915 on its way to Novak (Now Back!) (Pics Added)

[S&W Rover]

Thanks for comments -- Y'all's comments are reinforcing my thinking.

To the OP:
While your 915 is there, you ought to ask if they can install an all metal magazine release and a metal guide rod set up, which I think are the only other changes besides sights needed to make the 915 the substantial equivalent of the 5904 in terms of ruggedness.

Oops, upon re-reading your post, I see you have researched the use of polymer parts in the 915. I thought the later ones had the plastic magazine button, and I thought they all had plastic guide rods, but it is likely I am wrong. As to the plunger you mention, I believe it is polymer even in the 5900 Series, isn't it?

In any event, the 915 is a good weapon.

Thanks! Guide rod and mag release are steel. Only the magazine safety plunger is plastic, but it is not a critical part. It looks to be in fine shape for being 25 years old. I believe it can just be removed and the pistol would function, albeit without the magazine safety feature, but I am going to leave it "as is."

The installation of Novak Low-Mount white-dot front and rear sights, with milling required for the rear, will drive the total cost up to a little over double what I paid for the 915. [Correction, added later: it added $154.20 to the $275 original cost]. Economically, that pushes the envelope on value, and isn't justified by resale prospects -- but it helps that I am paying for it in two increments, and I'll get a pistol I really like. As I get older, I have lost interest in striker-fired guns, good tools that many of them are; the only guns that seem to interest me are older AND accurate ones, like the 915.

 

[Sevens]

So the sights, the work and the two-way shipping will run you $250-$300?

I have to agree that it is indeed money well spent if you like it, you wanted it and you are happy with it. You will have a unique pistol when you have it all set up as you like it. I see no issue with this project at all.

FWIW... the magazine safety plunger being polymer is that way on -ALL- the 3rd Gens I believe. This is a low-stress part and if any of them have ever failed, it would be the first time I have ever heard of it.

 

[03Fatboy]

915 on its way to Novak

Id rather have a 915. A $200 915 or a $1200 915. Id prefer it actually. Much more gun for your money. Think of how much you would save, on Apex parts alone. Regards 18DAI

So True. In my neck of the woods, guys buy the Glocks and M&P's and drop another $500-$1,000 in aftermarket tacticool stuff and then attempt to sell them for what they have in them, and those guns typically sit there unwanted. I would not hesitate to buy a Novak 915 for $1,200 if I was lucky enough to come across one. (This is not a bash of the Polyguns, they have there place and use.)

 

[Ozark Marine]

So True. In my neck of the woods, guys buy the Glocks and M&P's and drop another $500-$1,000 in aftermarket tacticool stuff and then attempt to sell them for what they have in them, and those guns typically sit there unwanted. I would not hesitate to buy a Novak 915 for $1,200 if I was lucky enough to come across one. (This is not a bash of the Polyguns, they have there place and use.)

I'm seriously thinking about the Novak mill and night sights on mine.
The small 915 rear sight never made it a fun for me gun at the range.
Other than the factory sights, it's a great looking and shooting gun.

 

[jsbethel]

I'm seriously thinking about the Novak mill and night sights on mine.
The small 915 rear sight never made it a fun for me gun at the range.

Trijicon makes night sights for the factory cut with an excellent sight picture - SA04 BNTNS - Trijicon, Inc.

 

[Ozark Marine]

Trijicon makes night sights for the factory cut with an excellent sight picture - SA04 BNTNS - Trijicon, Inc.

Thanks for the link. I was on Novaks site and the rear slide milling was $75.00. Milling with night sights $179.00 and the sights are on back order so there would be a wait.
Plus shipping the slide.
Now on to ebay and amazon.

 

[18DAI]

Check Midways website. IIRC they had Novaks Low mount night sights for the 59XX series guns. You may have to go through the parts lists for different models to locate both a front and rear sight.

Id start with 5906, then 5904, 5943, 5946, 5903 ect. $124 for a set if I recall. Good luck! Hope this helps. Regards 18DAI

 

[03Fatboy]

915 on its way to Novak

I'm seriously thinking about the Novak mill and night sights on mine.
The small 915 rear sight never made it a fun for me gun at the range.
Other than the factory sights, it's a great looking and shooting gun.

I have never been a fan of the subject rear sight either. You can source the Novak low mount style night sights on fleBay on occasion for good deals. I like the current style Trijicon lamps with the bold white outline. These work well in the day as well.

 

[S&W Rover]

So the sights, the work and the two-way shipping will run you $250-$300?

I have to agree that it is indeed money well spent if you like it, you wanted it and you are happy with it. You will have a unique pistol when you have it all set up as you like it. I see no issue with this project at all.

FWIW... the magazine safety plunger being polymer is that way on -ALL- the 3rd Gens I believe. This is a low-stress part and if any of them have ever failed, it would be the first time I have ever heard of it.

Thanks - info on the magazine safety plunger confirms what I suspected.

