"Two Tone" 3rd Generation Pistol Question

[ACEd]

Just wondering which 3rd Generation Pistols that were made Blue over Silver or Silver over Blue configurations.
I have CS40, 457, 4013 (Colorado State Patrol), 5903SSV, 5943SSV, and an odd 3904 which may have come with stainless slide and Night Sights from SW in 1993.
But there must be more - anyone have a list?

 

[4T5GUY]

Are PC’s 3rd Gen ???

Some here are of the position that they are NOT. My observation is when you detail strip a PC pistol, the individual parts sure look like 3rd Gen parts. Of course some have had more attention to finishing, others didn’t.

If PC’s are 3rd Gen (?), Shorty 9, 9 Recon, 952-2, Shorty 40 and 4563 45CQB are a few more two tones, or could be.

Jim

 

[DUSTYDOGDAN]

Just wondering which 3rd Generation Pistols that were made Blue over Silver or Silver over Blue configurations.
I have CS40, 457, 4013 (Colorado State Patrol), 5903SSV, 59E43SSV, and an odd 3904 which may have come with stainless slide and Night Sights from SW in 1993.
But there must be more - anyone have a list?

I am pretty sure you outbid me on that 457.LOL.
I have a 410S that is a special order with a blue slide.
I also have a 1076 that is a lettered East Baton Rouge Parish service pistol but I think the slide was made blue/black after leaving S&W.
If anyone has found a 2 tone 1076 please speak up.

 

[ACEd]

457 is supposedly a Zanders special one year 1997? though I have seen a VZE prefix with a box end code 6285.

Also add 410, 411, 908, 910, 4567.

 

[Adventurer104]

Zander 908 two tone

Re: zander 908 one of my 2

 

[jimintheburg]

I have a 4567 which is a two tone. 4¼ barrel. I am not original owner. It came with nites which unfortunately are dead. Nice pistol. Enjoy shooting it.

 

[BAM-BAM]

My two FrankenSmith 3rd Gen 6915s are Blue over silver.

6906 frames mated to a 915 slide!

Do they count??

 

[wyo-man]

457 is supposedly a Zanders special one year 1997? though I have seen a VZE prefix with a box end code 6285.

My two tone 457 is VKN prefix. I assume original configuration but was purchased used. No box.

wyo-man

 

[HYPURR]

Zanders was not the only TT 457

My 1997 VKN Prefix 457 is a TT from HILL COUNTRY SPORTS, Inc. Austin TX. Thank you Roy Jinks (Letter attached).

Best, Dave

 

[colt_saa]

While not your traditional two tone

I am a HUGE Fan of the 3566 Limited and the 3566 Compact

​

 

[BigBoss3006]

While not your traditional two tone

I am a HUGE Fan of the 3566 Limited and the 3566 Compact

​

Do you know how they darkened the stainless on these? Having a slide done up by Guzzi and really want to do this, since my frame’s flats are already polished

 

[colt_saa]

Do you know how they darkened the stainless on these? Having a slide done up by Guzzi and really want to do this, since my frame’s flats are already polished

Very clever actually

You finish the entire slide or frame and then polish the finish off of the flats.

I did something similar with my slide when I built THOR (my 10MM Auto ) about 5 years ago

We ceracoated the slide and then I polished the flats. The result was that the interior of the slide serations retained the slide color

 

[BigBoss3006]

Very clever actually

You finish the entire slide or frame and then polish the finish off of the flats.

I did something similar with my slide when I built THOR (my 10MM Auto ) about 5 years ago

We ceracoated the slide and then I polished the flats. The result was that the interior of the slide serations retained the slide color

Gotcha. I was under the impression the originals used some sort of chemical to darken the stainless, however Cerakote is probably a much simpler solution and easier to refinish after its worn down

 

[colt_saa]

Do you know how they darkened the stainless on these? Having a slide done up by Guzzi and really want to do this, since my frame’s flats are already polished

My appologies

Ceracote is what I used 5 years ago. I do not recall Ceracote being offered as a product in the 90s

Back in the early 90s when the 3566s were manufactured those pistols would have been finished in one of the Nitride processes.

