3953 new to me

[mochahooligan]

Good afternoon all. Today at the FFL I work at customer came in to purchase a new 442 air weight. The guy helping him knew him. He motions for me to come over. Introducing me to his friend. I had me t the man years ago. Retired CPD Superintendent Phil Cline. My friend says hey Phil is looking to sell a Smith any interest? I of course just have to say yes! We shake hands he hands me a green pistol pouch. I open it and it's a 3953. With 3-8 round mags no night sights.

I ask if he has the original box he said no gone years ago. It's a cops gun carried hard and USED too. We go back and forth with chit chat. We come to an agreement on price. Do the paperwork Both parties are happy! I ask if I can xerox the original receipt to keep with the gun. No problem he says. I come back he grabs the copy says keep the original ! I'm like you sure he said no problem.

Phil I have met many years ago in the store. Happy to see him again.
I'm gonna try to load the pics. I know it's simple but I have not posted in a while.

 

[URIT]

You certainly had a lucky meeting at the shop. The S&W 3953 is a fine shooter and good CCW.

My EDC is 3953 which was an old cop gun I bought off a forum member. I carry it in a Don Hume H715-M WCS.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I've enjoyed mine.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Congratulations on your acquisition. In my opinion you bought the finest CCW S&W ever made.

Here is mine on top of my HK P7 PSP.

 

[mochahooligan]

This actually makes 2-3953 and I have a 3954 also. Yes lucky day for sure. I'm gonna shoot it clean and leave it. I'll carry my other 3953. And I am a 3rd Gen lover for sure. Those are some great made guns.

 

[ladder13]

DAO, love em'.

 

[mochahooligan]

The friend I work with said ugh dao just a terrible trigger. I said no they actually smooth out well after a few rounds. The one I just picked up is very nice!

 

[GaryS]

I had a nice one, sold it, regret it.

 

[stansdds]

The friend I work with said ugh dao just a terrible trigger. I said no they actually smooth out well after a few rounds. The one I just picked up is very nice!

Depends upon the handgun. A poorly made/machined DAO will have a terrible trigger. A well made, smoothly machined pistol is likely to have a nice trigger. This is one area in which MIM parts do very well as they pop out of the mold needing little to no final machining and fitting. The most consistent triggers in the S&W metal receiver pistols was in the later production 3rd generation when S&W switched to MIM fire control parts.

 

[xtrtsqrt11]

Looks very nice, great story too!

I've never seen a DAO 3rd gen in my area. Don't know why, I'd like to check one out of these days and possibly get one...

Good revolver and revolver like triggers work well for me...

 

[Baxter6551]

3953

My old duty gun from Investigator days at armored car company and subsequent presented retirement gun. Started life as a duty gun for a smaller armored company on Long Island that was bought out by our company. Alessi holster I was lucky to obtain on this forum.

 

[lhump1961]

I agree with the idea of MIM parts in later 3rd gens being better than the flash chromed, I think that's what it's called. I have several examples of both and prefer the MIM. Both of these 3913's are LNIB with only a few rounds out of each. While the NL trigger is just fine the LS is better. I'm not sure if my 3954 is MIM or not (all black you know) but since it has more rounds fired the trigger is very smooth so I'm sure they all end up fine. My other DAO guns are all MIM.

 

[mochahooligan]

I agree with the idea of MIM parts in later 3rd gens being better than the flash chromed, I think that's what it's called. I have several examples of both and prefer the MIM. Both of these 3913's are LNIB with only a few rounds out of each. While the NL trigger is just fine the LS is better. I'm not sure if my 3954 is MIM or not (all black you know) but since it has more rounds fired the trigger is very smooth so I'm sure they all end up fine. My other DAO guns are all MIM.

Love that 3954picked mine up with less than 3 mags ran through it and you could tell. Also have a 457D prototype that CPD had from Smith when they were testing them.

 

[dsink]

I picked up a 3953 earlier this year and it has become my favorite carry gun. I was originally a revolver shooter and love the DAO trigger. Heck I love all the 3rd gen Smith's.

 

[vegasgunhand]

Years ago as a U.S. Customs Special Agent, I was assigned to a multi-agency task force. One of the guys carried a 3953, and he loved it. We went to the range one day and he let me shoot it, I was hooked.

I was looking to buy one and was talking to my district range officer and asked him if he knew any dealers that might have one in stock. He said that he had ten or twelve of them to issue, and asked me if I wanted one. Of course I said yes, and the next day a FedEx arrived in the office with my 3953. I qualified and carried that as my EDC duty pistol for about two years until they were replaced service wide by Glocks.

I retired in 2005, and about five years ago I came across a nice 3953 here locally. It's been a constant EDC ever since.