5903 or 5926?

[Elkins45]

There's an online gun seller that happens to have a bunch of 3rd generation 9mm guns listed at really good prices. Even better, it turns out that their physical location is just a few miles away from a place I have to travel through every couple of weeks. They have some 5903's and 5926's at relatively the same price and I'm thinking about picking one up.

I'm having trouble deciding between a 5903 (15 round alloy frame) and a 5926 (15 round steel frame w/ frame mounted decocker). One the one hand the 5903 would be a better choice if I wanted to carry it because of the weight. On the other hand the 5926 should last forever because of the steel frame, and should shoot like a dream with the added weight.

Any guidance, other than for me to buy both?

 

[BAM-BAM]

Never liked the looks of the Smith decocker...... so I'd go with a 5903...... and start a search for a 5906!

 

[hfl73]

I have a 5926 and your assumption is correct, it is too heavy for carry but it shoots like a dream. It has a butter-smooth DA/SA trigger as well. It would serve you well as home defense or truck gun.

 

[timn8er]

I have a 5903TSW & a 5906TSW. Both are a lot of fun, but if you want to carry it I'd go with the 5903. It's quite a bit lighter.

 

[t-bird]

I'd say both and then decide witch one will work the best for you. Best of luck and be sure to post some pics a range report of your new toy.

 

[Denver Dick]

IMHO, the 5903 is superior to the steel-frame 5900 series, not simply because of weight but because the weight drastically improves the balance and handling. The 5903 and 3913 are my two favorite S&W 9mm handguns. Of course, frame decockers are not common. So, if you can swing it you might consider both.

My 5903 shoots great. In the photo below the hit near dead center was my fault. I let the pistol drop a little just a bit before let off. Shame!

[URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"] [/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[pharmer]

I've been carrying a 6906 for 20 years. If I could find a 5903 and swap in the spurless hammer of the 6906, I think I'd found heaven. 5903 gets my vote. I have a 5906 that's NIB, can't think of what it could do that my CZ 75 ain't got covered. Joe

 

[Smee78]

It depends on the purpose, I know the web site that has thoes and I almost picked up another 5926. I have the 5926 and its a great gun, I like the Sig style decocker guns and the weight feels good after an extended range day. If I were looking to carry, I am more of a single stack kind of guy but I have carried my 5926 & 5906 from time to time, the weight is not bad with a good belt and holster. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Dave Nash]

There's an online gun seller that happens to have a bunch of 3rd generation 9mm guns listed at really good prices. Even better, it turns out that their physical location is just a few miles away from a place I have to travel through every couple of weeks. They have some 5903's and 5926's at relatively the same price and I'm thinking about picking one up.

I'm having trouble deciding between a 5903 (15 round alloy frame) and a 5926 (15 round steel frame w/ frame mounted decocker). One the one hand the 5903 would be a better choice if I wanted to carry it because of the weight. On the other hand the 5926 should last forever because of the steel frame, and should shoot like a dream with the added weight.

Any guidance, other than for me to buy both?

"Elkins45":

In checking back on the first few posts that I've made here in a while, I saw your question and it is a hard one to answer in an un-opinionated manner and to be honest, the decision all depends on you.

In fact, it all boils down to what you plan to do with the gun (Carry it a lot; shoot it a little? Carry it a lot; shoot it a lot? Carry it little; shoot it a lot? Carry it little; shoot it little?), how long you plan to keep it and whether you care about losing money, breaking even, or maybe turning a profit IF you do plan to move away from it someday.

I carried and taught with a 5906 (in both "duty" and "concealment" holsters) for several years early on in that Model's history. Even fully loaded and carrying at least two extra mags most of the time, I never felt that the weight was an issue. But that was me and not you (or the next guy). Some people are weight sensitive and many people never use decent belts or holsters that "fit" them (in many cases such things are issued to them and there is little they can do). So while that gun never bothered me, I can fully understand why it and its all-but-identical-in-that-aspect sister gun, the 5926 (the pistol you are asking about), may affect others in a negative manner.

Still, I don't think it is that bad (and I know that's a subjective point on my part) for it's just not that big a gun. Furthermore, I think that these days (not back when the gun was introduced in 1988), many of us have grown use to the weightsaving (lightweight?) nature of the polymer pistols that make up the lion's share of the market today and anything "heavier" (even if that weight was once commonplace) can be considered by some to be objectionable; especially by those folks new to all this who don't know anything else.

For the record, later on I also used a 5903 quite a bit and I never found the "additional" recoil objectionable or even distracting. However, just like with the carrying of the 5906, this was a situation as it applied to me, not you (or again, the next guy). Obviously, the 5903's lighter weight will cause it to react differently than the heavier weight of the '06/'26 but unless you are either very recoil sensitive and/or someone who shoots very little, I would venture that it shouldn't be a problem for you.

But that's the whole point: it is up for YOU to decide as no one here (regardless of their experience with any of these guns) can speak for you. Unless of course, at a minimum, they know you, know how you have reacted/responded to such matters in the past, and have spent time with you in order to observe your shooting habits and performance under similar circumstances. And even then, it is still up to you to decide what works for you and what doesn't.

As to shooting the gun a lot and looking at it as an investment (two separate topics that are linked in some ways here), it should be recognized that while the frame mounted decocking lever system on the 5926 is NOT prone to breakage, there are fewer of them out there and for as much as some people on this Board complain about the growing scarcity of 3rd Generation parts in general, if the wrong thing fails or breaks on this model, you could have a problem getting what you need to fix it; especially in the long term.

