Friends I need some friendly advice. I am looking to purchase my first S&W Autoloader. I would like a steel, single stack, 9mm, DA/SA decocker, reliable with a barrel in the 4" range. I would consider an alloy frame steel slide. I think my options include the 3906, 3913 and 908...please provide your real world experiences. Thank you all very much....

rick

You don't say what you are looking to do with this pistol, although it looks like you are looking for something concealable.

If not, I'd also recommend the Model 39...

Full size service pistol. But the beginning of the line for S&W auto loaders IMHO.

Smith & Wesson Model 39 - Wikipedia



Just a thought...

I am looking for a pistol for my Grandchildren to shoot. Don't want a double stack striker fired pistol. Call me old school I guess...

rick

Well, check out the link above. The model 39 is a single stack. Double action / Singe action - just like the models you mentioned. It is also aluminum/alloy frame, exposed hammer, etc.

My eleven year old son likes the 39 because it's size tames the recoil. He shoots it over a J frame with 38s or the single stack Glock his mom carries.

YMMV

Not the answer you're looking for, but a used Sig P6 is a great value for a single stack in 9mm. Well made, reliable and accurate. Good luck.

If you are looking for something to use as a range gun, the single stack full size guns will fit the bill. The problem is that the 3904/06 and the 909 (Value Line version) are fairly scarce. The 39-2 and 2nd Generation versions are more available, but there is some collector market for those as well and the prices I've seen appear to be relatively high.

More readily available are the 3913 and 908 (Value Line version) guns. These are more reasonably priced because there were a lot of them made. They are reliable and accurate. They are also fairly "soft" shooting, which helps with new shooters. The first 9mm that my very petite daughter shot was a double stack 6906, but the 3913 is just a bit lighter and recoil is controllable.

How old are the grand children?

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3913/3914 hands down the King!

randy

How old are the grand kids?

For younger shooters as well as "non-seasoned" shooters I might suggest a .22 semi auto or .22 revolver for the range and field plinking.

You want the Model 539. Blued steel frame and slide, 8 shot magazine, 4 inch barrel, walnut grips.

It's my favorite 9mm.

My Grandchildren are 10 (Girl) and 14 (Boy). They both handle my Colt Huntsman .22 with ease. I am sure my Grandson could handle a double stack but my Granddaughter cannot. I appreciate the input.

rick

S&W M639 with adjustable sights.

I would first ask for which purpose you intend to use it. If it's for discreet carry, my opinion (and that of many experts) is that you could not do better than a 3913. The only change I made to my 3913NL was to equip it with Tritium night sights. Slim. Accurate. Durable. Quite concealable. 9 shots full up. Reliable with any ammo. If half an inch under the 4" barrel you specified doesn't matter much, I'd definitely look for one.

John

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For a range gun the 39-2, or 639 would be my choices.... the 39 series was made from 1955 to about IIRC 1980ish.... so easy to come by. The 639 is the second generation/ son of 39 and all stainless .....heaver but easy to shoot

The 39 has one of the most comfortable grips you'll ever find..... and is available with fixed or adjustable sights.

The 39xx series ....is a compact grandson of the 39..... with a shorter grip frame and 3.5 inch barrel/slide. Great Concealed carry but shorter sight radius.....

FWIW some of the guns like the 3906 aren't all that common as they were introduced in early years of the hi-cap "Wonder-9" some versions (especially blue guns) only had limited runs of a couple of years.

Not meeting your "specs" but a Browning HP is one of the most easy to handle 9mm out there..... with the best grip of any double stack made IMO.

Good luck

Some of these suggestions are better than others. Some of the suggestions make me scratch my head.

A 39-2 may be the BEST choice in this situation. Here are the reasons I think so:

Single stack, fantastic single-action trigger feel, pull weight, smoothness and break. Reliable to a fault. Very handsome. Very well built. Comes with a windage adjustable sight that DOESN'T look like a train wreck. Slender. Accurate. Very attractive pistol that will stir emotion and make memories.

Best part... much like the revolver side Model 10 or Model 28... this model was so good at what it did, so popular and sold so very well that S&W made a TON of them. Around 347,000 says Mr. Roy Jinks, and how that is to your advantage is that you can get a classic American icon in firearms history without spending a crazy pile of money to get it.

The alloy frame of the 39-2 certainly is lighter than a steel frame, but in this mid-size pistol, it's nowhere near harsh. A steel frame is fantastic, but it will be quite heavy for a young shooter and isn't necessary for this job.

And jeez, a 539? Simply by the raw numbers... you will probably come across twenty or more 39-2's for every 539 that you ever see, anywhere and everywhere that you shop or seek S&W pistols.

39-2 is the best option here, if a S&W is what you'd like. And I think this would be a fantastic role for one.

Oh, my yes! If you want the pinnacle in single stack soft shooting 9mm I'm not sure the 539 has an equal in SA/DA pistols. Steel top to bottom and oozing quality from every orifice. But as another poster pointed out...not a ton of them out there.

Having said that the 39-2 is high quality, available, affordable and also a very soft shooter with an amazing SA trigger.

This is a 539 and a couple of 39-2's.

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The only single stack 9mms I have are the S&W CS9 and my non-Smith (Walter P38). I love them both, for different reasons. P38 for the history and the CS9 because the way it shoots and rides on my hip. Either would be an reasonable option.

39-2 in nickel, done, done and done.

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C'mon now. I know you have that of which you speak...

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I have a 39-2 with stock wooden grips, and a 915 with stock Delrin grip (flat, not curved backstrap). Honestly, the Delrin grip is so thin, there really is not a noticeable difference in grip thickness between the two pistols, in my opinion.

However, since the intent is quality range time with the grandkids, the 39-2 would make for a much more attractive pistol to fondle than any 3rd gen. It just looks the part.

Cs9 and 908 my retired carry. Best 3rd gens I've owned.

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