I have a 908 that I love and have carried daily for about 2 years now. It's never had a single hiccup and eats everything like most 3rd gens. My question is since the 908 is billed as the more "economy model " of the fist cousin 3913, what should I consider to beef it up at all to make sure it stays stout? I know the guide rod is plastic vs steel. Are those interchangeable with steel ones? Are there other upgrades I should consider? Again it's never failed. I probably put 150 rounds a month through it. My other 3rd gens are 6906 and 4586TSW. Any advice would be appreciated!

The guide rod can be swapped out no problem. I did so on a 915 only because I had one. I know the sights and mag release are plastic but have never heard of the need to change them out.... so I think if it aint broke , leave it alone

I have a 908 and a 908S and the only upgrade was changing the guide rod from plastic to medal. I thought about changing the sights and mag release, but why? It carries just fine and likewise, I NEVER had a hiccup with any ammo I ran through it. I have a 3913TSW that I do have FTE issues from time to time......I do not carry that pistol since I don't feel comfortable with it's reliability. Nuf said!

I just put a 3913 guide rod in mine and got a good IWB holster. I bought mine used and have since put over 1K rounds through it with zero failures. It eats home made cast bullet loads and every type of factory hard ball and hollow point I could get my hands on. They are great little pistols.

I have thought about night sights but have not gotten around to it yet.

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AL
Pax Per Potens

I kept mine stock. However, I checked the guide rod to make sure it was OK. Sometimes the plastic tip that bears against the bottom of the barrel will get boogered up. It'll still function, but you might not like it.

I have a 908 and a 457, which is the value line .45. The only thing I don't like is the plastic sights - if you drop it, it WILL land on the sight. I recently removed the sights on the 457 to refinish the slide and the pusher left a divot on the front sight. MidwayUSA had them in stock for $13 so I replaced it, but they are difficult to install even with a pusher.

Unfortunately, these sights are not interchangable with any of the other 3d gens. Hi Viz made fiber optic sights that fit that dovetail, but they are now long out of production. The only aftermarket sights I could find are Trijicons for about $140. Novack's will recut the dovetail, but that was even more costly.

Other than the sights, I love both pistols. In fact, after refinishing the 457, I think the black finish is an advantage as scratches and wear are much easier to touch up than bead blasting a stainless weapon.

I swapped the guide rod from polymer to a 3913 stainless, swapped the dis-connector from the polymer to a 3913 metal version just because I had one in my part bin, and put Lady Smith Grey grips for a two tone look. The 908 and 908s shown are near the top of my list for carry. Not a hiccup over many hundreds of all ammo.

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Glen

I replaced the sights with Trijicon Night Sights. Expensive but I like them.



I also replaced the factory grip with Hogue rubber just because they fell better in my hand. The factory grip sure does look better.

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C & L

Thanks much for the input. I'll call Smith and see about a 3913 guide rod. Like I said my 908 has never hiccupped on anything - and I trust it daily. Couldn't believe it when I was able to pick it up in the original box with all papers and it was like nwe - for only $300. Actually got it from a S&W collector who works at a LGS and this was a duplicate. Was looking for a 3913 for over a year, but very glad to have this workhorse.

Check with MIDWAY for the guiderod

Plastic mag catch can (will) wear down enough until the mag is low enough to disengage the mag disconnect and gun will no longer be 100%. I have seen this on one gun, it would function with some mags but not all. There is a reason why S&W no longer makes the mag catch out of plastic replacements are now metal. The retainer is still plastic and I would replace that along with the spring on any pistol that was going to be used for SD.

i put a new recoil spring along with new metal guide rod in my 908... some parts places.. Firearm Parts & Accessories | Military Surplus | Numrich Gun Parts

Springs for SMITH & WESSON NUMBERED SERIES Semi-Auto Pistols

I picked up a 908S for $300.00 locally, and the only upgrade I did was the metal recoil spring guide from Numerich. Great, inexpensive shooter!

Great update information. Thanks everyone! Will replace the guiderod and spring at the same time. Thanks to Mack for the tip on the mag catch, retainer, and spring, and Fast20 for the links.

I just got one. Pretty happy with the purchase. It doesn't sound like upgrading the guide rod is really needed if everything is functioning. I'm really looking forward to getting it to the range.

Anyone have a recommendation on an IWB holster for cc? I have a blackhawk IWB leather that is for a Glock 19. It fits but is a bit bulky.


I know Sig will beadblast blued guns to make them a stainless finish. Anyone ever done that with a 908 or does S&W offer the service?

Remove the finish and I don't think you could buy enough oil to prevent rust.

On the brighter side, its not that difficult to strip and cold blue the slide on a value line. I just did the slide on a 457 with some serious finger prints and it looks like new. The alunimum frames are also easy to touch up with the Birchfield-Casy stuff.

Yep realized the frame is alum so that is a no go on refinishing to stainless unless it was re anodized by S&W. Might keep a lookout for a 3913 blued slide to created a melted 908 :-)

Which cold blue do you use? Every cold blue I have tried makes the gun STINK as in smell really bad.

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C & L

Tucker Gunleather. I've got his cover-up plus for both a 908S and one for the Taurus PT145. Love the fit, feel, and everything about it. They are a little pricey, but the best IWB holsters I've owned.

Anybody know if a 908 frame could be used to replace a cracked 3913 frame? Would the slide be interchangeable?

I have used the Tetra and both versions of the Birchwood-Casey blue and neither have any odor.

Here’s the link to the 457 when I received it.

I removed the sights then cleaned up the slide using wet or dry sandpaper and oil on a granite tile flat plate. It goes faster if you strip the finish first using the Birchwood-Casey stripper. I started with 220 grit then went to 300. The slide takes a nice polish. Degrease well and slop on the blue. I found there is no rush to stop the chemical action with water – let it work as long as possible, then wipe gently and do it again. The instructions said to polish with a cotton cloth, but I found that I could rub through the finish until it had cured for a good while. I need to post some pictures, but the slide is now every bit as black as the anodized frame. Nice thing about it is that if I get some holster wear, it is a simple matter to degrease and touch up. Oil well when you’re finished.

You might also notice the Bubba marks on the 457 right under the slide lock. The gun looks like Bubba got finger prints all over his new – never fired – gun then tried to remove the slide lock with a screwdriver and scratched the frame. The Bubba marks went right across the serial number so I was afraid to try to polish them out, but the Birchwood-Casey Aluminum Black on a Q-tip matched them perfectly with the surrounding finish – no need to strip the frame.

I got a bargain on the 457 because of the rusty fingerprints on the slide and they turned out not to be that difficult to refinish. The rest of the gun and grips don’t have a mark to indicate that it was ever fired or carried so I’m pretty happy with the deal. I don’t know that it will replace my 9mm trio of third gens, but I’d forgotten how nice 45 acp is to fire. I have a nice Kramer #3 on order, but I’m learning to like the nylon DeSantis I found in my holster box.