3rd gen Dilem !! Value Line

[3rdgenfriend]

Help I'm in a quandry and I'm counting on you SW Fanatics !

which should I buy if I can only buy one My choice is between a 908S and a 410S Both are in really great condition, barely shot. They are from the same owner so maybe I can work a deal for both...he already quoted me very reasonable pricing on them.

I currently own a 410, 910 and 910S already and enjoy the value line...I'm thinking that the 908S is more valuable...it is a cool compact that I'd love to have... in Beautiful shape to boot!

Please lend me your thoughts and pics of yours and any cool mods if you have a moment!

thanks in advance, 3GF

Included pic of my 910S

 

[joespapa]

I owned and carried a 908S for a couple of years. Wish I hadn’t let it go! Light for the size, great shooter put a new recoil spring in it when I bought it, no issues.

 

[Markpixs]

I'd be all over the 908, had a 3913 i had to sell in hard times and miss it. Had a 915 I sold to a friend looking for a simple HD pistol. And the 459 has a great feel. The S&W autos from the 80s and 90s are some of the best auto pistols.

 

[Jeppo]

The 410!!!

Definitely buy the 410 (and tell your friend to call me about the 908).

 

[URIT]

Buy them both. You will probably regret not adding both to your collection if you pass on this opportunity.

 

[VASCAR2]

I had a 3913 NL that I traded to get a Glock 27 when my Agency switched from 5904/6904 to Glock 22/23. I definitely would get the 908S. I prefer the 9 mm to 40 S&W in metal frame S&W autos.

Personally I think the 408S would hold more value and sell better in the future. You already had a 410 so you’d be getting a silver colored pistol that you already have in blue/black. The compact 908S are really good shooting pistol. I wouldn’t hesitate carrying a 908S concealed and wouldn’t use a 410S for anything but shooting 40 on the range. The 9 mm is cheaper to shoot so I’d probably shoot the 910 more.

 

[toddimusnimski]

Help I'm in a quandry and I'm counting on you SW Fanatics !

which should I buy if I can only buy one My choice is between a 908S and a 410S Both are in really great condition, barely shot. They are from the same owner so maybe I can work a deal for both...he already quoted me very reasonable pricing on them.

I currently own a 410, 910 and 910S already and enjoy the value line

If 3rd Gens are hard to come by in the Cape of Cod, it may be in your best interest to do both. The seller would probably appreciate unloading them together. Do both have boxes and whatnot?

Todd

 

[Brian Parrish]

The 908S!
Any of the others is a needless duplication.

Valuable?
They are all equally valuable in your hands coupled with your shooting skill. They would be even more valuable in mine ;-)

There is perhaps a dollar premium for the stainless-steel versions such as the 4006, the 5906, and the 3913 over the value line guns, but a 410S over a 410 would not be noticeable. In other words, buying used 3rd gens involves considerable price variation from sale to sale. You can buy a typical 4006 on the auction site and the very next week see the same gun for a hundred dollars less. If you average fifty sales of a model by searching completed auctions and compare that average to fifty sales of the comparable value line gun you will see a difference, but it will not be close to the difference effected by the photography skill of the sellers.

A gun is an investment that will NOT keep pace with inflation!
However, a gun is NEVER worth nothing, which is more than I can say of the US Dollar!

When your heirs go to sell them on consignment, they will prolly get ripped off by the likes of Sarah15, anyway.

I kinda like the idea of a Value Line collection, in which case you should get them all as you can. Just remember the principle of collecting, which also applies to interior decoration, that last piece, the one that completes the collection, or completes the look of the room you are decorating, will be very expensive.

I have the 3913NL which I got on the advice of our now departed comrade 18DAI. I miss him every time I come here. You will not be sorry you got the single stack. Do it!

Kind Regards!
BrianD

 

[UnstopaNole99]

Just adding to the previous comments, but I would definitely go with the 908S over the 410S, or like others have said, try to make a deal for both. Maybe you can throw something in as a trade....firearm, ammo, accessories.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

I have a 908S and a 457S , both are great guns . Of course me being me , I would buy both . How often do you see these come up for sale ? If you want them , buy them , I bet you'll never have the chance again . At least not for a long time .......

 

[3rdgenfriend]

You are all so great, thank you for reading my post, and thanks for the thoughtful feedback !!

To muck up the waters even more, he also has a CS9 CS45Blue and a 3914...I already have a mix of those variants. The CS45Blue might add to the dilemma though all the above in gorgeous condition and some mix of box n docs.

...Dang...I am now officially too poor for this !! Life is truly good

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

JMHO 5906 is the best S&W automatic.

