S&W Third Gen Pistols - All steel construction options?

[GaryS]

I'm probably over simplifying, but I consider the 4516, both flavors of 4513TSW, 457 and their DAO equivalents as compact.

LOL, yes it is but it's a large frame & the barrel is actually 3.75" long.

I should have added the qualifier to my statement that the pre-rail 4056TSW is the only compact medium frame all steel 3rd Gen pistol, which is what I usually attribute to it's uniqueness. My error.

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[Brian Parrish]

A Commander barrel is 4.25" long & an Officer is 3.5".

A 4566 is 4.25", a 4516 is 3.75" & a CS45 is 3.0".

I think we're getting into the weeds.

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Don't mean to get into the weeds. I wouldn't make it a thing had I not seen YouTubes about it. The terminology should have a function for me. I realize that when I say Commander-sized my mind carries quite a few presuppositions that others might not share. I would see the first three as all sharing the Commander role, which we now call compact. It is a problem with any classification scheme.

Here is the illustration we learned in school. Does one piece of sand make a mountain out of a mole hill? No! Adding just one more piece of sand you ask again, Now? No. Add again and again and again, still No. But after you do this for a gazillion more grains of sand at some point you have to say that finally it isn't a molehill anymore. Where is the line?

However when I put a pistol in my waistband at the 1 or 2 O'clock position, the barrel has got to be short enough it doesn't jab into my lower abdomen when I sit down. The Chief's Special or any Officer's sized pistol works for this. Those are the subcompacts. The compacts I can conceal in a belt holster without printing.

 

[malph]

Smith made plenty of all steel 3rd guns including the 5906, 4506, 3906, 4006 and many others if you include the DAO guns.