OK, I know this thread is for the 3913 but I wanted to talk a little about the black sheep in this family. I purchased a 3914 (carbon steel slide Vs. stainless like on the 3913 and black finish instead of silver) back in 1993 for my wife. I was thrilled with the pistol until I saw a project my local custom pistolsmith was working on...
Karl Sokol of Chestnut Mountain Sports (now in West Rutland, VT.) was enamored with the ASP conversions on the earlier M39's and he wanted to tweak a 3913 to look like an ASP. Of course the Guttersnipe Sight that the ASP is famous for would be a huge undertaking there were a number of frame, slide and lever modifications that could be done that would enhance function and give the 39 a new look. The first project gun was for a former LEO and firearms instructor in Ohio and gun writer, Dave Spaulding. My wife's 3914 was the second go around for this project and Karl has produced several more.
In addition to the standard action and reliability jobs Karl also machined the front of the slide to enhance reholstering, speed up slide speed due to a slightly lighter slide and it have it an ASP/Browning HP look. Karl also reduced, rounded and bobbed the grip tang, relieved the area of the frame where the trigger guard meets the grip frame and he reduced the size and rounded the ambi safety and slide lock and rounded and smoothed the finish.
After all of that work the pistol was beadblasted and then hard chromed. The stock Novak's were also switched out with IWI(PT Night Sights) with a green in the front and two yellow dots in the rear. My wife who likes to shoot enjoys the look and feel of her custom pistol and it shoots like a DREAM. It is 100% reliable and shoots everything from reloads and ball ammo to Speer Gold Dots and Federal Hydrashocks accurately and the recoil is not bad at all with the Hogue grips installed. I've never shot +P or +P+ rounds through this one so I can't comment on those.
If anyone would like to see close up photos of the custom features or needs info for Chestnut Mountain Sports just let me know.
LONG LIVE THE 3913 and it's brothers and sisters.
