It looks like some people are beginning to attach cult status to the second and third generation hand guns.

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I went down the rabbit hole hard for 3rd gens a few years ago. Here's what I have left -

3914DAO. This to me is the best of the 39xx series, as it's a true DA with 2nd strike capability, And the trigger is as good as an early 686.

4013TSW - best of the compact 3rd Gen pistols. Again, JMHO.

5946 NYPD, with letter to prove it. It was on duty 9/11/2001. And I like the way it shoots.

4006TSW CHP. What I consider my crown jewel. What a well made pistol.

4043 - nothing special, but I'll probably never find the ConRail Police marked one I covet (CRPD)

457 - because it looks cools, and shoots pretty well.

JMHO YMMV
 
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Picked up this 915 for $325 out the door back in late October or early November. I don't come across to many 59 series in my area and haven't really been paying attention to prices. But I have a feeling the pawnshop must of been in a hurry to move merchandise at the time.
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I've since put on some factory grips and got some MecGar mags for it.
 
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BarryinIN said:
I can’t think of any trait of their triggers I do like.
In DA, they stack, with a slight chattering feel, until the pull not so much releases as much as it suddenly sort of fades away.
In SA, there is a lot of slack, then too much pull weight, until you get a release followed by an over travel that isn’t actually as long as it feels.

I take it back. There is one trait that I like. The reset is pretty good. It’s short and you can feel it.

That some may manage to shoot well with them does not make any of that untrue. When good shooting is done with them, it’s done in spite of the trigger. I have heard people praise the K-frame DA trigger and the 1911 trigger, but I have yet to hear people say a S&W 1st/2nd/3rd Gen auto trigger is what we really need.
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I agree that they do not have great triggers, atleast the ones I've owned. The 2nd gen triggers are actually bad. I didn't really know how bad they were until I got into Sig P-series da/sa a year ago. I switched out almost all the internal parts on a 459 with 3rd gen parts and a lighter main spring to improve the trigger. It helped a little but was still bad. I've only ever owned one 1st gen and it has a better trigger than my 2nd gens but not as good as the 3rd gens. My 3rd gen triggers have smooth double action pulls but are quite heavy. I've tried a little bit lighter main spring, but I think I need to see how low I can go on main spring weight while still being 100% reliable. I like my 3rd gens but their triggers are not even comparable to my 357 Sig P229. I just don't think all the generations should be lumped together as having bad triggers. 3rd gens are not bad, but I judge a da/sa trigger mostly on just the da pull.
 
easymoney72 said:
I agree that they do not have great triggers, atleast the ones I've owned. The 2nd gen triggers are actually bad. I didn't really know how bad they were until I got into Sig P-series da/sa a year ago. I switched out almost all the internal parts on a 459 with 3rd gen parts and a lighter main spring to improve the trigger. It helped a little but was still bad. I've only ever owned one 1st gen and it has a better trigger than my 2nd gens but not as good as the 3rd gens. My 3rd gen triggers have smooth double action pulls but are quite heavy. I've tried a little bit lighter main spring, but I think I need to see how low I can go on main spring weight while still being 100% reliable. I like my 3rd gens but their triggers are not even comparable to my 357 Sig P229. I just don't think all the generations should be lumped together as having bad triggers. 3rd gens are not bad, but I judge a da/sa trigger mostly on just the da pull.
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Trouble is, whenever anyone says anything around here, there’ll always be someone else who’ll come along to disagree. Today, it’s my turn to disagree.

Wolff Gunsprings offers a 3 pound trigger return spring which works wonders for 3rd Gen DA trigger pull, without messing with the hammer spring in any way. Lightening the hammer spring invites cycling issues and increases the potential for misfires - so never do it. Following the installation of a Wolff 3 pound trigger return spring with about a zillion dry-fires will accomplish two things: it smooths out the DA trigger pull until it is like a dream, and you learn the gun in a way that cannot be otherwise duplicated. Here’s what that can mean:

FullSizeRender 207.webp

FYI, in order to generate funds for the purchase of the makings for a pretty cool .45ACP SBR, I’ll be selling this 5906 at a local gun show this coming Saturday. Please understand that I have removed the entire modified slide assembly (containing the pictured Bar-Sto barrel, MMC sights and one-sided safety) and substituted a completely stock slide assembly I had laying about. However, the frame and its innards remain unchanged. It still has one of the best trigger pulls I’ve ever encountered on a DA/SA pistol (in my opinion). If you have interest in making this particular 5906 your own, please let me know before Saturday.
 
