Model 915

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Johnboy9mm

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Hi I am new to forum, hope I have the right place to ask this question, I have a Smith&wesson model 915 serial # vav 8517 can anyone tell me when it was made? If wrong thread I apologize in advance. Thanks
John
 
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Welcome to the neighborhood.....this is the right place to ask questions about your M915
 
The 915 was only made for a couple of years (1992-94, I believe). Perhaps someone else can narrow the date for your serial number. And, if I remember correctly, the earlier ones had Novak sights.
 
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Welcome to the forum! :)

According to the Standard Catalog of S&W, 4th edition, VAV should date to 1994. A call to the 1-800 customer service number MAY provide more info.

Congrats on the 915. Great pistol! I was shooting mine today. Enjoy yours! Regards 18DAI
 
thadheth said:
And, if I remember correctly, the earlier ones had Novak sights.
Click to expand...

I’m sorry but the 915 never had a Novak rear sight unless it was specifically shipped to Novak’s shop in WV for custom work. (Novak did work on many 915’s and other 3rd Gens)

The 915 was S&W’s first attempt at an economy version of the 3rd Gen, and they cut costs with a cheaper finish and much cheaper sights. Both the 915 and 411 were very good guns but S&W found that they hadn’t cut costs enough so after a short run, they were replaced in the lineup by the 910/410 and the 909 and 908 series of pistols that were, without argument, not as good.
 
My friend Sevens is correct, but there was one 915 that came from the factory wearing Novak Low Mount night sights. And it was the only known 915 to be worked up by the then fledgling Performance Center.

It was made for Mr Bert DuVernay, then the Director of the S&W Academy. Mr DuVernay was also a Police Captain at the time. He told me he wanted a teaching pistol that would double as a duty gun. He spoke to the gunsmiths at the Performance Center and had them select a new production 915, with a unique serial number, TZZ8888.

The Performance Center did an action job, cut the slide and installed the Novak sights, polished the barrel hood, crowned the barrel and fitted a slide stop to "...tighten everything up..". Then they refinished the pistol in a matte black and delivered it to Mr DuVernay. Who used it to instruct for a short time, till leaving to become Chief of a Department.

I purchased this one of a kind 915 from Mr DuVernay back in 2007. While it wears no Performance Center markings (Mr DuVernay provided a letter detailing its manufacture) it is ome of the best shooting 9mm I own. The trigger is smooth in DA and crisp in SA. And of course it looks great wearing the Novak sights.

Novaks had their own "Full House" package for the 915. Which included an action job, installation of a Barsto barrel and Novak Low Mount sights. They also refinished the 915. While that package is no longer offered, I believe they will still install the sights. Regards 18DAI
 
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Welcome to the S&W Forums, Johnboy9mm.

The Model 915 was an "economy" version of the Model 5904. Black anodized aluminum receiver and a blued carbon steel slide and small parts. The slide lacked any real polishing and the bluing tended to be thin and not particularly durable. Seems to me the recoil spring guide rod was plastic. The slide lacked the off-side safety lever and the rear sight was the same as the early production 5904/5906 before S&W started using Novak rear sights. The receiver did not receive the lightening cut along the dust cover, so it is just a bit heavier than the 5904. The Model 915 is an excellent sidearm, meant for law enforcement and defensive uses, a job in which it excels.
 
mrmike7189 said:
The 915 has a metal guide rod....the 910 got the plastic parts.
Click to expand...

I think the 915 was discontinued because it was too much like the 59XXs for less money. Both the 910 and 915 were classed as part of the “Value Series” but the real value was the 915! If starting from square one and looking for a good buy on a 3rd Gen pistol, I’d look long and hard at a 915.

OTOH, if I were going to buy and shoot just one 9mm and didn’t want to go with Combat Tupperware, I might look into a 910 and if I could find one cheaply enough and plan on swapping out as many of the plastic parts as practical. Of course by the time I had done all that, I’d probably have as much in it as a 915.:confused:

Froggie
 
Sevens said:
I’m sorry but the 915 never had a Novak rear sight unless it was specifically shipped to Novak’s shop in WV for custom work. (Novak did work on many 915’s and other 3rd Gens)

The 915 was S&W’s first attempt at an economy version of the 3rd Gen, and they cut costs with a cheaper finish and much cheaper sights. Both the 915 and 411 were very good guns but S&W found that they hadn’t cut costs enough so after a short run, they were replaced in the lineup by the 910/410 and the 909 and 908 series of pistols that were, without argument, not as good.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I picked up a lightly-used, pre-owned 411 for peanuts two years ago. Supposedly, as a Value-line model, it's rarer than the 915s.

Had some holster wear toward the front of the slide that made the cheapo paint peel, but otherwise it runs 100% and is surprisingly accurate (to me, anyway) for a .40S&W pistol.
 

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