So I picked up a 5903 that GT Distributors in Jacksonville had at what I think is a good price, $329.00. Even with the shipping and transfer to my local FFL it came to under $380. Had to transfer it since I live in a whole 27 miles away in Georgia.
It's a police trade in but they can't tell me from where, although they think it was an agency in Texas. It's not marked as to agency and the only thing I can find is a barcode sticker on the bottom of the trigger guard with just numbers on it. I'm assuming this is an inventory sticker from an armory.
It appears to be in very good condition, some wear that I believe is from riding in a holster but very clean internally. It does have a "rubber cover" on the tip of the hammer spur that I am unsure of its purpose. And the Novak style sights are only white dots, not night sights and are unmarked. The trigger feels good when dry fired, double action is smooth and single action is lite with short reset.
As I have seen some of you come up with a lot more with less information I thought I would ask for opinions and any other information you can send my way. Thanks in advance.

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Great pistol for a great price! Congrats!

The rubber cap on the hammer may be to keep from wearing out sport coat liners or to keep the sometimes sharp edges of the hammer from scraping the arm/wrist of the individual carrying the gun. Good idea. We had spurless hammers installed on our LE guns for those reasons.

Many agencies did not mark their guns. A call to s&w customer service 1-800 number may provide you info on when the gun was made and where it shipped. Depends on who answers the phone.

Get a few recoil springs for it from Midwayusa.com. If you keep the rails greased with synthetic grease - oil does not adhere well to aluminum frames - and change the recoil spring every 3000 rounds your children.....and maybe grandchildren will enjoy that fine pistol.

The sights are standard Novak low mounts. Some agencies specified night sights. Not all of them though. Here is my take on night sights. If it is so dark that you need them, you should be using a light to identify your target - and never shoot until you do. I have night sights on a few of my pistols, because they came on them. I only use them to find the pistol on the nightstand.

Get a couple of extra high cap mags, while you still can and enjoy that fine nine. We look forward to your range report. Regards 18DAI

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7 +1 Rounds of hope & change

Never seen the rubber hammer cap before.

That's really pretty cool ��.

Always see something interesting here.

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Un-Reconstructed Southerner

If this is the person who posted on Facebook, the cap covers a chip in the hammer spur.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

No not the same person. I have not tried to remove the cap to check on that but I will give it a try. When I picked this up there were seven to choose from and they all had the little rubber caps on the hammers. I don't have any idea if they came from S&W that way or if what ever agency that had them put them on.

I'd guess it was an agency thing as I don't recall seeing that on any 3rd Gen.

I'm glad that you're not the same person for reasons I won't bore you with.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Not sure why it’d be on a DA/SA pistol but it is “practical” on a SA one with their wonderful nasty sharp spurred hammers.

I like to compare triggers and reacquaint myself with them without live ammunition so that plastic cap saves on my thumb.

I actually got that idea right here including where to get them.

Jim

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So, I took the cap off last night to check the hammer spur out and other than some gunk looks perfect. I cleaned it up and put it back on as it does make it more comfortable to manipulate the hammer. I am leaning toward it protecting clothing or skin from the sharpness of the hammer spur. Anyone else have any ideas?

4T5guy , where did you get them from ? Is that a 745 in the pic ? I know what you mean about them , having 3 of them .

So just for a quick update, I went back by the shop today our of curiosity and they still have some 5903's in the case. Most but not all of them had the little cap, some in black and some in white. They also had assorted hammers and triggers, some stainless and some MIM. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to it.