3913NL I think I need one.

[18DAI]

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

 

[URIT]

The 3913NL is a sweet gun and I understand why you want one.

You are right about the price. I found one on GB last May going for $280 with 10 minutes to auction end and a bidding war started. In the end, I spent all but two thin dimes of five Ben Franklins to get it in my safe. It is a fine shooter.

I feel your pain too. The arthritis in my hands seems to be aggrevated by the cold weather and eating the wrong foods; namely, white wheat and sugary products. The less simple carbohydrates I eat today makes tomorrow a better day.

 

[4T5GUY]

Yes of course I would have to agree with your new Dr. friend. (Although it seems that in actuality you got something JUST because of the position you were in.)

You really should disperse ALL of your S&W .45acp's immediately. You should curtail all carrying and shooting of them. As a "friend" of yours I will actually take, (buy,) those damaging .45's from you.

Kinda funny side note. When I broke my back in two places, was stair stepped in, three blown out disc's and twisted 25 deg's the medical people couldn't help me, (other than drugs and surgery.) I went to a chiropractor and things got correct fast. BUT he told me I had to sell my daily driver. A snastie, high horsepower, high torque five speed Mustang. I did not take his advice and I'm good to go.

Jim

 

[lhump1961]

Given your history and knowledge I am VERY surprised to learn you don't have at least one example of all the 3rd gens! I wish I could stumble upon a 3914NL like yours...no rust though thank you.

I posted this 3913NL a while back when I got it. Paid for it but since I hadn't seen one in that condition I just forked it over and am quite glad I did. I think most of us have kicked ourselves for passing on a gun over a few bucks one way or another only to not see that opportunity again. I remember a boxed 3" model 10 I missed haggling over $50!

Fortunately I have seen a few NL's since buying mine so I'm confident you will find one soon.

 

[Jeppo]

Gonna hafta dig it out and check for rust.

 

[mbliss57]

I have owned a 3913NL and currently have a 3914NL. I have only 1 S&W single stack 9mm left in my safe. (3rd gen) It is a 3914NL. The only other one I would buy if I stumbled on it would be a 3913NL. I have had lots of single stack 3rd gens. But these are the ones really worth having. I am sure you will source one soon.

 

[18DAI]

Thanks all!

I am negotiating with a friend here for a clean example. But I appreciate all the other PMs and offers!

I actually almost had one, for $300, when I was working at the Godforsaken gunshop. A guy wandered in on a Saturday morning asking if we bought guns. He said he had a "bunch of guns in the trunk of his car". We went out to look and he had two paper bags, full of pistols. All loaded too. One was a used 3913NL.

I suspected all of them were stolen. But I held up the 3913NL and asked him how much he wanted for it. "$300..?" Yup. Stolen guns. I passed and the guy working with me took his tag number and called it in. We later heard he sold a couple of guns to the shop down the road and sure enough, both came back as stolen.

As to my rusty 3914NL, I scored a 3914NL parts kit off the big auction board a few years back. Included was a good condition slide. So on days my 3914NL needs to be presentable, it can be now.

4T5GUY I will keep your generous offer to relieve me of my 45s in mind! But my arthritis isn't quite that bad yet. Sorry!

Jeppo my friend you have an amazing collection of fine guns! Thanks for sharing that 3914NL with us! Regards 18DAI

 

[StephenWhoDat]

I paid $325 for my 3913NL in like new condition (no box though) just a few months back, during the current "pandemic." But, I will say that 3rd Gen prices down in Louisiana stay fairly low, especially compared to prices I see in other cities/states and online. Southeast Louisiana is a great place for a 3rd Gen collector to live! Hey, maybe that's why I'm still here...

 

[vigil617]

So if I understand correctly, the 3914NL is still in your stable and available for the 9mm shooting you've been encouraged to do, and a 3913NL would be just the ticket so you'll have a "spare" in that caliber and configuration. Salt and pepper, so to speak, for a well-seasoned shooter.

I get it!

 

[18DAI]

Vigil617 the 3913NL will be a daily carry. For use on duty at night in the Magistrates office and during the day at the range.

The 3914NL will be cleaned and wiped down with 3 in 1 oil, placed in an airtight plastic bag and returned to storage. And used occasionally. Were it not for the rusting issue and small numbers produced in the case of the 3914NL, I would just see if BMCM would install night sights on it and call it good.

But I want all the great features of the 3914NL in a stainless, more corrosion resistant pistol. With lower daily maintenance requirements. Hence the new aquisition. Regards 18DAI

 

[mbliss57]

Vigil617 the 3913NL will be a daily carry. For use on duty at night in the Magistrates office and during the day at the range.

The 3914NL will be cleaned and wiped down with 3 in 1 oil, placed in an airtight plastic bag and returned to storage. And used occasionally. Were it not for the rusting issue and small numbers produced in the case of the 3914NL, I would just see if BMCM would install night sights on it and call it good.

