I saw this online & tried to investigate it some. Came up empty. According to Lucky Gunners chart, it would be a 39(54) or 39(84) The pictures of it are sans decocker so it is DAO. One thing I did read is NYPD had these..?? Any insight?

If you do a search in this forum you will find a few threads about the M3914 DAO.

Try the following in the "Search this forum" option.

3914 DAO NYPD

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.............SmithNut

YES, the 3914DAO was produced for NYPD off-duty and also sold to the public for around $730. Lucky Gunner won't have all the variables.

I found this from the Forum dtd 8-14-2012 authored by our late friend 18DAI...


NYPD 3914DAO

I saw a thread on another board the other day. A NYPD officer picked up a new production 3914DAO for off duty use. Yes, S&W is still currently making these at their Houlton ME plant - for the NYPD - and no, you don't have to be a cop to buy one. S&W won't advertise the fact that these are available. Why? I guess they want to sell some "shields".

The 3914DAO example I saw was all black finish with the cheesy tan colored laser etched markings. On the left side of the slide is "Smith & Wesson Houlton ME" and the S&W logo. On the frame is the three line S&W Houlton ME, Model 3914DAO and the serial number. The checkering is still on the fronstrap but looks like it has been deleted on the front of the trigger guard. Standard Xenoy grips on the example I saw.

Blue plastic box with three mags. One mag has the flat base plate. I haven't gotten the product code or a pic of the label yet.

Anyone here have one of these? What is the trigger like? Is it of the same quality as the discontinued 3914's? How about the finish? Is it durable? What kind of MSRP is on these?

Anyone know a shop in NY that has any available? Regards 18DAI

Thanks for those replies, I never knew that gun existed

I know that John eventually found an example. After shooting it, he sold it.

There was a time I thought I wanted a 3913 but ended up getting a good deal on a s&w 669 , a size up double stack model . It had a very nice SA trigger and ok da trigger but I never warmed up to it and it spent a 20 years in our gun safe . For the single stack I did end up with a kahr cw9 . Kahrs weight is far less , has a liter and shorter trigger pull stroke many consider DA like , Accuracy is quit good for a small pistol and now there are 10 round extended mags for back up carry . The cost is in the mid to upper $300 dollar range and handles a steady diet of +P ammo if your so inclined . Our oldest daughter now has my old 2008 CW9 and she his fired around 12,000 rounds thru it ., I know as I load the practice ammo .

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 7+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.6", conventional rifling; 1-10 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.9"
Height: 4.5"
Slide Width: .90"
Weight: Pistol 15.8 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front night sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, matte stainless steel slide;
Magazine: 1 - 7 rd, Stainless

The 3914DAO makes the Shield look stupid.

As SmithNut wrote, there are several threads about the 3914DAO. For years it was a mystery of sorts. Even the SCSW had little knowledge about the existence of this model.

They were made in both Springfield, MA and Houlton, ME. Mine is a Houlton made gun which I purchased from a NYPD officer who moved to a different department that specified a different firearm for off duty carry.

The "true" DAO guns are built differently than the 3914. The 3914 was created by producing a hammer that had no single action notch and removing the safety lever.

I converted a S&W 457 to DAO by filing down the single action notch on a hammer I bought on Ebay. I converted it back because firing 50 rounds on that gun tortured my forearm.

BTW, there is a 457D. Two versions as it happens. One was made by doing the same thing that Smith did to make the 3914DAO. The other is a true DAO. Both were made exclusively for Chicago PD. I think it was the second version that made it into production.

Those guns are more scarce than the 3914DAO. I've seen exactly one for sale and that was on this forum a few years ago.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

True, the M457D was a great model..... Here's the one that was in my collection prior to my downsizing some years back.



Click on the pic for a larger view...

Enjoy...

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.............SmithNut

My 457D s/n VJB0xxx product code 108179 is NOT double strike capable.
My blue CS9D s/n EKY7xxx product code 103886 IS Double Strike Capable
A seller once purported his 3953TSW UCV5897 product code 404541 to be double strike capable, but other UCU and UCV 3953TSW same product codes are NOT double strike capable.

Per forum etiquette, 3914DAO pictures

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Waiting for the break of day

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Alright, I’ll weigh in…

A pair of 3914 DAOs that came with boxes and papers.

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Stay Safe...
jd SWCA #3276

Nice! I like that Gen 3's (sorta) are still on the market.

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Heavily armed old man.

These pictures are sad...

The 3914DAO is one of best carry automatics ever produced and most the guns shown here look to have never served a minute of loaded duty time or active range use.

I have one. My EDC is a 442NL. The 3914 DAO gets to the range a few times a year.

I'll admit, I bought it as a safe queen. To me it's the best of the 39xx series pistol.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

Actually, although I don’t carry or shoot mine, both are verified as prior owned by NYPD cops.
They just cleaned up real well!
Great pistols for sure, even in today’s world of striker fired polymer pistols!

__________________
Stay Safe...
jd SWCA #3276

Interesting thread with some nice pics of the 3914DAO.

