New to me 3913 have questions

[71velle]

Well thanks to many of you that posted in my thread about trading my shield for a 3913, the trade is done. Any info, or advice would be great. Here are a few questions.

1. The pistol in in excellent condition the guy I got it from said he bought it new and fired it less than 100 rounds and I believe it. It came with the box 2 mags and paperwork. Is something like this better to be collected and saved or use it?

2. the serial # starts with VAA does that tell date of manufacture. It has the silver trigger and hammer does that mean anything?

3. The trigger is on the heavy side I understand it might lighten up a bit with use sine it is not even broken in yet. The trigger still has a gridy feel. I have seen the videos from bluebelly2 on YouTube is that a good treatment? What hammer weight would to good to try? Does the trigger return spring make much of a difference? Any trigger advice welcome.

4. The holster question, of coarse. I would guess I will need to order being it an older model. Would be interested in a high riding owb and a comfortable iwb.

5. After reading that Smith will no longer service these pistols and parts could dry up I am slightly concerned. If I like shooting and decide to keep it what spare parts would be good to get?

6. The manual doesn't mention +p ammo. Is there any ammo I should avoid? What defensive hollow point seem to work well?

Not sure if there are any other questions I should be asking but any additional info or resources would be great!! Thanks

And of coarse the pics

 

[mbliss57]

That is a nice 3913. I am not into all the trigger pull stuff. I just use them as they come. I can however help with holsters. A Bianchi S3 works very well IWB as does a Galco summer comfort IWB. I bought my Galco for a Sig P229 SAS but the 3913 fits it very well/ perfectly. These are great pistols. There may be a little break in but I don't think too much.
Of course if you find you really don't like it..I believe you will sell it quickly in the classifieds Have fun and congrats on an Iconic 3rd gen single stack.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

1. The pistol in in excellent condition the guy I got it from said he bought it new and fired it less than 100 rounds and I believe it. It came with the box 2 mags and paperwork. Is something like this better to be collected and saved or use it?

2. the serial # starts with VAA does that tell date of manufacture. It has the silver trigger and hammer does that mean anything?

3. The trigger is on the heavy side I understand it might lighten up a bit with use sine it is not even broken in yet. The trigger still has a gridy feel. I have seen the videos from bluebelly2 on YouTube is that a good treatment? What hammer weight would to good to try? Does the trigger return spring make much of a difference? Any trigger advice welcome.

5. After reading that Smith will no longer service these pistols and parts could dry up I am slightly concerned. If I like shooting and decide to keep it what spare parts would be good to get?

6. The manual doesn't mention +p ammo. Is there any ammo I should avoid? What defensive hollow point seem to work well?

.

1: Since it's already "used", use it some more, get familiar with it & enjoy it. It's a common gun & has no special collectors value.

2: What is the Spec. Order# on the end of the box? That's the year/day it was made, in Julian format.

3: The SA trigger pull on these guns is usually around 7#, +/- half a pound. DA usually around 11#, +/- half a pound. Spray out the innards with some Rem Oil or CLP (I usually blow out the excess lube with compressed air) & see how it feels first. You could change out the mainspring/hammer spring from the standard 20# to a 17# which will lighten the pull a little. Verify reliable ignition afterwards especially if it's for SD.

5: I found a LNIB 3914 last year but I changed out all the (25 year old) springs as soon as I could. I figure it's better to start fresh with a good known in it; recoil, hammer, firing pin, & magazine springs. Nothing much else is going to wear-out anytime soon but having a spare or two on-hand won't hurt.

6: Occasional +P shouldn't be an issue with the standard 15# recoil spring. If you'll be shooting mainly hot/+P loads go with a heavier recoil spring, 17 or 18# Wolff spring.

That's a good looking gun. Hope you like it! Let us know how it shoots!

.

 

[carbuncle]

Congrats on a great trade! Now, in my opinion +P and aluminum frames don't mix, especially out-of-production aluminum frames, but that is an opinion only. As to collectability, I would shoot that little devil as much as you like, common replacements will just be the recoil spring in my experience. Enjoy a great, classic firearm that at one time was considered the best carry gun on the market.

 

[71velle]

The Spec ord # is 3222 007 03 would that be 222 day of 1993?

 

[BLUEDOT37]

Correct. 3222 = Aug.10, 1993

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