But I want all the great features of the 3914NL in a stainless, more corrosion resistant pistol. With lower daily maintenance requirements. Hence the new aquisition. Regards 18DAI

My 3914NL is in good condition but not excellent. I have actually toyed with just scrapping the whole value when I sell and collectability idea and having a really nice Cerakote finish put on it. We have a local guy who makes old guns look amazing. I had him do a Beretta Cheetah that was a little rough and it looks brand new. Of course it's no longer original. But I didn't buy it to collect it. Now don't everyone hate on me at once...but just because a gun is scarce doesn't make it valuable. Especially if condition isn't right. So for price of finding a 3913NL a nice Cerakote job achieves the same thing. BTW the slides are inexpensive to have done. The frames cost more due to all the masking off work. You might send the working man's slide out and try it to see if you like it. The you still have a pristine example with the original setup. I am considering having my beater 910 done as well.

 

[GaryS]

I didn't know that we were doing Show and Tell today!

 

[Heymatt]

Sorry if it's a silly question. But couldn't you put a single sided safety on a 3913 and end up with a similar setup?

 

[GaryS]

Not silly. It would be similar, but the the dust cover portion of the frame and slide are a bit different.

The hard part would be finding a left side only safety lever.

Sorry if it's a silly question. But couldn't you put a single sided safety on a 3913 and end up with a similar setup?

 

[jsbethel]

Sorry if it's a silly question. But couldn't you put a single sided safety on a 3913 and end up with a similar setup?

I did that when Numrich had some single-sided safety bodies in stock.

 

[Mercs]

Also I'm pretty sure BMCM does a chop n melt on the double sided safeties, also with a side order of refinishing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Along with the CS9, CS40 and CS45, the 3913 is my favorite S&W third gen compact model.

 

[Heymatt]

Would a 908 single side safety fit a 3913 slide? Other than being carbon blue instead of stainless.

 

[quikdraw67]

This is my 3913NL I found at a LGS digging around behind the counter.

$508 out the door. Original box and papers. and with the extra mag.

After a through cleaning and spring replacement, it shoots great.

I know one of the pluses to the 3913NL besides its slick looks is that it doesn't have an ambidextrous safety. Which is great for concealment

Unless you're a southpaw like me LOL.

Still love it, great pistol. This was my second 3rd Generation S&W and was the one that really got me interested in them.

 

[JohnHL]

Would a 908 single side safety fit a 3913 slide? Other than being carbon blue instead of stainless.

Yes.

John

 

[GaryS]

That's what my CS9 has. I ended up buying an entire slide, but that just gives me more spare parts.

A 909 part would also fit, but those are very, very rare.

By comparison, the CS45/457/CS40/411/410 single side safety is pretty easy to come by.

Would a 908 single side safety fit a 3913 slide? Other than being carbon blue instead of stainless.

 

[nocents]

Would a 908 single side safety fit a 3913 slide? Other than being carbon blue instead of stainless.

been there....done that.....media blast that single side blue safety.. it's ss....BMCM did that and slimmed it skinny on the one I put on my 6906....at one point I owned three 3913's....the only one left is the NL. It was I believe the first one sold by Iammo that were repatriated back to the states....good luck with your search "18"...

 

[lhump1961]

Sorry if it's a silly question. But couldn't you put a single sided safety on a 3913 and end up with a similar setup?

You sure can! Can also be done to TSW's and 6904's. As others have said it's really about finding the SSS levers to install.

 

[GaryS]

I may have got the last new single lever safety in America. It's on my pre rail 3913TSW. It was sitting on the Slide and Cylinder website for months before I decided that I wasn't going to find one for less.

If the factory has them, I'm sure it's a gunsmith/armorer only part.

You sure can! Can also be done to TSW's and 6904's. As others have said it's really about finding the SSS levers to install.

 

[18DAI]

Thanks again all! And I appreciate all the kind offers and leads on spare parts to convert my "vanilla" 3913 to a single sided safety! Much appreciated! A more helpful and kind group of folks here, than will be found ANYWHERE else.

But my 3913 is not going to be modified. It is going back into storage. That particular pistol has done its bit for King and Country and is retired. To be taken out and enjoyed occasionally. My new to me 3913NL, which was aquired through a friend here, will be arriving at the end of the month.

It will be carried and shot. A LOT! I will give details and a range report after it arrives and I have a chance to wring it out. If I'm lucky, I may get time to meet up with my good friend Jeppo and have him run a few mags through it too.

My 45s are not going anywhere. I will not be shooting as much 45 as I have been. And carrying them less. Not because of any short coming on their part. Due to physical limitations and old shooters issues.

