagGuts kits, XTP rounds, and two spare mags in my other pocket).

Attached Images

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Kahr PM9 which is my warm weather EDC. Springfield XDs .45, my cold weather EDC. I treat my 3rd Gens as special items to be cared for and brought out once in awhile for range time. Even though they are up to the task I look at my 3rd Gens as "too nice" to EDC when I have other options I'm completely happy with.

At this point in your poll with 61 replies...I think it is telling about brand loyalty when your question is framed by the removal of 3rd. generation semi autos that there is only 9 votes for M&P's and 5 of those are Shields.

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witty signature goes here

I agree with those who classify their 3rd gen guns as "almost too nice to carry...". Thats why Ive recently started carrying my 457 and CS9.

I dont do the brand loyalty thing though. I havent purchased a "new" s&w since 2001 and have no intention of doing so. They dont make a gun I want or have a use for.

They certainly have a great advertising department and evidently are getting a great return on that investment. And their customer service is top notch. But it should be what with all the practice it gets with returned guns. Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

this is exactly how I ended up with 3 3913's....the first 2 were WAY to pristine to carry...then Iammo offered up a few for sale that had the repatriation markings on the frames which to me made them a guilt free ccw

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witty signature goes here

Bought the first 3913 I saw in a LGS ....1st year production....... and did the same with a 3913NL........ LOL both were ANIB........ but not for long!

Both are still in 'better than nice" shape...... picked up a few more "used?" 3913s,NL and 3914s over the years.....dirt cheap ...... everyone wanted hi-caps...

but IMHO you can't beat a 39xx for a concealed carry 9mm....... the operative word there is "carry"!!!

Colt 45 acp in one of the cut down frame versions, manufacturer of your choice. You cannot find a gun that has more accessories or parts available - period.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I'm in a fringe area of Pittsburgh near the airport. It's pretty quiet here, unless I'm shooting in my backyard.

digiroc

You want quiet, come down below RT 70.

Oh and my 3913 turns 27 years old tomorrow.
I have the original receipt

Yup. I considered models like the Chief's Specials and the value line autos as 3rd Gen, so the only other things left would be my K-frames. I'm very brand loyal, it was a stretch to let my wife's Walther .380 (by S&W) into the safe. I wouldn't carry that *** though unless it was the last one available and I was out of ammo for anything else.

I went to Sig for a while

I semi-retired my 5906 and went with the M&P9 FS a few years ago. I still bring the old warhorse out and carry it from time to time but M&P is my primary.

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Why duck?? It's a 9mm!

I've already planned out and enacted my EDC-alt-feckit-mod.

Awhile back did a test between the Star 45 & the S&W CS45,
determined that the Star model 45 is slightly more accurate
and the same size as my CS45.
Since I often carry BOTH at the same time, with the Star
as Primary & CS45 as BUG, it probably will save the CS from
being taken if not used during a defensive shooting.

See, that's the downside of carrying a beloved 3rd Gen,
and having to use it defensively...it'll get confiscated.
And then it may literally be years before if gets returned,
and some states/cities Don't Return them after all is cleared.

So now, given the choice of using an inexpensive Star pistol,
instead of a pricey CS45, which also shoots slightly smaller groups...
well, the choice is kinda obvious...

Also just picked up a Star 243 last week to take over the
BUG spot from the CS45...which will help keep my very nice
looking CS's looking good far longer while they relax as
Bedroom Guns in a popit safe So as soon as I've gone thru it
properly and made sure it's reliable, it'll get the BUG spot.
It will eventually receive major modification of a .40-S&W slide
springs, mags, and barrel to make it a technical model 240
Always felt that 9mm wasn't quite enough, so that'll solve it...

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Marlin & Calico Specialist