I think that the 3913 (and similar) are good guns. I collect, shoot, and regularly carry Third Generation Smith & Wesson pistols. They are well built, reliable, and easy to conceal.
Is a 3913 a good gun?
- Thread starter Inkgardener
- Start date
HOUSTON RICK
Member
I have not seen a Model 3913 for less than $500 since shortly before the COVID-19 panicdemic. The 3913 was a great concealed carry pistol in the 1990's and early 2000's. Unfortunately, it has been out of production for quite some time now. They are durable pistols and not particularly prone to malfunctions or parts failures, but magazines have become harder to find and quite expensive.
I would recommend a close inspection of the receiver, which is made of aluminum alloy. Look for excessive wear on the slide rail and the barrel cam blocks. When the barrel unlocks, the barrel cams hit the receiver's cam blocks and can peen and wear into them. In extreme cases, cracks can form where the front of the cam block meets the body of the receiver. Significant cam block wear occurs when the recoil spring is not changed on a regular basis, especially when shooting +P and +P+ ammo.
I would recommend a close inspection of the receiver, which is made of aluminum alloy. Look for excessive wear on the slide rail and the barrel cam blocks. When the barrel unlocks, the barrel cams hit the receiver's cam blocks and can peen and wear into them. In extreme cases, cracks can form where the front of the cam block meets the body of the receiver. Significant cam block wear occurs when the recoil spring is not changed on a regular basis, especially when shooting +P and +P+ ammo.
N4KVE
Member
Not on mine. GARY
Is the sky Blue on a clear day?
ColbyBruce
Member
revolver4954
Member
My S&W 3913 was—and still is— a very good gun: reliable and very accurate. I carried it for decades. Price seems fine if the gun is in good shape.
N4KVE
Member
Mine came with the stainless looking TG like a 6906. And I put in a hammer from a 5906 so I could cock the hammer. Yours must be a later model when they started using MIM parts. GARY
Yendor357
Member
The 3913 is obsolete by definition because it is no longer being produced.
In my opinion, it's obsolete because there are guns like the SIG P365 that shoot just as well, hold 1.5X the ammo, and the SIG is smaller, and when adjusted for inflation, cheaper. There probably aren't too many police departments that still use them.
That doesn't mean the 3913 doesn't work. But there are certainly better choices.
In my opinion, it's obsolete because there are guns like the SIG P365 that shoot just as well, hold 1.5X the ammo, and the SIG is smaller, and when adjusted for inflation, cheaper. There probably aren't too many police departments that still use them.
That doesn't mean the 3913 doesn't work. But there are certainly better choices.
bulletslap
Member
The 3913, 3914, and 3953 are all great pistols, the magazines are not inexpensive nor is there a glut of them.
1775usmarine
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If I were to run out of ammo and within arms distance would prefer the heft of the 3rd gens to use as a club vs the newer polymer firearms. I use my 5903 or chp4006 for my nightstand firearms while the rest of my 3rd gens are only brought out for range use.
Yes. YES!!
I have a 3913NL. It is the same as the Ladysmith without the odious feminine engraving on the slide. Oh my!
I love everything about it.
I also have a 6906.
It is the same 3.5" barrel and slide but features 12 round magazines, so the grip is noticeably wider.
On our forum here you will find many posts by our departed friend (and I daresay hero) 18DAI. His moniker comes from the fact that he was an investigator for the 18th District Attorney here in the piedmont area of North Carolina. I find reason to miss him a lot. He wrote expertly on this pistol and his experiences with it as a lawman and firearms instructor. Please read his comments on this pistol for a complete education.
-Click the search button on the top line under the forum banner.
-Click "Advanced Search"
-In the first box enter the keyword "3913".
-In the second box Search by User Name, enter "18DAI".
-In the lower left of search options select posts from a year ago and older.
-Under Show results as, select "posts".
-In the lower right of the page Search in Forum(s), select "Smith & Wesson Semi-Automatic Pistols"
Happy Shooting your new pistol which you ARE going to go buy and be very proud of.
BrianD
I have a 3913NL. It is the same as the Ladysmith without the odious feminine engraving on the slide. Oh my!
I love everything about it.
I also have a 6906.
It is the same 3.5" barrel and slide but features 12 round magazines, so the grip is noticeably wider.
On our forum here you will find many posts by our departed friend (and I daresay hero) 18DAI. His moniker comes from the fact that he was an investigator for the 18th District Attorney here in the piedmont area of North Carolina. I find reason to miss him a lot. He wrote expertly on this pistol and his experiences with it as a lawman and firearms instructor. Please read his comments on this pistol for a complete education.
-Click the search button on the top line under the forum banner.
-Click "Advanced Search"
-In the first box enter the keyword "3913".
-In the second box Search by User Name, enter "18DAI".
-In the lower left of search options select posts from a year ago and older.
-Under Show results as, select "posts".
-In the lower right of the page Search in Forum(s), select "Smith & Wesson Semi-Automatic Pistols"
Happy Shooting your new pistol which you ARE going to go buy and be very proud of.
BrianD
Last edited:
Jeppo
Member
When John left us, he owned 3 3913/14 variants. That was after he sold me his 3914DAO. RIP my friend!
Obsolete?
A 3913 has been my preferred off-duty pistol since I picked it up years ago..small, accurate, reliable, very easy to conceal in virtually any clothing..never could warm up to the Shield..
see my signature line...