I will be trying to slowly go to a 9mm carry gun - THIS 3913NL carry gun. Time passes and I have high mileage. Time to adjust. And keep shooting a bunch! Best regards, 18DAI

 

[PALADIN85020]

I bought this 3913NL in 1995 and equipped it with night sights as the only modification. It's slim, very concealable, and totally reliable. I have long considered this piece the ultimate discreet carry pistol.

I still don't understand why they discontinued these pistols - I guess plastic is cheaper to manufacture...

John

 

[18DAI]

Amen brother Paladin! Especially when you consider that they were still making - AND SELLING - them, in the guise of the 3914DAO for NYPD, into 2015.

And unlike what the trolls say here about them "...costing $1K +! Nobody would pay that!" , the retail on those was $750 to $850. New. With 3 mags.

Oh well. As far as I'm concerned they went out of business in 2001, so it matters not what they make or do, to me.

But if they made 39XX series guns again, I could sell every one they make. Simply by letting customers and students shoot mine. Regards 18DAI

 

[vigil617]

Thanks again all! And I appreciate all the kind offers and leads on spare parts to convert my "vanilla" 3913 to a single sided safety! Much appreciated! A more helpful and kind group of folks here, than will be found ANYWHERE else.

But my 3913 is not going to be modified. It is going back into storage. That particular pistol has done its bit for King and Country and is retired. To be taken out and enjoyed occasionally. My new to me 3913NL, which was aquired through a friend here, will be arriving at the end of the month.

It will be carried and shot. A LOT! I will give details and a range report after it arrives and I have a chance to wring it out. If I'm lucky, I may get time to meet up with my good friend Jeppo and have him run a few mags through it too.

My 45s are not going anywhere. I will not be shooting as much 45 as I have been. And carrying them less. Not because of any short coming on their part. Due to physical limitations and old shooters issues.

I will be trying to slowly go to a 9mm carry gun - THIS 3913NL carry gun. Time passes and I have high mileage. Time to adjust. And keep shooting a bunch! Best regards, 18DAI

Since you'll be making the transition to carrying the 3913NL, 18, any thoughts at this point on what your carry load will be? Accustomed as you are to the 45 self-defense ammo, what will you choose for your bet-your-life-on round in the smaller caliber?

One reason I ask is that I, too, have a compact 9mm that I have begun to carry, and figuring out how to get maximum effectiveness out of it was a very seriously considered endeavor. As a 45ACP guy at heart, it's harder than I thought to be confident in consciously going smaller.

 

[18DAI]

vigil617 having seen folks killed with everything from .25 to 7.62 and several folks hit with rounds that SHOULD have killed them - but didn't, I have become a card carrying member of the shot placement club.

I don't get too wrapped around the axle over handgun calibers. That said, I think 357 is still the best defensive round going - due to its documented track record in actual use on miscreants - and 45 ball is pretty good at putting some chlorine in the gene pool. 45 JHP is even better.

As to 9mm, I have carried and qualified with it for a couple of decades. I carried a 3913 as my off duty/Court gun for several years. I don't have a problem with 9mm. I DO think when using a 9mm for self defense, you must be more picky about what round works best in a particular barrel length, than you would be with a 45.

So, I have always gone with a heavy for caliber preference. I have used Winchester Ranger 147 grain RA9T in all my 9mm carry guns - including the little CS9 - for over 20 years. It works. When folks do their part. You have to "get the medicine where the hurt is". And RA9T has been doing that extremely well for several large agencies. Lots of mopes DRT due to RA9T.

Back in the day, we had Speer..... Gold Dot, 124 grain...IIRC. NYPD load. Winchester wanted all the agencies in the County's business and the demo'd the Ranger ammo. One of the reps told us that they designed the 147 grain specifically to open up and expand out of sub 4 inch barrels. All of us bought a box right then and there. Then the agencies did too. We used it till we went to 45s.

A lot of folks like the lighter weight rounds like the 115 grain +P+, 124 grain +P, 127 grain +P+ and others. I don't disagree with their choices. Everyone should choose whatever round they shoot well and get fast accurate hits with. In the end, its the accurate hits that matter, nothing else. The ballistics are not all that dissimilar.

So, there you have it. I am sticking with the RA9T. Works well and gives great accuracy out of my pistols. And yes, the 45 does give a.....warmer fuzzier feeling....but....I think I will eventually be fine with a nine. I'll just practice head shots more often. Regards 18DAI

 

[vigil617]

No argument from here on the priority of shot placement, 18, and given your skill level honed by lots of opportunity to practice, I pity anyone on the receiving end of any size round coming from a pistol in your hand.

I note, and also pass along for those like me who have to look up this kind of thing, that Winchester's RA9T 147-grain round is a jacketed hollow point sold for LEO use only. It's a comparatively lumbering, hard-hitting, heavy round in the caliber, with nasty-looking "talons" and a good balance of penetration ballistically. I can see why you favor it.