5903 with 9mm & 40S&W LEO, Identify?

[Gen3FanBoy]

Hello all, hoping to get some assistance, I picked this up a while back, while I am not a .40S&W shooter I thought it interesting that this 5903 had both 9mm and .40S&W slides.

It looks to be a Gwinnet County Police trade in (I believe just N.E. of Atlanta)

It has the rail from S&W however is not rivetted on (Possibly wouldn’t fit in their duty holsters so they never attached?)

Came with 2x OEM 9mm 15rd mags and 2x OEM 11rd 40S&W mags as well as a 10rd OEM 40S&W mag.

It has the witness holes on both barrel hoods so I am thinking a later run (I have not researched SN#)

Looks to be in overall very good condition.

Both slides fit/work/fire no issues.

both are Tactical marked right side of slides.

-Any idea what I have here? Something unique or just a LEO trade in with a second caliber option?

-Any idea on price? I am looking to sell.

Thank you all and happy to be here!

 

[BigBoss3006]

It’s an alloy frame 5903TSW with a 4006/4046TSW slide as a conversion. Not a factory option as far as im aware. The caliber conversions only work on TSW guns, and will not work on standard 59XX/40XX as they have incompatible frame/slide rails between calibers

 

[VASCAR2]

You got a really nice combo there. I knew Gwinnett County issued 5903’s as I have seen several for sale over the years. I have a Friend who worked for Gwinnett County Police then went to Lawrenceville PD where he retired. I have never seen the Tactical or PC series pistols for sale that were marked with Gwinnett County. The Tactical series and Performance Center pistols have some desirable features and some times sell for more than a straight 5903 or 5906. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone found or ordered a 40 S&W slide for the 5903.

 

[Gen3FanBoy]

I have quite a few Gen 3 .45 and 9mm from different runs of the Gen 3’s, while I’ve read that slides from different models of the same era are compatible I’ve never had any that fit well or at all

I think you are correct that someone found a 40S&W Tactical slide and maybe did some fitting but it is a good job if they did, flush, very little play.

They are both decoc only DA/SA as wel

Thanks guys!

 

[Heymatt]

Nice pick up!

 

[ACEd]

Assuming frame is marked 5903TSW, you have an Aluminum frame 9mm 5903TSW which has a second 4006TSW or 4003TSW slide and barrel assembly (and hopefully the correct 4006 recoil spring). It would not have come from SW like that - a previous owner must have added that.

As I recall the TSW frames are slightly heavier duty than the non-TSW frames and the parts of the TSWs may have been matched slide, barrel, and frame as a set at factory - at least in the later pistols. And as a previous post mentioned, making the 40 parts fit and work properly may have required some fitting. In my safe, it would make a nice range conversation piece, but not a pistol I would rely on for personal defense.

Personally I would also be concerned about adapting a 40 slide/barrel to a 9mm Aluminum frame. The original 4006 prototypes based on the 5906 (steel) frame had cracking issues in the steel frame. These problems were resolved long before the TSW frames were designed so I doubt this would be an issue. But I once rejected a 5943TSW because of damage at the faces of the ramps in the frame where the barrel slides down on recoil. The 5943TSW pistol had apparently been fired with a weak recoil spring and/or hot loads (not a particularly good idea with the Aluminum frame). It would be worth checking the condition of those ramps as well as a close examination of the frame .And if you intend to shoot it, I would recommend replacing both recoil springs. (Both are good practices on a used pistol).

As for resale value - assuming frame checks out OK, I would say list it for auction starting at 5903TSW price range (say $500 +/-) with or without reserve and see where it goes. There is currently an overpriced similar combination 5926 with 4026 slide/barrel etc, that has been listed and multiply relisted on the big auction site with no interest.

As to the unattached NIP rail, there was someone looking to buy a rail and rivets to add to a non-railed TSW here some time since the beginning of the year - it might be worth posting that in the Accessories for sale classifieds below.

 

[Gen3FanBoy]

Thank you ACEd,

-Yes, Frame is marked 5903TSW so it started life as a 5903TSW 9mm (aluminum frame)

-Yes, has a 17lbs 40S&W recoil spring (This is an assumption on my part just comparing the effort and difference between the 40 slide and the 9mm slide resistance while operating the slides) If I were to keep it I would replace with known correct spring for sure.

-I understand the aluminum 40S&W frames have had cracking and other wear issues (again, not a 40S&W guy), this frame, ramp and both slides show little wear from functioning, the majority is external handling marks. Along with the beefier TSW frame and a new/known 40S&W spring it should do well for the round count most would put through it.

-Short of contacting S&W and PC and seeing if they did a slide match (or even would) on this pistol I think you and BigBos3006 are correct that the 40S&W slide was fitted by a previous owner.

in any case, thank you for the time and input!