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SOTVEN

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hello all. you know, we all may have said here or there "if i could only have one of something, it would be that..." well, here it is. lets imagine a nightmerish scenario, new worldwide legislation, one semi auto centerfire pistol per citizen, and that is that. just one!! how many of you would keep a 3rd gem over anything else?
me, having fired pretty much whatever has been out there one time or another, i did just that, i "fired" them all. without even a such nightmerish legislation in action, all my centerfire semiautomatic are 3rd gems, 9mm and 45 calibers of various years. we are talking that much hardcore!!! would there be anyone else out there?? :)
 
apparently, it turns out the question should have been "is there none else out there?"

its seems its official. i am the most hardcore 3rd gen fan world wide!!! lol :)
 
Sadly, all of my firearms were lost when my boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico last July. :-) The sole exception was my 5906 which I left at home.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.
 
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SOTVEN said:
its seems its official. i am the most hardcore 3rd gen fan world wide!!! lol :)
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Ha!!! :D That declaration, all by itself, would be a more fun thing to debate! :p Who among us is most dedicated to the care, feeding, preservation, shooting, collecting and general promotion of our beloved S&W 3rd Gens? ;)

It wouldn't be yours truly just because S&W 3rd Gens only comprise about 30% of my overall collection (35% of my handgun collection) and only 20% of my acquisitions in the last 18 months. :o Even worse, I still don't have a single PC 3rd Gen and a full third of my 3rd Gens are 'Value Line" guns that some don't even consider to be real 3rd Gens. :( Plus my actual range use of my beloved 3rd Gens is probably in the lowest 10% of all Team 3rd Gen members. :o

But who among us *is* the true Mister or Mrs. S&W 3rd Gen??? :confused:

Let the nominations begin! :D
 
Arrrgh, it's not that a PC simply "isn't" a 3rd Gen... to me, the fact that it's a hand fitted iconic masterpiece and the finest example of a semiautomatic that ever had an ampersand bestowed upon it seems to get swept to the side with a quick "it's a 3rd Gen" drop. To further my argument that PC shouldn't be called a "3rd Gen", the most famous PC pistol ever is like the 952. Clearly NOT a 3rd Gen.

Whew, breathing now, I'll be fine. ;) These opinions are my own.

86% of my firearms are handguns
56% of my handguns are S&W
66% of my S&W are semiauto
32% of my S&W pistols are 3rd Gens

I like my PC semiauto pistols the most.
I'd forego all my 3rd Gens to keep just one PC if I were forced-- that particular pistol would be my 845. Backup choice would be my 5-inch PPC-9.
 
I nominate TTSH for the "most in collection 3rd gen category".

Sevens for the "PC and overall knowledge of S&W semis category".

And 18DAI for "best in pics and writing of his guns".
 
I nod to your nominations and humbly decline mine -- there are numerous minds active here that have me in their rear view in knowledge across all the semiauto models. I *may* post more often than some of them! ;)
 
Ozark Marine said:
I nominate TTSH for the "most in collection 3rd gen category".

Sevens for the "PC and overall knowledge of S&W semis category".

And 18DAI for "best in pics and writing of his guns".
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LOL!!! :D That's the problem. Different Team 3rd Gen members have different specialties, interests and strengths. :cool:

But we still need an icon... a single Mister or Mrs. S&W 3rd Gen. :D

Hey, if it were easy, we'd have done it long ago. ;)
 
Sevens said:
Hmmm, maybe that's why we are a team. ;)
Click to expand...
Yeah, you're right. I guess it would have to be like the Academy Awards (i.e., many categories) instead of just one "Mister or Mrs. S&W 3rd Gen" :)

The problem is that some of the most dedicated, long-term 3rd Gen aficionados don't necessarily post all that often. :o There are members with a lot more 3rd Gens (and 3rd Gen experience/expertise) than moi simply lurking in the wings most of the time. Some other high volume/high value collectors have just about fallen off the face of the earth. :confused: Sometimes, I wonder where they have gone? :confused:

On the other hand, there are noisy people like me who just discovered 3rd Gens barely 4 years ago. :eek: Hard to believe given how much noise I make around here from time to time. :p

The point is that noise is not expertise. Noise is not experience. Noise is not knowledge. It may represent enthusiasm and involvement, but not necessarily a whole lot else. :o So how do we pick the most dedicated, "hardcore" 3rd Gen aficionado? :confused: Not easy... that's for sure. :cool:
 
TTSH, you have basically encapsulated the argument -- or perhaps the natural flaw in the argument. It's damn hard to define WHAT we are looking for.

