I recall, vaguely, back in the day, the 3913NL coming out. The local police supply had one in the display case. As I recall, they.....or S&W, were real proud of that model. $150 more than a vanilla 3913, at the time.
And at the time, we all had 3913s. And were very pleased with them. I remember the counter guy telling us that this was the same model as the Lady Smith, except no laser etched logo saying so on the slide. Evidently lots of insecurity back then.
So, I and most of the guys I knew, kept on with our 3913s. And forgot the NL. I know I did, till many years later. One day I was perusing a large auction board and came across a well used 3914NL. An even scarcer model than the 3913NL. Low opening bid. And I won it. And it was one of the few times I have been burned buying off the internet. The guns slide had bad rust and pitting and I bought it "as is". Oh well.
It turned out that the gun shot a hell of a lot better than it looked!
Way better. And unlike my 3913s with their ambi safeties, the 3914NL felt "thin". Carried very comfortably and concealed easily. Which worked out well for me as I had a need to deep conceal a handgun shortly after I purchased it. My talented gunsmith made me a soft leather holster that hid it under a tucked in dress shirt. The 3914NL was undetectable. BUT - rust was an issue. The slide would start to rust if the 3914NL was not wiped down with 3 in 1 oil at least a couple of times a week.
I have been shooting a lot over the last 4 months. Between teaching new and intermediate shooters and working at the local indoor range, I have been shooting between 1K and 1500 rounds per month. About a third of that being 45s. And I noticed something. Pain in my shooting hand after a day of 45s. A dull ache that a couple of Advil usually took care of. But not all the time.
One of my students happened to be an M.D. Nice fellow who gave me a pro bono examination and told me I am getting arthritis in my shooting hand. Due to a long history of shooting 357s and then 45s. He suggested I shoot more 9mm. And I am heeding his sage advice.
Which leads me to my opinion that a 3913NL, with some night sights, may be exactly what the doctor proscribes. Easily concealed, thin, light weight, low recoil, reliable and accurate. Durable too, as it will be seeing a lot of rounds through it. From students and myself. I will use my Pelosi bonus to buy one. She would love that.
I guess I should have ponied up the extra cash back when these 3913NLs were roaming the earth. Because these days, even discounting the current stupidity in gun pricing, they are hard to find and when found, cost a hell of a lot more than just $150 more than a vanilla 3913. Regards 18DAI
And at the time, we all had 3913s. And were very pleased with them. I remember the counter guy telling us that this was the same model as the Lady Smith, except no laser etched logo saying so on the slide. Evidently lots of insecurity back then.
So, I and most of the guys I knew, kept on with our 3913s. And forgot the NL. I know I did, till many years later. One day I was perusing a large auction board and came across a well used 3914NL. An even scarcer model than the 3913NL. Low opening bid. And I won it. And it was one of the few times I have been burned buying off the internet. The guns slide had bad rust and pitting and I bought it "as is". Oh well.
It turned out that the gun shot a hell of a lot better than it looked!
Way better. And unlike my 3913s with their ambi safeties, the 3914NL felt "thin". Carried very comfortably and concealed easily. Which worked out well for me as I had a need to deep conceal a handgun shortly after I purchased it. My talented gunsmith made me a soft leather holster that hid it under a tucked in dress shirt. The 3914NL was undetectable. BUT - rust was an issue. The slide would start to rust if the 3914NL was not wiped down with 3 in 1 oil at least a couple of times a week.I have been shooting a lot over the last 4 months. Between teaching new and intermediate shooters and working at the local indoor range, I have been shooting between 1K and 1500 rounds per month. About a third of that being 45s. And I noticed something. Pain in my shooting hand after a day of 45s. A dull ache that a couple of Advil usually took care of. But not all the time.
One of my students happened to be an M.D. Nice fellow who gave me a pro bono examination and told me I am getting arthritis in my shooting hand. Due to a long history of shooting 357s and then 45s. He suggested I shoot more 9mm. And I am heeding his sage advice.
Which leads me to my opinion that a 3913NL, with some night sights, may be exactly what the doctor proscribes. Easily concealed, thin, light weight, low recoil, reliable and accurate. Durable too, as it will be seeing a lot of rounds through it. From students and myself. I will use my Pelosi bonus to buy one. She would love that.
I guess I should have ponied up the extra cash back when these 3913NLs were roaming the earth. Because these days, even discounting the current stupidity in gun pricing, they are hard to find and when found, cost a hell of a lot more than just $150 more than a vanilla 3913.
Regards 18DAI