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As far as "wining and dining" LE departments which I assume was a comment directed at Glock, well there is much more to that claim. How about giving away freebies? Like patrol rifles for instance. I know of at least one large company that gives away free rifles to departments that buy their handguns. Care to guess who that company was? It certainly wasn't Glock seeing as though Glock doesn't make rifles. And I don't recall my old department having to sign any non-disclosure agreements when we switched to Glocks from the infamous Ruger's we had.

Truth is we have no idea what goes on in the business world and what it takes to make a sale, but it is a far cry from what is done in the political world laden with inside traders and get rich quick scammers. How is it someone making a mediocre salary coming into office can make millions within 3 years of being elected? Newsflash! We are all being taken to the cleaners.

To the conversation about 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen S&W pistols, I really liked the M-39 series of pistols because they fit my hand so well, but I hated the trigger action on all these pistols except for the M-52. At one time I had six M-52's all of which had outstanding triggers on them, but the trigger action on all the other 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen pistols I owned was terrible. Gritty, crunchy, stagey with false creepy walls is the best descriptors for these pistols, but the Model 52's were perfection. No other Smith and Wesson semi-auto production pistol had a trigger action like a M-52. The only time I ever had what I would call a good trigger pull action on a Smith and Wesson semi-auto pistol, save for the M-52, was after I sent one of my 3rd Gen pistols to Cylinder and Slide for a $300.00 workover. While it was a much nicer trigger when I got it back it still wasn't close to any of my M-52's.

The truth is Smith and Wesson has been passed over by much better semi-auto pistols on the market that don't cost a whole lot more. So I guess I don't understand what all the hype is about 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen Smith and Wesson semi-autos. They filled a need when they were made, but time has passed them by. Smith and Wesson certainly made a ton of different semi-auto models, but I think they tried to be the one company to make a pistol for every need, same as another well known company who has since culled their herd so to speak. Perhaps Smith and Wesson should do the same while at the same time work on better quality control.

Rick H.
 
I have several 39s /39-2's a couple of 52's, a couple of 59's and several other 2nd and 3rd gens all in 9mm (except the 52 obviously)
also a 645 and a 4506 as well (I don't care for the 4506 as much as the 645)
Oh yea I have a 745 too I like it also
I would have to say I like them all some more than others

I really like the 39's the best for my smaller hands
the triggers are Ok, but not great, but if I practice with them, I get pretty good with them, .....as with any gun I shoot.... and I like to shoot a lot of different stuff

I find them to be well made and very reliable and they are not plastic
I think I'll keep all of them....at least for now I do not have a 5906 but I'll remedy that issue at some point :)
Variety is the spice that keeps me coming back
 
Exchipy said:
Trouble is, whenever anyone says anything around here, there’ll always be someone else who’ll come along to disagree. Today, it’s my turn to disagree.

Wolff Gunsprings offers a 3 pound trigger return spring which works wonders for 3rd Gen DA trigger pull, without messing with the hammer spring in any way. Lightening the hammer spring invites cycling issues and increases the potential for misfires - so never do it. Following the installation of a Wolff 3 pound trigger return spring with about a zillion dry-fires will accomplish two things: it smooths out the DA trigger pull until it is like a dream, and you learn the gun in a way that cannot be otherwise duplicated. Here’s what that can mean:

View attachment 869098
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A lighter trigger return spring doesn't change the fact that when pulling the trigger you are compressing a heavy main spring. I would be interested in the pull weight on a trigger gauge of a 3rd gen with the lighter trigger return spring and a factory oem weight main spring. I guess I could buy one of those springs from Wolff to see how much it improves the trigger. It is a well known fact that you can install a lighter main spring while still being 100% reliable, as long as you don't use a spring that is too light. The half cock notch is not what makes 2nd gen triggers bad. I'm going to install a bobbed 2nd gen hammer on my 6906. I can carry it in the half cock position and it shortens the DA pull and even though it's bobbed, I could still thumb cock it.
 