I can not recall the name that Smith & Wesson uses, but it is Tenifor with Glocu or Nitron with SIG, stc.

 

[Sevens]

Are PC’s 3rd Gen ???

Some here are of the position that they are NOT. My observation is when you detail strip a PC pistol, the individual parts sure look like 3rd Gen parts. Of course some have had more attention to finishing, others didn’t.

I'll take the other corner.

My observation is when you detail strip a 3rd Gen, the individual parts sure look like a 2nd Gen. Most of them look like a 1st Gen.

Alas, the guns are different.

S&W Performance Center semiautomatics are not, in my opinion, 3rd Gens. Even more so when you consider that the 952 series won't use a 3rd Gen one-piece Delrin grip (and if anyone wonders, a 952 also won't use 39/639/52 stocks either) and then you have the PC 945 -- a key piece of the PC semiautos and these share parts with very few S&W guns and barely anything from a 3rd Gen.

For the purpose of this discussion, even simply the 945 variations blow the discussion sideways when it comes to tones, finishes and colors.

 

[ACEd]

My 1997 VKN Prefix 457 is a TT from HILL COUNTRY SPORTS, Inc. Austin TX. Thank you Roy Jinks (Letter attached).

Best, Dave

Very interesting letter on your 457 - Letter mentions a quantity of 200 457 TwoTones in VYZ3729-3848 and VKN3504-3580 ranges - with your VKN35xx shipped to Hill Country Sports in Austin, TX.
Were you fortunate enough to have box with 6 digit Product Code?

Add VKN1736, VUV2767, VYZ6529, VZD5207, VZE1874, VZE5310, VZE7072, the last of which was verified as Zanders and the VUV and the VZE5310 came with boxes Product Code 130120 and the ship date code on the VZE5310 is 6285 implying a mid October 1996 ship date.

 

[JohnHL]

Just wondering which 3rd Generation Pistols that were made Blue over Silver or Silver over Blue configurations.
I have CS40, 457, 4013 (Colorado State Patrol), 5903SSV, 5943SSV, and an odd 3904 which may have come with stainless slide and Night Sights from SW in 1993.
But there must be more - anyone have a list?

Getting back to the original question, I have seen lots of factory "blue over silver" (which I am lead to believe started in the "target world" to reduce glare off the slide while resisting sweat induced rust on the frame), but other than CS models (I think), I don't recall any "silver over blue".

Am I dismembering correctly?

John?

 

[Engine49guy]

The first two tone SW semi auto I ever saw and owned was the IPSC Model 745, that was a 2nd gen era gun.

My 2nd blue over Stainless SW semi auto was the "PC9" , some people call them shorty 9's sometimes.
My PC9 has 3rd gen components and std delrin grip but the slide rails are much larger and hand lapped to fit one gun,
I have two shorty 40's and like the PC9 their slides are also hand fit to their frames and not Interchangeable,
All 3 also have brass Briley barrel bushings

 

[ACEd]

Getting back to the original question, I have seen lots of factory "blue over silver" (which I am lead to believe started in the "target world" to reduce glare off the slide while resisting sweat induced rust on the frame), but other than CS models (I think), I don't recall any "silver over blue".

Am I dismembering correctly?

John?

Logically Blue over Silver makes more sense, but I have a 3904 that came out of SW in 1993 Stainless slide with late night sights over blue frame and there is mention of a 3958 (page 276 of SCSW - none known to exist) that was theoretically Stainless slide over Blue. I thought I had seen another Silver over Blue, but cant recall (5904?).


So far I have compiled a list all Blue over Silver
410 (1999 only)
411 (1996 only)
457 (1997 only)
908 (1997 only)
910 (1995 only)
5903SSV (1990)
5943SSV (1991)
5967
4013 (2001?) (I have a Blue over Silver 4013 VKN marked Colorado State Patrol dated 1999 per SW)
4567
CS40

 

[Engine49guy]

Add PC9 to your list.
Here is a link to a net pic of one
https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgm-conten...966_02_s_w_pc9_performance_center_com_640.jpg