Third gen smith

[wendal]

I sold my third generation smith pistols.
I had read/herd that S&W was not going to support them any longer. parts ect.
Can anyone tell me if this is true?
Any concern for parts?
I know they are tanks. I was very happy with mine overall.
Did not like the mag safety.

 

[G35JIM]

Hey Wendal I haven't seen anything in print, but I noticed huge price increases in the secondary market on mags. Seems all the supply houses are sold out and there will be no more produced.
Have seen asking prices as much as $100.00 for a 10mm and $80.00 for a .45 mag. Thankfully I always buy a nice supply of mags for any semis I purchase. I wouldn't sell my 3G Smiths for anything! So many were made, I wouldn't worry about finding parts. Of all I own I've never had to replace anything except a spring.

 

[lhump1961]

I wouldn't worry about parts. If you can afford the time and cost in ammo to wear one out means you can afford to buy another.

You are welcome, of course, to opine as you please on the mag safety but to me it is a non-issue.

 

[18DAI]

Almost 27 years using 3rd gen pistols, over 39 separate examples in multiple calibers and I only ever broke one part.

A MIM mag catch on my LE 4516-3 snapped during a match like the cheap pot metal it was. I replaced it with a forged steel example from a 4566 and have never had another problem. With any of my 3rd gens.

I don't worry whether the current company calling itself s&w will support the 3rd gen guns. There are other gunsmiths and companies who can do whatever I may need done.

And I hear a persistent rumor that Apex Tactical, the company that currently gives the m&p everything the factory can't be bothered to, will be producing some 3rd gen replacement parts. Should they be needed. Regards 18DAI

 

[wendal]

OK I want another.
But which one do I want?
5906? 5903?
I like the stainless look but would not turn down a nice 5904.
Is their a 5905?
Was looking at a 6906. I am not sure I like the bobbed hammer.
I may only get one for now. Which one would you suggest?
Probably wont carry it.

 

[TNZ71]

OK I want another.
But which one do I want?
5906? 5903?
I like the stainless look but would not turn down a nice 5904.
Is their a 5905?
Was looking at a 6906. I am not sure I like the bobbed hammer.
I may only get one for now. Which one would you suggest?
Probably wont carry it.

I think for 9mm a 5906 is a classic

 

[lhump1961]

OK I want another.
But which one do I want?
5906? 5903?
I like the stainless look but would not turn down a nice 5904.
Is their a 5905?
Was looking at a 6906. I am not sure I like the bobbed hammer.
I may only get one for now. Which one would you suggest?
Probably wont carry it.

I like the bobbed hammer...clean look and don't cock these guns often anyway. I've been stuck on the DAO guns lately so like the 3954 and the 4053 that I have.

 

[wendal]

Are the 5906 with the rounded trigger guard newer guns?

 

[MackTech]

I don't think I'd sell any of mine 3rd Gen guns due to lack of parts. Unless you had some weird model , I'd say most all parts other than the frame could be found somewhere on the web. My 4026 daily carry gun with the frame mounted decocker could be an issue if the decocker parts failed. But I'd never think of selling it on a chance of what ifs.

 

[JohnHL]

Are the 5906 with the rounded trigger guard newer guns?

Yes.

Curiously, S&W started out with rounded guards on the 1st gens, stayed with them then transitioned into square guards on the 2nd gens, stayed with the square guards after transitioning to the 3rd gens, then when back to the round guards for the remainder of production.

John

 

[RV4driver]

OP, I'm confused. You sold your 3rd gens. NOW, you're asking if parts are a concern. You hear they are tanks. You were happy with yours overall.

Then, you sold them. I'm confused.

Just to be plain...I still have mine, they are tanks, parts have not been a concern, and I'm happy with them, not just overall, but totally. Mag disconnect, or whatever is still extant on many other handguns. Choices.
I'm confused.

 

[BB57]

OK I want another.
But which one do I want?
5906? 5903?
I like the stainless look but would not turn down a nice 5904.
Is their a 5905?
Was looking at a 6906. I am not sure I like the bobbed hammer.
I may only get one for now. Which one would you suggest?
Probably wont carry it.

Get the 6906. If you really want a bobbed hammer, it's still not hard to find a spur hammer off any of the 3rd gen S&Ws and just swap it out. You'll need to swap the hammer struts, but the pin drives out and can be reused.