I have many guns, of those there is four 3rd gen’s that I probably will never sell. My son will have to decide what happens to them when I’m gone. They are all 90%+ condition, all are stainless and/or stainless and alloy, and their triggers work just fine for me. They are a 908s, a 910s, a 4006, and a 4516. I might say 5 3rd gen’s if you count they early production all stainless 1911, the one a couple years before the E Series. Also note the only difference between a 910 and a 915 is the mag round count. I’ve carried my 910s with a 15 round mag almost since day one. Love 3rd gen’s.
 
I bought my first S&W semi-auto back in the '60s, have remained a fan, and have owned a number of 1st., 2nd. and 3rd. Gen examples since. I carried an alloy frame CQB .45 for 2-3 years at work; never a malfunction of any kind. My CQBs and DPA 5906s had duty type triggers, not target type triggers like the 952 and 952-1 had. The little 3913 was just as reliable as the CQB, and I carried it as a second weapon while still gainfully employed, then a CCW after retirement. I can't say the S&Ws are better than someone else's choice, but they have served me well..
CQB, 3913 (14) - Copy.webp
 
larry169 said:
Also note the only difference between a 910 and a 915 is the mag round count.
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Well that’s simply not true. The contour of the frame and slide are much blockier on the lower priced 910, the barrel is different and doesn’t use a locking lug, the magazine catch and guide rod are made from less expensive plastic.

The 910 is much cost-reduced pistol that they had originally envisioned when they made the 915 and 411 and did not lower the cost of manufacture as much as they wanted.
 
Sevens said:
Well that’s simply not true. The contour of the frame and slide are much blockier on the lower priced 910, the barrel is different and doesn’t use a locking lug, the magazine catch and guide rod are made from less expensive plastic.

The 910 is much cost-reduced pistol that they had originally envisioned when they made the 915 and 411 and did not lower the cost of manufacture as much as they wanted.
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I think also the 910 has plastic sights, and the 915 are metal, right?
 
I had a 4056TSW, which is fairly rare. But I didn't like the weight and low capacity. So I sold it for $650 and bought a like new HK VP9 (for $325), a case of ammo, and a couple bottles of good bourbon. While I sometimes miss the gun, I don't regret my choice.
 
If we would just stop telling everyone they are well designed, well made, and reliable pistols, then the prices may stop increasing. I still see them pop up with very good prices, but I also see some that seem over priced. Can I find one I want, at a price I'm willing to pay? Now that is the real question.
 
I think the renewed interest in S&W Autoloaders is mostly nostalgia.

When I was a policeman the 9mm was getting pretty popular with LEOs. My Department got every S&W option. I so wanted the 45 ACP to be great or at least good and I carried a 4506 but it was no where near as great as the 1911 is.
 
Sevens said:
This is some genuinely low IQ commentary here. The S&W Model 39 alone sold over 347,000 units. When the goal of the manufacturer is to make something that works well, that people actually like and choose to purchase, that’s a really great sales number.

So the statement itself is not very bright, but to seek out the specific place where folks gather to celebrate the series of pistols to share the dumb comment — well that’s obviously the work of a chud.
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Ford Model T
was famously unchanged in its core design for nearly 20 years, produced from 1908 to 1927.

While minor updates occurred—such as the introduction of electric starters in 1919 and a styling tweak in 1926—Henry Ford famously believed the Model T was all the car a person would ever need, refusing significant changes despite declining sales and competition.

Model 39 same as Model T. As a consumer for the M39 back then it was the only option for DA/SA besides a WWII surplus P-38.
 
easymoney72 said:
I guess I could buy one of those springs from Wolff to see how much it improves the trigger.
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I believe you’ll be surprised and pleased. And, don’t forget to add mass quantities of dry-firing to smooth things out, it’s a moral imperative. Keep in mind that the best triggers are not the absolute lightest triggers. Some resistance is necessary to stabilize the gripping hand. Smoothness is the goal, just lightened enough that the sights do not move when the trigger slackens as the hammer is released. Yes, a trigger pull can be too light for the most precise shooting.