That said, long term, I think (and, as many people on this site can tell you, I am no expert on such things – nor am I a fortune teller) that the 5926 could (emphasize "could") prove to be more valuable to some (emphasize "some") people. Will it reach to a stature of the already-desirable 1076? Who knows? But probably not. That decocking lever 10mm interests people for several reasons beyond just how many were made. The 5926, while a very good gun and an interesting concept, was never associated with anyone that sets it apart in the minds of the collector. Still, in the overall scheme of things, one has to recognize that there are not many of them out there and I think that they are something of a (mild) sleeper right now; especially as in some cases they cost less to buy than a corresponding-condition 5906.

So in the case of the 5926, there are two sides to that argument and both of them are valid.

As to the 5903, these days people seem to value it (sometimes at a premium) over the steel frame 5906 (although as of this writing, I think that the dealer your talking about is actually offering it for a few bucks less than the 5926 you are considering along with it and substantially less than the 5906's they are also offering for sale) in terms of it being a more optimal "carry gun" because of its light weight. But that value (only sometimes reflected in its pricing regardless of who is selling it) seems to hinge on its "perceived" value as a carry gun alone.

As you can tell from the other responses already posted in this thread, that in spite of its carryability, many people do have concerns over "perceived" recoil but not mentioned here so far, is the matter of the alloy frame gun's finish. If the "finish" on the frame is worn or damaged, it will not be as easy to address, as will similar effects on the stainless steel frame models. A minor point perhaps (and certainly not the issue it can be on the "blue" alloy guns) and maybe something that doesn't matter at all if this is merely going to a range gun and/or one that sees little use BUT it is still something to consider long term (or again, depending on how it is going to be used).

And, long term, I don't know where things will go value-wise in regard to the 5903. There are not as many of them around as the stainless guns and, as mentioned, people do prize them for carrying. But down the road, they will never be "rare" (scarce maybe but not unusual) and for the same reasons I mentioned the polymer guns at the beginning of this post, those plastic-framed guns and the benefits they offer are what the bulk of the mainstream buyers today (and always the biggest subgroup of potential purchasers going forward) seem to be looking for.

So with that in mind, long term, you will have to decide if in the future, most people will opt for a then-long-discontinued lightweight metal frame, hammer gun with two different trigger pulls or a then-current similarly lightweight polymer pistol with pretty much the same trigger stroke every time and no levers to manipulate when you either start or stop employing it.

Like I said it's all up to you.

(Even so, I hope this helps you and others to look at a bigger picture when making such a decision.)

 

[scwv67]

IMHO, the 5903 is superior to the steel-frame 5900 series, not simply because of weight but because the weight drastically improves the balance and handling. The 5903 and 3913 are my two favorite S&W 9mm handguns. Of course, frame decockers are not common. So, if you can swing it you might consider both.

My 5903 shoots great. In the photo below the hit near dead center was my fault. I let the pistol drop a little just a bit before let off. Shame!

[URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"][URL="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/denverdick/Untitled.jpg"] [/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

DD,

I understand your statement regarding the 5903 being lighter than than 5906, but are you saying it's better balanced? While I've admittedly never handled a 5903, it would seem that with all that stainless up high, it would be top heavy.

While I truly love my 3913, I've often wished that S&W had made a 3916.

Diff'rent strokes of course!

 

[Denver Dick]

DD,

I understand your statement regarding the 5903 being lighter than than 5906, but are you saying it's better balanced? While I've admittedly never handled a 5903, it would seem that with all that stainless up high, it would be top heavy.

While I truly love my 3913, I've often wished that S&W had made a 3916.

Diff'rent strokes of course!

I use to own a 5906 in addition to my 5903. I don't carry a weapon, so the weight, in and of itself, is not a big deal to me. That said, I believe that the 5906 is overkill for a 9mm. It's relatively large and heavy, too much so in my opinion. Yes, the weight can add stability when shooting, especially for those who might be recoil sensitive, but the pistol just never felt right to me. I was lucky in having both pistols at the same time for a side by side comparison.

Now, I much prefer steel frame .45 and 10mm pistols. As for .40 S&W pistols, I could go either way, and have.

Finally, Dave Nash, above, is absolutely correct about it being a personal choice, "it's all up to you."

 

[Elkins45]

So I went with the 5903. The gun is easily 97% or better; for sure it's never spent any time in a holster. It's just a really clean gun that I'm very happy I decided to buy. The baseplate of the mag is a little worn, but there's no reason to believe the gun and mag were originally mates. I'm taking it to the range tomorrow, so a shooting report will follow shortly.

I asked about the 26's and was told they are just as nice as the 03 that I bought. If they still have any left when I'm in town again next month I may just have to pick one up as well, if for no other reason than to transplant the slide from my 4046 onto it, assuming that's even possible.

 

[timn8er]

Very nice!

 

[Denver Dick]

Yep, that looks pretty nice. It looks like there's some stamping or etching on the bottom of the frame ahead of the trigger guard. Is that from a LE agency? In any event, I think you jumped on the right side of the fence.

 

[hfl73]

Nice piece, you really couldn't go wrong either way. Shoot it often you can't wear those guns out.

 

[Elkins45]

It looks like there's some stamping or etching on the bottom of the frame ahead of the trigger guard. Is that from a LE agency?

It's the import marking. They told me these guns were reimported from Israel. Here's someone else's photo:

It's from this thread, which is where I learned about these guns: http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/344290-used-gen-3s-bargain.html

 

[Elkins45]

I took it to the range after work today and ran 7 full mags of lead bullet reloads through it. No failures of any sort, and it kept all of them in the black at 25 yards. I am thoroughly satisfied with my new gun!