Personally, I thought I'd dislike the bobbed hammer but it's really not an issue. On the range, it's cocked after you cycle the slide to chamber the round, so you really don't use the spur, and in a self defense situation you're going to shoot it DA anyway.

There are some 6906s showing up as police trade ins in very good to excellent condition. I got this one recently for $299 out the door. I also scored pair of magazines for $20 each.

I liked it so much I added Meprolite night sights. It'll hold the 10 ring on a B-27 target at 15 yards, and it's become one of my primary self defense pistols.

 

[wendal]

Even tanks brake sometime. Nothing last forever.
I was afraid parts would be horded and impossible to find.
S&W CS sometime ticks me off.
I sold them to fund other projects.
I found a 6906 but it's missing the safety.
Will the 5906 safety work? Are they hard to install?
I will most likely get a LE trade in gun. If my rifles sell I will get 2 hopefully. If they brake I will deal with it then.
thanks guys

 

[0849]

Even tanks brake sometime. Nothing last forever.
I was afraid parts would be horded and impossible to find.
S&W CS sometime ticks me off.
I sold them to fund other projects.
I found a 6906 but it's missing the safety.
Will the 5906 safety work? Are they hard to install?
I will most likely get a LE trade in gun. If my rifles sell I will get 2 hopefully. If they brake I will deal with it then.
thanks guys

If it is the safety body and left side lever, or right side you need, send me a pm as I have several extras from rearranging things on my 3913 and believe they may be the same part for the 5906 and 6906.

 

[BruceM]

Almost 27 years using 3rd gen pistols, over 39 separate examples in multiple calibers and I only ever broke one part.

A MIM mag catch on my LE 4516-3 snapped during a match like the cheap pot metal it was.

My emphasis added above.

Comments like this always make me chuckle-especially the adjective "cheap". You have to wonder how many MIM parts in the 39 Gen 3 pistols performed without issue. I can understand about being peeved due to a gun failure during a match but we all know that couldn't possibly influence an opinion concerning the cause of the difficulty.



Bruce

 

[wendal]

What's your thoughts on the 3913?
They look to be a little more money. Is it the size of the 5906 or 6906? I know it's a single stack. The slide looks shorter like the 6906 but how long is the grip?

Just for fun. Round trigger guard or square? I like the round, but would not turn down a deal on a nice square trigger guard.

 

[Richard M]

I found magazines for 69 Series at keepshooting.com. $24.95 and they are made by United Defense LLC. I haven't bought or tried any yet. I have 6 original ones with spare Wolff mag springs and spare followers.

 

[wendal]

OK in my searching for a third gen gun I came across 910 and 915 models.
Looks like they have plastic sights, plastic gide rode and safety on one side.
They are just blued. Looks like they have less checkering.
IS that about right?
So what do you think of them?
I am looking at a 5906 a 6906 but now looking a 915 too.

910 has plastic part 915 steel.

 

[18DAI]

Go with the 915. It is superior in build and function to the 910. And yes, I own both.

Out of my 39 owned and issued 3rd gen guns, only 4 have the CHEAP MIM parts. The 910 being one of those. The 915 is full of forged parts lovingly created by elves in the black forest. Regards 18DAI

 

[Sevens]

S&W decided in the early 90's to attempt to make a "value priced" 3rd Gen pistol... save some of the extras, cut a couple corners where possible all with the goal of dropping the price and hopefully selling MORE pistols. This attempt was the 915 (9mm) and 411 (.40cal) and these were made only two years but in heavy volume. The 915 especially is quite easy to find. In their short run, God knows how many they made but it was a lot.

However, that's not the whole "value line" story -- apparently S&W figured they missed their goal with the 915/411 because they didn't cut costs enough.

This is where the 910/410 came in. These guns further reduced manufacturing costs and these are cheaper guns. So while the 915 is certainly "less" than the 5903 it was modeled after... the 910 is FAR less.

915's and 411's remain a fantastic value even today, a quarter century after S&W debuted them.

So yes, great gun a 915 -- but it's still lesser a gun than a 5903 and most definitely a 5906. But you can definitely find some good buys on them. Gunbroker currently has fourteen gujillion of them (I just counted them. )