Sales, S&W cannot make enough M&P polymer guns - I have one - and S&W metal gun sales were slow. They are putting the production capacity where it counts. They learned to not expand capacity, but change it with sales trends.

All steel guns may be heavy, but plastic has no soul. I carry a Shield or a Glock 19 most of the time, but also carry a 1911, a 340 M&P or 640-1 fairly regularly. The polymer guns are accurate, comfortable to carry, durable and reliable, but I don't think they are any more reliable than the 4506, 4566 or the 4516s I carried for uniformed duty use, plainclothes and off-duty back in the late 80's - early 90's. I never had a problem with any of them.

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Dave Frost

Womans Liberation killed the 3rd generation Smiths.

Thank goodness!
I was afraid it was "Global Warming".

John

Video killed the radio star.
Ohwa ohwa...

Nay, Nay, nay, Women's Lib. For decades before the mid 1980's police forces across the country were armed with Colt Single action .45's, 1911 .45's, All steel S & W .45 semis, .45 revolvers, and .357 revolvers. All of these were steel rootin tootin shootin guns for REAL lawman.

Then Sally Swat appeared looking for equal opportunity on the police force. "Those guns are too big. They are too powerful for me." she exclaimed. So, city councils throughout the land searched for a light weight, low power arm for their police so Sally would be happy and not sue them for discrimination.

Lo, from Austria it came. The city councils were ecstatic. "Look a plastic girls gun that shoots a puny 9mm. Won't Sally love us."

And Sally did. And that is why there are no more 3rd generation Smiths in production.

But that is not the end of the story. After a Chicago cop fired 16 shoots at a very nice boy last week, there will be a call to limit the power and capacity of police firearms because #Criminal Lives Matter. I would expect shortly that some city councils will adopt the NAA .22 Short 5 shot as their police duty gun.

remember, too, that old Gaston had a sales force in every big city and Andy-and-Barney department practically giving away the guns, furnishing the leather, and buying back the Smiths. No department can stand up to a deal like that; the bean counters WILL have their say.

No business makes a decision without a business plan. Customers bought polymer, S&W makes them. I no longer buy S&W's but I must be the exception.

Beretta is now my only option, the fire control is identical to the S&W autos, no training required, and lots of spare parts for the forseeable future.

I love my revolvers, but someone explain why S&W is still making a myriad of them? Are they selling that well? Better than 3rd Gen pistols would?

My 3rd gen 5943 has an aluminum frame. It's really light for a full sized pistol. It's just a lot cheaper to mold plastic than machine metal.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"