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Serial number VJN63xx.

Also, how durable are the MIM hammers/triggers on these?
I assume they are MIM (blued, not flash-chromed).

I prefer forged parts, and have heard about how MIM parts CAN fail, but have not heard about them ACTUALLY failing.

I sure hope it's a good one because I freaking LOVE it.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Don’t worry about MIM part strength. Members who work in the automotive industry have pointed out that there are MIM engine parts under higher loads going round and round all the way to the gun show. All but one of my 3rd gens were purchased before S&W went to MIM so forged looks right to me, but the only difference in use is the forged parts’ chrome blocks rusting.

So far as I know the forged hammers and triggers in stainless 3rd gens were always flash chromed and all the blued ones installed in them were MIM. You can also identify MIM parts by their shrinkage cavities. They’re easy to spot on the sides of hammers.

Since yours is DAO I’ll opine that the more significant change was lengthening the DAO trigger pull. While older DAOs had slides and frames that were longer in the rear, newer style DAOs use the same slides and frames as TDAs. To keep the newer style’s hammer face inside the slide they are not cocked or staged back as far in their holstered condition, hence their longer pull.

Edit to add: I read your post in the other thread. $249 from a LGS is the lowest price I’ve heard of on a 3rd gen. You got a lot of gun for the money.

I thought only the TSW versions of the 5946's used the same slide as the as the TDA autos and had the longer DAO pull.

Bought a 6946 a month ago for $209 before 10% off.

They also had....

A few 915 $199
Few more 6946 $239
6904 $209
A 5904 for $199 (I bought and already sold for cost because of the rear sight)

They got a LOT of Puerto Rico trade ins.


My best buy from PR was a 870 Wingmaster with factory extended mag and Pacy grip and forend for $99 (before the 10%)

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I miss my 4546 the most.

I'm not sure when S&W started usuing them but sometime in the mid 90's they also used blued carbon steel hammers and triggers in 3rd gens. I think they started using the MIM hammers and triggers around '96 or '97. Easiest way to tell if it has MIM parts is the tub shaped cavity on the sides of the MIM hammer. I have a 3913 made Oct. '95 that has the blued carbon steel hammer and trigger.

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Sappers Lead The Way

Mine actually has a shorter trigger reach than a 5906.
The action works like a Block, with the slide half cocking the hammer and the trigger doing the rest.
The lack of a second strike capability is the only thing I don't like.
My Ruger SR9 and Kel-Tec P3AT also lack that ability, and I can live with it.
Luckily, It's been 15 years since I had a misfire with factory ammo.

Now, if I can find the ship date.

I didn't see any of the telltale MIM signs on my hammer or trigger.
No bathtub depressions on sides of hammer.
I saw some Smith .40s in the case that clearly had MIM hammers.

I like the Novak sights on my 5946.
I'm just hoping someone can give me a ship date for it.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Your description covers all 3rd gen DAOs. For lack of a recognizable collector term I’m calling the DAOs built by installing different parts in TDA frames and slides newer style. Comparing them to older style is like comparing Springfield Armory XDs to “Blocks”. Newer style hammers are not rotated as far before catching on the “half cook” notch. Like the “Blocks” they have less pre-loading of the mainspring.

Yours is an older style. You can spot old v. new in pictures two ways. New style have kidney shaped fillers in the safety recesses on the sides of their slides and old style’s longer slides extend back further behind the Novak. Being old style dates yours to before the 1996 or 1997 modernization unless like scwv67 posted, only Tactical DAO 3rd gens used TDA slides and frames. I don't know if only Tactical models were made new style, but, even though I own an example, I forgot about blued forged hammers and triggers.Those date yours to the couple years before the modernization, or 1995 +/- a year. Although collectors in the 1896-1960 revolver forum make a big deal about learning the date S&W shipped their revolver, that would be close enough for me.

For those of us who find the double stack TDA DA trigger reach too long but still want a 3rd gen a DAO is one solution.

Hard to believe it's around 20 years old.
The frame/slide fit is nice and tight. A LOT less wear than the 5906s they have.
Still thinking about grabbing one of the 5906s for that price.

It's a hefty piece, compared to my Ruger SRTactical Tupperware9.
Not a complaint.

Funny thing, my Bianchi 5906 duty holster fits my Daewoo DP51 perfectly.
The thumb break, however, won't quite reach far enough to snap behind the slide of the 5946.

The lack of wear on this gun leads me to believe it was either unissued, issued to a desk jockey, or replaced by Tactical Tupperware shortly after being issued.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

The early DAO guns have a longer slide.

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I miss my 4546 the most.

I went back and compared it to a pic of a 5906 and I see what you mean about the slide length.
Not a lot of difference, but enough to keep the thumb break from snapping.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I pulled the slide tonight and the tub shaped recesses are apparent on the sides of the hammer.
You can't see the with the slide on, unless you look at the sides of the hammer with the trigger pulled almost all the way back.
Guess it's a little newer than I thought.
It's still full of preservative oil and has absolutely no signs of use.
I'm starting to think this one was never issued before being traded in for Tupperware.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

So, I went back to the fun store and bought 3 more 5906 mags for $10 each.
Even if I had to replace every spring in every mag, I'd have less than half as much invested as I would for brand new mags.
I now have 10 spare 5906 mags.
Think that'll be enough?
PLUS, I found an NOS Don Hume duty holster for the 5946.
It's also left handed, like me.

Plus, I got two mags for my CZ82 for $10 each.

AND, I put a 5906 with the straight-backed grip on layaway.

Damn, I'm weak about these things.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?