And we could make a case for or against criteria. Simply owning them doesn't make it so, as some have more fiscal "ability" than others. The energy & drive to post a lot in these pages makes a case, but is there enough "hands on" to back up the frequent posts? I think the years of ownership logged counts for a lot (seniority!) and I can claim my first S&W 1-2-3rd way back in 1995... but sheesh, I didn't get my second one until 2012! :D

Fact is that we are our own lunatic fringe and we may each have our own ideas... I'd say that whatever any if us opines on this subject is correct.

There are a couple posters here who stand out, IMO, and for different reasons. 18DAI and BMCM, 824TSV and jsbethel. JohnHL, 4T5GUY, model3sw, GaryS, skjos, BLUEDOT37, kidcom, jag22, BAM-BAM, Barrie... and more and more that I can't think of this second.
 
Sevens said:
TTSH, you have basically encapsulated the argument -- or perhaps the natural flaw in the argument. It's damn hard to define WHAT we are looking for.

And we could make a case for or against criteria. Simply owning them doesn't make it so, as some have more fiscal "ability" than others. The energy & drive to post a lot in these pages makes a case, but is there enough "hands on" to back up the frequent posts? I think the years of ownership logged counts for a lot (seniority!) and I can claim my first S&W 1-2-3rd way back in 1995... but sheesh, I didn't get my second one until 2012! :D

Fact is that we are our own lunatic fringe and we may each have our own ideas... I'd say that whatever any if us opines on this subject is correct.

There are a couple posters here who stand out, IMO, and for different reasons. 18DAI and BMCM, 824TSV and jsbethel. JohnHL, 4T5GUY, model3sw, GaryS, skjos, BLUEDOT37, kidcom, jag22, BAM-BAM, Barrie... and more and more that I can't think of this second.
Click to expand...
Exactly. :)

I would only add that some here have sold off more 3rd Gens than I will ever own... so it's not so much present inventory that matters. It's overall experience and expertise that matter IMHO.

This reminds me of an old boss of mine. Many times, he'd tell me that there are two kinds of 15+ year engineers: those with 15 years of experience and those with one year of experience 15 times over again. He was only interested in employing the former. :cool:

I believe it's something like that with our own hobby and interest in S&W semi-auto pistols. I still consider myself a lightweight. I'd like it to be otherwise, but circumstances are such that I'll never be able to match the expertise of our greatest members. :cool:
 
vigil617 said:
What was the question again?;)
Click to expand...

It seemed to start out as one of those numerous, "What would you keep if you could only keep one?" threads, and then TTSH wanted to turn it into "Who's the most popular kid in our class?"

I'm thinking that is a result of living in an "unfree" state and always being subject to the politics of division.

I say we are a team and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

John
 
I feel Honored to be mentioned in the list for knowledge. I have been shooting well over 50 years and my idols on here are Thom Beckwith and Aussie collector who know so much more then me about the M41 and M46 series. Those two gentlemen are tops in my view.
 
Back to the original question-

I'd be drawing straws between one of my BHPs.

Sorry guys. I hope I don't have to mail my "3rd Gen" membership secret decoder ring back in.
 
TTSH said:
It wouldn't be yours truly just because S&W 3rd Gens only comprise about 30% of my overall collection (35% of my handgun collection) and only 20% of my acquisitions in the last 18 months. :o Even worse, I still don't have a single PC 3rd Gen and a full third of my 3rd Gens are 'Value Line" guns that some don't even consider to be real 3rd Gens. :( Plus my actual range use of my beloved 3rd Gens is probably in the lowest 10% of all Team 3rd Gen members. :o

:D
Click to expand...

TTSH....... doing the math.......................................... wow..........

Always thought you had more than "two" 3rd Gen Smith auto!!!!!!!!!

Well I guess that's .......Mass. math!!!!!