A 3913 has been my preferred off-duty pistol since I picked it up years ago..small, accurate, reliable, very easy to conceal in virtually any clothing..never could warm up to the Shield..
see my signature line...
squidsix
Member
I have three 3913/14 pistols, and would not let any of them go today for that price. One of mine has a recorded 12,500 rounds thru it without any failures of any kind.
I do remove the magazine disconnect on (all) my pistols, so this isnt an issue.
I do remove the magazine disconnect on (all) my pistols, so this isnt an issue.
Yes on both. The 3913 was a well built and very capable CCW, then and now.
Extremely reliable. S&W made these right.
Do it!
I remember hearing through one of my former contacts in S&W that Wayne Novak had a lot of influence in making what became the 3913 come into existence.
Here's an article that hints at it a little, too ...
Classic Carry: The Smith & Wesson Model 39 | RECOIL
I was going to buy an early production 3913 from one of the other guys until I had an opportunity to order my own directly from the factory (via FFL, of course) under the old armorer discount program. I think I received mine either at the end of '98 or early '99. Mine came with a weird modification, meaning the slide having been machined (at the Performance Center) for the en-new LE=Only spring-loaded, decock-only option. Nobody could ever offer an explanation for why the slide had been machined, other than maybe it had been done by the PC for a project or order that had been canceled. Dunno, but I ordered the decock-only assembly and installed it.
That gun has seen a lot of use, and I've gone through at least a couple sets of NS (not all Trijicon). Presently the last Trijicon NS set is dark, so I put a large dollop of bright orange nail polish on the front NS, making it a 'ball'. Works quite well with my aging eyes.
I also had the opportunity to buy a late-production 3913TSW when my former agency allowed us to buy a gun from our former duty weapon inventory that was being phased out. I found and hand-selected one of the few remaining 3913TSW's that had never been issued and fired.
The only 3rd gen Smith I find to handle even better is my early 2000's CS9.
When we were running +P+ and +P duty ammo a couple of the factory reps suggested replacing the recoil springs sooner than the regular recommended replacement schedule in our aluminum-framed guns. When they switched from recommending replacing a recoil spring when it had lost 4 coils worth of free length, to being replaced every 5 years of service use or 5000 rounds fired (whichever occurred first), I started replacing my own recoil springs in my compact aluminum 3rd gen's at 2500-3000rds. (The shorter, recoil spring gets replaced in my CS9 sooner.)
I'd not discount a very good condition 908 or 908S as a bargain, too, BTW.
FWIW, while you can still find recoil & mag springs, and magazine components, from some of the normal vendors, the 3rd gen guns are considered 'obsolete' by S&W. The prices of complete magazines are becoming obscene. I wish I'd bought more when I was stocking up against the guns going out of production. I have 'enough', but it's not like they're scheduled to be making new ones again (that they'd told me when I've called as an armorer, anyway). Sigh.
Here's an article that hints at it a little, too ...
Classic Carry: The Smith & Wesson Model 39 | RECOIL
I was going to buy an early production 3913 from one of the other guys until I had an opportunity to order my own directly from the factory (via FFL, of course) under the old armorer discount program. I think I received mine either at the end of '98 or early '99. Mine came with a weird modification, meaning the slide having been machined (at the Performance Center) for the en-new LE=Only spring-loaded, decock-only option. Nobody could ever offer an explanation for why the slide had been machined, other than maybe it had been done by the PC for a project or order that had been canceled. Dunno, but I ordered the decock-only assembly and installed it.
That gun has seen a lot of use, and I've gone through at least a couple sets of NS (not all Trijicon). Presently the last Trijicon NS set is dark, so I put a large dollop of bright orange nail polish on the front NS, making it a 'ball'. Works quite well with my aging eyes.
I also had the opportunity to buy a late-production 3913TSW when my former agency allowed us to buy a gun from our former duty weapon inventory that was being phased out. I found and hand-selected one of the few remaining 3913TSW's that had never been issued and fired.
The only 3rd gen Smith I find to handle even better is my early 2000's CS9.
When we were running +P+ and +P duty ammo a couple of the factory reps suggested replacing the recoil springs sooner than the regular recommended replacement schedule in our aluminum-framed guns. When they switched from recommending replacing a recoil spring when it had lost 4 coils worth of free length, to being replaced every 5 years of service use or 5000 rounds fired (whichever occurred first), I started replacing my own recoil springs in my compact aluminum 3rd gen's at 2500-3000rds. (The shorter, recoil spring gets replaced in my CS9 sooner.)
I'd not discount a very good condition 908 or 908S as a bargain, too, BTW.
FWIW, while you can still find recoil & mag springs, and magazine components, from some of the normal vendors, the 3rd gen guns are considered 'obsolete' by S&W. The prices of complete magazines are becoming obscene. I wish I'd bought more when I was stocking up against the guns going out of production. I have 'enough', but it's not like they're scheduled to be making new ones again (that they'd told me when I've called as an armorer, anyway). Sigh.
Yendor357
Member
A cross cut saw works as well as they ever did. But no one that I know of uses one much. The chainsaw rendered them obsolete.
I love 3913s. But a SIG 365 does everything better. Indiana State Police ( some, not all of them) carry 365s.
I love 3913s. But a SIG 365 does everything better. Indiana State Police ( some, not all of them) carry 365s.
I shoot the 3913 significantly better, so there is that
