3rd GEN steel frames, what model #s?

josywales · Oct 14, 2022

I've been familiar with the Lucky Gunner 3rd GEN chart, but it reads that the 4th digit is Finish and Material nd and that models ending in 4, 5, or 6 have steel frames, but that's not correct. 6946 is allow.

So which 9mm and 45 3rd GEN guns have steel frames, other than a 5906?

JohnHL · Oct 14, 2022

Other than the 69XX series 9mm compact pistols (for which S&W deviated from their standard numbering code for the sake of marketing), all 4 digit 3rd gen models with 5 or 6 being the last number, have either a carbon steel (5) or stainless steel (6) frame.

John

stansdds · Oct 15, 2022

S&W's numbering system regarding receiver metal type for 2nd and 3rd gen pistols did not apply to the compact size 9mm pistols with stainless slides. I understand they created a numbering issue with the 2nd gen compacts, Model 469 accurately described the carbon steel slide with aluminum receiver compact 9mm, but then the stainless slide version which also had an aluminum receiver... uh-oh! With the introduction of the 3rd gen pistols, the Model 69x6 pistols should have been given a Model 69x3 designation, but instead, S&W kept the older style model number system for the compact 9's.

kbm6893 · Oct 15, 2022

stansdds said:
S&W's numbering system regarding receiver metal type for 2nd and 3rd gen pistols did not apply to the compact size 9mm pistols with stainless slides. I understand they created a numbering issue with the 2nd gen compacts, Model 469 accurately described the carbon steel slide with aluminum receiver compact 9mm, but then the stainless slide version which also had an aluminum receiver... uh-oh! With the introduction of the 3rd gen pistols, the Model 69x6 pistols should have been given a Model 69x3 designation, but instead, S&W kept the older style model number system for the compact 9's.

Yep. No reason for what they did but they did it anyway. The models ending in “3” were alloy. 5903, 5943, 3913, 3953. Don’t know why the 69 series weren’t named 6903 and 6943.

JohnHL · Oct 15, 2022

The 2nd gen models 659 (full size) and 669 (compact) were wildly successful for S&W and earned high brand and model recognition.

When S&W transitioned to the 3rd gen models with their 4 digit numbering system, the model 659 became the 5906 and the model 669 would have become the 5913 ("59" indicating 9mm double stack; "1" indicating compact; and "3" indicating alloy frame).

The "69" designation was a marketing department "homage" to the success of the 669 and S&W did not want the buyers to lose sight of the connection between the previous and newer design improvements.

All of the other 4 digit 3rd gen models remained faithful to the new numbering convention.

That is why the 669 became the 6906 and not the 5913 as the numbering system dictated.

John

3rd GEN steel frames, what model #s?

josywales

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JohnHL

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stansdds

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kbm6893

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JohnHL

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