need input on the 4043

[panamajack310]

I am going to trade my ruger for a N.I.B. S&W 4043. any one out there have one? I am not used to S&W semi auto's....I had 2 but traded them for revolvers...LOL silly me and my revolver fetish...anyway..so tell me about the 4043 and not what I can read in the SCSW...tell me..What do you guys like about the gun? what do you dislike about the gun..I know it has the aluminum frame so it is lighter than the 4046...is the trigger smooth on them?? was it a flop for S&W?????Let me know thanks...

 

[panamajack310]

I am going to trade my ruger for a N.I.B. S&W 4043. any one out there have one? I am not used to S&W semi auto's....I had 2 but traded them for revolvers...LOL silly me and my revolver fetish...anyway..so tell me about the 4043 and not what I can read in the SCSW...tell me..What do you guys like about the gun? what do you dislike about the gun..I know it has the aluminum frame so it is lighter than the 4046...is the trigger smooth on them?? was it a flop for S&W?????Let me know thanks...

 

[sadp40]

i don't know about the 4043 but i have a 4053tsw pre-rail that i love. she's the original point and click interface. no safety's or levers or anything to bugaboo you. just pull that butter smooth trigger and that .40cal chunk of lead is on its way. mine has the night sights and while not as bright as new they still glow. they only thing i guess i don't like is since i dry fire a lot pulling the slide back each time is a pill.

 

[blairgarber]

Are you trading a Ruger auto or revolver? In general S&W autos are more refined than Rugers while not quite as rugged. In general S&W's have better triggers, sights, and ergonomics. For tailoring point-ability S&W stock grips can be had with either flat or curved backstraps. Mags are plentiful and used LE mags are very cheep for the .40S&W guns. There are lots of people that prefer traditional DA/SA actions of the 4006 to the the DAO of the 4043 but I'm not one of them. I think the DAO S&Ws had some of the best triggers of any non single action auto. It's very easy to learn to shoot an S&W DAO well and IMO they are much safer than the Glock which they are often (but wrongly) compared to. In addition they are safe without the complicating mechanisms of safety's, de-cockers, etc. of the SA/DA guns.

My own 4043 was sent to bar-sto to have a .357Sig barrel fitted, giving me a choice of 2 calibers in the same platform. It shoots very well with either round.

Far from a flop the S&W Third Generation Autos were wildly successful. As was the .40 S&W cartridge. These guns were the first double stack, medium caliber autos approved for use or issue by many state, local, and federal agencies through the 80s and 90s. IMO they would still be in wide issue, except for their relatively high cost of manufacture when compared to the injection molded Glocks that have largely supplanted them by virtue of price alone.

Below are a 5943(top) and a 5946 (both 9mm). They are pretty much identical to the 4043 and 4046. The top 5943's frame was re-anodized (black) and the sights were changed to Novak's adjustable model. Both have the straight backstrap grips.

?

/b

 

[Dot_mdb]

I have a 4046, the heavier all steel version of the gun you are asking about. I like it very much and it has been 100% reliable. The gun has a very smooth trigger and relatively short pull for a double action auto. The trigger pull is about 10lbs which is similar to a double action revolver. If you have experience with a revolver you will have no trouble with this gun.

The 4046 is not a bulls-eye gun but it will do decent defensive work out to 25 yards. I own a Ruger P95 and I consider the 4046 to be a better gun but both are reliable.

Bill

 

[panamajack310]

I am trading a ruger vaquero for the gun...I have a glock 22 as a duty gun...I carry only revolvers as a back up and for off duty and alternate duty carry...I am a revolver fanatic..I like semiautos but the revolver is more of a choice than a need..I probably will not carry the 4043 just shoot it a bit...