I always wondered why NYPD and Chicago had these special made when they could have bought the Model 3954 (DAO).

I EDC the 3953 (DAO) pistol that had once been with the Newark PD. A fine shooter with a great trigger similar to my long-time duty revolver - a Model 19-4.

I truly enjoy the Gen3 Smiths, and I'm most keen on the 3900s.

I don't really recognize partially energized firing systems like the 395X as being a true DAO with re-strike capability- it's more like a hammer-fired Glock. The 3914DAO is the most analogous trigger system to a DA revolver in stroke and function.

Nice.

I had to chuckle seeing how the factory used their standard drawbar that had a trigger play spring installed, even though the spring served no purpose in the DAO model. Typical S&W simplification regarding assemblies used in production.

The trigger pulls of S&W DAO models has varied over the years. The original DAO had the DAO hammer staged ("located" by DAO sear) further back, since the older and longer slides would cover them better. That gave a lighter and shorter DAO trigger pull (but don't overlook S&W changing the main spring at one time or another).

The newer TSW-era DAO had a longer DAO trigger pull than the earlier style, since the standard length slides didn't extend rearward enough to cover the old-style DAO hammers. The newer style DAO hammers weren't located quite as far in their rearward travel. Plus, the new style DAO design allowed the MIM sear to be used for both TDA and DAO models, with the DAO hammers and triggers being different. (Older style DAO guns required a DAO sear.) We were told in one armorer class that the new MIM sear was referred to, in-house, as the Super Sear, since it could be used in both TDA and new style DAO guns. Besides, the engineers wanted to offer LE agencies the ability to convert TDA to DAO (and vice versa) at the agency level, with few parts replacements needed and the same slides being used.

The DA guns produced as DAO for some agencies were a different breed. Full DA trigger and hammer movement, meaning full weight DA trigger pulls. Probably not for everybody.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Good to see you again, Fastbolt!

How ya been and where ya been?

John?

Been busy and/or distracted by various things. Life.

Was finally sidelined by catching covid for the first time just before Christmas (meaning not at any Holiday gatherings, like a lot of others had happen to them). Came out of it okay, even though my primary doc said I was in a high risk group due to my age and prior cancer history (?? ). My wife didn't come down with it.

The recent storms gave us (speaking of immediate neighbors) a break this winter, meaning compared to last year. Seems the money I spent on an arborist tree service safety-pruning 2 of the Redwood groves next to our house was money well-spent. Only had 2 thick branches come down in the 60MPH+ gusts, and they didn't land in the roof. Property upkeep for a mountain property isn't my idea of how to keep hold on money, though. Saw lots of big stuff rush by in the elevated water level of the river that borders the side of our property, though, including one respectably-sized tree. Wonder if it made it all the way to the sea?

Haven't been doing quite as much shooting. Just enough to assess whether my shooting skills are developing any rust and dust. Might be okay-ish, as the new instructor who observed me for my last LEOSA qual opined most of their people running 9's with factory RDS would like to be able to shoot that well. (I took my 3913 and one of my M&P 340's to that qual.)

Also been busy adding to my knife habit. Now that I finally got my son interested in collecting knives - (by gifting him some of my very collectable knives from before and after he was born, and he's in his mid 40's ) - we've been gifting each other some folders pretty often. He's got more expensive tastes, though. Guess he really got bit by the bug.

I still stop by one of the other gun forums, mostly for the sheer entertainment of it, but I'll try to make it a point to peek in here more often.

Meanwhile, gotta run. I want to run over the hill for an early afternoon at my cigar club. The brief respite from cold and wet weather makes it a pocket-holster day, so my first M&P 340 gets the duty today.

Best regards.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

Interesting read & great pics to go along with it.

I had no idea that S&W still made a Gen 3 type pistol.

Now I want one. I guess their strategy is working though because I just bought a shield plus.

I might not have though if I’d have read this thread first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Glad to hear you're still pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em back down again, Fastbolt.

Sorry to hear about the Covid.

I hear it can be rough.

And you're right.

Taking care of hilly, wooded property ain't the walk in the park or carefree hike in the woods it was 30 years ago.

Still, it beats sub-division life by a country mile.

Don't be a stranger.

Your words of wisdom and friendly writing style have always been, and will continue to be, welcome.

John

Welcome to the Forum, paknheat!

Sorry to say, S&W hasn't produced any new 3rd gens for quite a few years now.

Happily, there are still a lot of 3rd gen pistols of all varieties on the secondary market.

And if you get a strong desire for a DAO compact and you can't find a 3914DAO at a price you like, it's an easy conversion on any 3rd gen pistol.

John

I picked up another one last month off of GB for a bargain price- it came with the original box, but I can’t (as of yet) verify its providence. It does show some use and wear and I’m thinking of after changing out the springs and routine maintenance and getting an appropriate CC holster and magazine pouch, I’m going to add it to my carry rotation.

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Stay Safe...
jd SWCA #3276