:D
 
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I was there in the beginning..........

'No brag ..... just fact!"


...................... still carrying a 3913NL 95% of the time..... 27-28 years after my first 3913 or was it a 6906????????


You nay not have the most.......... but what do you hold the closest

First rule........"Beware the man that only owns one gun" ..............especially if it's a Performance Center Shorty 9!!!!!

TTSH you are still in the running....... but you have to take one of your "beloved 3rd Gens" on a road trip;...... or at least out of the house!!!


:D
 
BAM-BAM said:
TTSH....... doing the math.......................................... wow..........

Always thought you had more than "two" 3rd Gen Smith auto!!!!!!!!!

Well I guess that's .......Mass. math!!!!!

:D
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Nope. Just two. :) I used that new "common core" math! :p
 
BAM-BAM said:
I was there in the beginning..........

'No brag ..... just fact!"

...................... still carrying a 3913NL 95% of the time..... 27-28 years after my first 3913 or was it a 6906????????

You nay not have the most.......... but what do you hold the closest

First rule........"Beware the man that only owns one gun" ..............especially if it's a Performance Center Shorty 9!!!!!

TTSH you are still in the running....... but you have to take one of your "beloved 3rd Gens" on a road trip;...... or at least out of the house!!!

:D
Click to expand...
This is what I was referring to earlier... real "hands-on" and extensive carry experience. Very difficult for yours truly to ever acquire that when I slept for 25 years (right through the entire era of 3rd Gen production) and am now too damn old & fat to carry anything but plastic toy "mini-mouse" pocket guns unless I want to put on a shoulder holster. :(

"Beware the man that only owns one gun"... that saying always reminds me of the old man (R.I.P.). Other than his two target .22's and one dubious (probably unsafe) .22 short antique, a gift from his uncle, he only owned one serious protection-worthy handgun: a 6" Highway Patrolman. But man-O-man was he ever good with it. :D Never bothered him carrying it either even though it weighed a ton and stuck out like a major sore thumb. ;) And he was not shy about carrying it either. :cool:

Those were very different times. Today, in this age of modern, concealable, disposable plastic wonder guns, he would never fit in. ;)
 
Tex1001 said:
Sadly, all of my firearms were lost when my boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico last July. The sole exception was my 5906 which I left at home.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.
Click to expand...

so sorry to hear that friend. i am glad you are still here and not with your boat...
 
TTSH said:
Ha!!! :D That declaration, all by itself, would be a more fun thing to debate! :p Who among us is most dedicated to the care, feeding, preservation, shooting, collecting and general promotion of our beloved S&W 3rd Gens? ;)

It wouldn't be yours truly just because S&W 3rd Gens only comprise about 30% of my overall collection (35% of my handgun collection) and only 20% of my acquisitions in the last 18 months. :o Even worse, I still don't have a single PC 3rd Gen and a full third of my 3rd Gens are 'Value Line" guns that some don't even consider to be real 3rd Gens. :( Plus my actual range use of my beloved 3rd Gens is probably in the lowest 10% of all Team 3rd Gen members. :o

But who among us *is* the true Mister or Mrs. S&W 3rd Gen??? :confused:

Let the nominations begin! :D
Click to expand...

hahahaha!!! ok, you may have a point there friend, but then again, how about those few of us in "sovi3t 3urop3an kountri3s" where 3rd gems are scarce to begin with?? and the market is bloated with plastic toys? and yet, we prevail, and accumulate and preserve what 3rd gems we can find?? now i am after a 5903tsw that surfaced. and my 3rd gems only share range time with my wheel guns. no plastics for me, thank you!! :)
 
Sevens said:
To further my argument that PC shouldn't be called a "3rd Gen", the most famous PC pistol ever is like the 952. Clearly NOT a 3rd Gen.
Click to expand...

there is a 952 review on utube from 2009. watch it if you feel you need a good cry and weeping my friend. the guy has no idea what he has. someone please give that man an Austrian plastic cookie cutter and relive him from his treasure, please!
 
I may have seen that! The one I watched that was horrendous had a guy complaining that his 952 wasn't a "hi-cap!" He believed it was ridiculous to make a full sized 9mm that only held 9 rounds.
 
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