See my earlier post above, which I’ve edited to provide a way in which you can experience an absolutely excellent 3rd Gen trigger pull (in my opinion), obtained only by substituting a Wolff 3 pound trigger return spring and nearly four decades of both dry-firing and live-firing.
 
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SGT ROCK 11B said:
As a consumer for the M39 back then it was the only option for DA/SA besides a WWII surplus P-38.
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Bold statement. When are you suggesting “back then” was? The subject Model 39 was made from 1955 to 1982.

By 1982 there was lots of DA/SA 9mm models from a list of manufacturers. 1955, not so much.
 
You won’t get either of my G3s for $900.

Darn shame about that mediocre accuracy and crummy trigger thing. My guns must not have gotten the memo.

The Smiths were very good pistols. Man, it’s hard to take down the King: The 1911.

*** The Smiths were good about digesting 45 Super.
 

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Sevens said:
Well that’s simply not true. The contour of the frame and slide are much blockier on the lower priced 910, the barrel is different and doesn’t use a locking lug, the magazine catch and guide rod are made from less expensive plastic.

My Bad, you are correct. There are more things different in the 910 vs 915. The 910 and the 908 were Value Line versions of the 5906 and 3913 respectively. Yes much more blocky on the top of the slide. MIM trigger, hammer, mag release button, guide rod, not sure about the internal differences. I did however replace the guide rod in my 910s with the stainless steel one for a 5906, purchased from S&W. Also replaced the straight down grip with the curved palm swell version from again the 5906. Yes these two guns are not the 5906 or 3913 but I love them, and I purchased them new back when play money was more tight,IMG_0998.webp shoot them and never ever had any type of failure.
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The 645 and its offspring, the 4506 and their .45 ACP brethren are good, solid pistols and don’t have the sometimes controversial reputation of the rest of the lineup. That I am not a fan and the safety/decocking levers are in the wrong place is simply a subjective opinion. I did not care for the way any of the three generations handled or shot, but again, that is subjective. I’m just glad someone is making some money off those ole pistols.
 
The 910s is a Value Line version of the 5903, not the 5906, as it has an alloy frame.

The one that nobody ever seems to mention is the Model 909, the Value Line version of the 3904. Single stack full size alloy frame.
 
I think the S&W semi-auto pistols hit cult status when the TV show "Starsky & Hutch" hit the airwaves in 1975, featuring detective David Starsky using a Model 59. Then Don Johnson's character, Sonny Crockett, switched to the 645 and later to the 4506 in a little tv show called "Miami Vice".
 
Exchipy said:
I believe you’ll be surprised and pleased. And, don’t forget to add mass quantities of dry-firing to smooth things out, it’s a moral imperative. Keep in mind that the best triggers are not the absolute lightest triggers. Some resistance is necessary to stabilize the gripping hand. Smoothness is the goal, just lightened enough that the sights do not move when the trigger slackens as the hammer is released. Yes, a trigger pull can be too light for the most precise shooting.

See my earlier post above, which I’ve edited to provide a way in which you can experience an absolutely excellent 3rd Gen trigger pull (in my opinion), obtained only by substituting a Wolff 3 pound trigger return spring and nearly four decades of both dry-firing and live-firing.
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Great, well thought out post. As a former high count competition shooter my S/A semi- autos are tuned to break at a smooth 3.5 pounds. My revolvers are all double action only! My DA/SA are all as issued but smooth in DA and SA! I have never measured the trigger pull but they all break at a smooth consistent "pull"!
What is important as you mentioned is a smooth consistent break. I like to think that a properly tuned "trigger pull" allows me a millisecond to finalize that near perfect sight picture. Ive never been a "spray and pray" ultra fast competitor but I'm proud of my ultra low points down! I literally think that I'm actually steering the front sight during that slightly longer trigger pull interval! :)
 
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