I am planning on $29.95 for the white dot front site, with $35 direct installation; $39.95 for the white dot Novak Low-Mount rear sight, with $75 for dove-tail mill and installation = $179.90. To that will be added shipping and handling. [Added later: this turned out to cost $154.20, including shipping]. Night sights would cost more but I have come to like white dots -- I'd go with a gold bead if this were a government contract.

The Trijicon SA-04 night sight set, at around $125, is appealing, too -- and it uses the original milled slot, so there is no milling required. But I don't have a slide pusher, don't like pounding sights out with a brass punch, and believe the cost of a local gunsmith would take it close to the cost of the Novak package (others might be able to do the installation themselves without the gunsmith cost). I've read that 915 (and other contemporary 3d Generation pistol) sights can be very difficult to remove; I'm happy to let Novak do the chore. (They also guarantee the work; if they mess up the slide, they replace it).

 

[Ozark Marine]

Did you strip your slide, and just for grins what is your shipping cost.
USPS, UPS or Fedex?

 

[S&W Rover]

Did you strip your slide, and just for grins what is your shipping cost.
USPS, UPS or Fedex?

Updated: The slide was mailed, intact, without being stripped, for $7.15. Didn't ship the entire pistol, just the slide, to save cost. (UPS Next-Day Blue Label shipping for a complete firearm is about $75 each way).

If the windage is off a bit, I will have to ask a local gunsmith here to adjust the sights, which I suspect would cost about $25.

 

[Ozark Marine]

I doubt you'll have to have a gun smith adjust the sights installed by Novak's. They wouldn't want to have the word get out that they do lousy mill and installs of their product.
Just put a note in the box that your a member on the S&W Forum.

 

[kaveman]

Maybe a little late and not exactly what you want, but I took my $228 915 and slapped a 5906 slide and barrel assembly on it for a hundred bucks. Ended up with Novak sights and an ambi decocker and still have the complete 915 upper for a spare. In fact, there's a 6906 upper in the same box that cost me $60 off the auction site shipped so I suppose I have a 915 SSV too.

Between the DAO models, my 39's, various other 3rd gens and my stable of SW Sigmas I probably have 20-30 complete spare uppers or parts sets and I don't believe I've ever had to pay more than a hundred bucks for any of them. It's not a bad way to go unless you want fresh night sights.

 

[scoobysnacker]

I got my 915 off gunbroker, for quite reasonable (it was just before the recent influx of them online, maybe right after the run of surplussed 5906's). The seller was a family member of a S&W rep or distributor in Utah or somewhere like that; he had a trigger job done and Trijicons added. Also removed the mag disconnect, and did a little bit of customizing (has the stainless slide stop and safety, I assume from a 5906, although the safety is still just on the left side). Only flaw I can find was openly revealed, a scratch on the underside of the dust cover. I rubbed a little BC Aluminum Black on that, and it's invisible now. The slide has just the barest hints on wear on the sharp edges, but that, to me, isn't a negative, it's just a feature of a gun. Like some others, I prefer the flat 915 frame over the stepped frame on the 59xx's.

Very nice gun, very well balanced. Trigger is almost identical to my 39-2, with perhaps just a little more positive click to the trigger reset.

Got it with 2 factory 15 rd mags for something like $240 + shipping and FFL. I'm still amazed by the quality of this gun, for that price. I have other guns that I love too (I'm an avowed CZ fan), but I freely admit this is my go-to when I want to put a full mag downrange as fast as possible... the trigger reset is sublime.

As I noted in another thread, it's also a perfect complement to my Beretta 92FS, also with Trijicons. The two share the same control layout, the same sight picture, same base capacity. My hands and eyes do the same thing with each.

 

[Lightfoot4]

You'll like the curve grip, see photo above.

That looks NICE! Time to do it!

 

[S&W Rover]

Installation of Novak front and rear white dot sights on the Model 915 completed, with some milling required (as anticipated) for the rear sight.

The new rear sight replaces the old-style "2nd Gen" small rear sight, and the new front sight was required to match the new rear sight.

Total cost including shipping $154.20 (which seems very reasonable to me).

Pictures to follow.

 

[Sevens]

Nice price! Looking forward to the pictures. You kind of have a one-of-a-kind pistol now, and that's pretty neat.

 

[S&W Rover]

The Mdl 915 is back from Novak's, and they did a great job.

Added 13 Feb 17: Took it to the range one week after posting these pictures... and fired 100 rounds. The new sights are dead-on accurate!

 

[18DAI]

Beautiful 915!! They do great work!

The Novak 915 always struck me as looking like what a fine semi auto pistol should look like. And yours looks just like mine. Enjoy that fine 9! Regards 18DAI

 

[BAM-BAM]

The Smith Model 10s,28s and 915 embody the idea of a gun.......with;

to quote 18DAI,..........

"Everything you need an nothing you don't!"