The "value line" is just that. Lowered the quality to compete with Glock JMHO.

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

Get the 908. It is a single stack magazine and will make a great EDC this summer.

 

[Marshal Sam Holland]

I’m looking at a used 410 now too. My concern is on the frame, just below the safety lever, it’s scratched down to bare metal. Looks like perhaps the safety lever has been dragging on the frame. I’ll try to get a picture, if I can get the owner to send me one. I can get it for $300….. thoughts??

 

[Brian Parrish]

I’m looking at a used 410 now too. My concern is on the frame, just below the safety lever, it’s scratched down to bare metal. Looks like perhaps the safety lever has been dragging on the frame. I’ll try to get a picture, if I can get the owner to send me one. I can get it for $300….. thoughts??

Scratch?
The aluminum does not corrode so no worries there and there is the marker pen from Birchwood Casey called Aluma Black, somebody correct me, that will mask it enough you can live with the scratch.

Price?
You should be all over that thing for $300!

Should You?
Well, I am right now wearing my Model 411 which I got a year or two ago, and it has replaced everything as my primary. All my skills are with the 3rd Gens. I have worked so hard with them for twenty years.

This 411 appeared at the right price. I wanted a 40 to take advantage of all the 40S&W ammo that was coming available then and I bought a couple thousand rounds but that seems to be drying up by now. The 410 like mine is a heavier gun, but I just can't feel that at all anymore. It is a full-size gun but again I am so used to it. Are you willing to carry a full size?

The performance of those rounds I bought is the overwhelming factor. I got a case of old LEA turned-in Winchester Ranger Bonded, 165 grain HP. At 15 yards my groups with that ammo are half the size of anything else I have shot. The consistency of its precision is something I have never seen before, not in MY hands, for factory ammo that is. Looking at the tests of that round by Lucky Gunner Labs, I see that Chris Baker had similar results.

That round has long been replaced by the 165 grain T-Series. I have heard that it is not as consistent, but I am betting that I will be happy enough with it. It is expensive but worth it.

There will be things you don't like. Mine has a gritty feeling trigger, but that is working itself out, or I just don't feel it anymore. If you don't already wear a full size now don't go all at once unless you are a tougher man than I am. You will be sore.

Let us know when you decide and please do show the pics when they come!
BrianD

 

[stansdds]

I’m looking at a used 410 now too. My concern is on the frame, just below the safety lever, it’s scratched down to bare metal. Looks like perhaps the safety lever has been dragging on the frame. I’ll try to get a picture, if I can get the owner to send me one. I can get it for $300….. thoughts??

$300 is a good price, but the areas of the receiver that receive the most wear and would need inspection are the frame rails and the cam blocks. Significant wear and/or peening of these surfaces would indicate significant use and possibly use with an old and weak recoil spring.

 

[Marshal Sam Holland]

Thanks for the replies. It looked as if, maybe the safety lever had at one point been dragging on the frame. I’ll try to get the guy the send me a picture of that area of the gun. But I will try to buy it today or tomorrow.

 

[ACEd]

$300 is a good price, but the areas of the receiver that receive the most wear and would need inspection are the frame rails and the cam blocks. Significant wear and/or peening of these surfaces would indicate significant use and possibly use with an old and weak recoil spring.

Suggest you field strip and check inside of frame as above. Weak Springs and/or hot loads can damage cam blocks (ramps inside frame where barrel slides down on recoil)particularly on Aluminum frames and in the extreme that could be a big problem.

 

[Marshal Sam Holland]

Well, I did it!

 

[Brian Parrish]

Suggest you field strip and check inside of frame as above. Weak Springs and/or hot loads can damage cam blocks (ramps inside frame where barrel slides down on recoil)particularly on Aluminum frames and in the extreme that could be a big problem.

WooHoo!
I honestly love the appearance of that gun. It has what the young men call a certain "mojo".

I want to pass along what I learned about the cam blocks in the aluminum frame, from now departed friend 18DAI. I miss his input here and I know he would have engaged with this thread. He said and I concur that the wear on those lugs inside slows and stops at some point. I completely concur, however with Ed about the springs and the hot loads. The pressures will jump high on any 180-grain load with bullet setback even with the smallest bullet setback. 18DAI recommended limiting the number of times I rechambered a particular round. I have seen no such effect with 165 grain loads but I swap those out too anyway.
My 411 requires covering the point of aim with the front dot. This is true of most of my 3rd gens.
My 411 has a rough feeling trigger. This does not seem to be a problem with the 410 as it used MIM parts for trigger and sear.
Congratulations!
Let us hear the range report when you shoot it?
Best!
BrianD