The 5904 is an excellent gun and the lighter alloy frame makes it much more pleasant to carry. As long as you wipe the gun down from time to time with CLP the blue finish will stand the test of time and durability.

I am one of the few people who immediately swap out the curved grips for the straight ones. Just feels right in my hand. Plus the swap out only takes a minute or two and used grips are easy to find.

It's no secret around here that the 3rd Gen Smiths are the single most under-appreciated semi-auto you can find today. They are accurate, reliable, durable and easy to maintain. The are other good guns out there but you cannot go wrong with a 5904. Especially at that price.