What's the best 9mm Carry Semi-Auto- Dept changed policies-help!

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bls72bmw

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Guys, my department changed policies and the options for personal carry are opened up a bit. I don't like the new style plastic M&P Series, but I've handled some 3913s, 908s, etc, that felt quite nice.

For S&Ws I'm more of a revolver guy, so school me in the best choice for a small, single stack 9mm semi auto- I HATE DA ONLY so it has to be SA/DA, safety lever up top is not an issue.

I understand the 3913TSW was one of the last good ones? IS it that much better?
And what else is there, it's tough to find info on the older series pistols now that the M&P has taken over.

Thanks gents!

Oh yes, needs to be able to handle/feed 124gr Speer GDHP +Ps fairly well- not a 'steady diet' but enough that I'll keep fresh with it, so let's say 100/month.
 
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There were some very nice 3913s around about a year or so ago. They were turn ins from the CA Department of Corrections. I don't know how many there were, but several members (including me) bought them from various sources. They are in really good shape. My thought would be if you can find one of those, it would make a very good off duty firearm. There are also some 908s guns floating around. That's the stainless version of the 908 Value Line gun.

The CS9 in either blue/black or stainless is nice too, but they are kind of rare and pricey.

The 3914 is the blue alloy/steel slide version of the 3913. There were a lot fewer of them made than the 3913, so they are harder to find.

Any of them should be able to handle +P rounds, but there are folks on the forum that will know more about that than do I.
 
Being a revolver guy, I'm surprised you don't like the DA only? I had a 3953 issued to me, and when the agency went to Glocks, I was bummed.

I found the DA only trigger of the 3953 to be very easy to work, and the pistol was very accurate and reliable. It was an all around great single stack 9mm pistol.

They may be a bit hard to find, but you might want to try and locate one, and give it a try.
 
I did handle a DA Only SW. Big problem for me. I am used to Sig DA/SA trigger pull, and when firing the DA Only SW, there is a distinct "click" reset after about 1/4 release of the trigger mechanism to reset. I tried it out and it became an issue immediately- meaning if you did not go ALL THE WAY BACK OUT to full "revolver mode" of rolling the trigger forward vs the "reset-prep" of a DA/SA you short stroked your trigger.

Not something I want to deal with in the least.
But thanks for asking.

The CS9 Looks pretty handy, what a nice gun. Don't know why they didn't sell, size of a Glock with a real trigger. Might be an interesting piece.
Thanks all for the info, keep it coming.
 
The 3913TSW without the rail is a superb carry pistol. I liked it so much, I bought another and several extra magazines. Carry, handling and operation are excellent.:cool:
 
Is the rail removable from the 3913 TSW? Or do you have to find one without it?
 
RedCardinal said:
The 3913TSW without the rail is a superb carry pistol. I liked it so much, I bought another and several extra magazines. Carry, handling and operation are excellent.:cool:
Click to expand...

I agree. I would have mentioned it as a possibility, but there aren't a lot of them out there. People don't tend to sell them once they get one. Plus the magazines can be hard to find.
 
By "department" do you mean LE? If so I'm surprised you want a single stack. You might check out a 12-round, double-stack 6906. It's DA/SA with cocked-and-locked option. It will feed rocks if you can fit them in the magazine.
 
If I were in your same situation I would choose either a 3913 or an HK USP. Either are fine choices but of course you should spend some time with any potential new carry piece before diving in.
 
Along with Max i'll cast my vote for the Sig225 9mm single stack. Or the near exact former LE German/Swiss Police Sig P6. If it was a revolver you were looking for it would be a S&W recommendation for sure.
 
SMSgt said:
By "department" do you mean LE? If so I'm surprised you want a single stack. You might check out a 12-round, double-stack 6906. It's DA/SA with cocked-and-locked option. It will feed rocks if you can fit them in the magazine.
Click to expand...

+1 to that^^^^! I have a 6904 that feeds rounds like they are greased...it has NEVER failed to feed, fire and eject. Having said that I also have a 3913TSW no rail. I love the gun and it has also been 100%. Although I think the TSW is a great CC gun for private use I'm not sure I would want the shorter grip for duty use...I would stick with the regular 3913.

If it were me and I was looking for a duty type Smith outside of the M&P's (love those as well!) I would take a serious look at the 6904/06. Same great qualities of the 3913/14 but in a double stack 12 rd mag. Grip is wider but the rest is the same. Here's a 6904 (my usual carry gun) and a 3913TSW pre-rail.

edit: SMSgt, I'm not sure you meant "cocked and locked" on these guns...if so I'm missing something.

Let us know what you come up with.:)
 

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If it doesn't absolutely have to be a single stack I'm going to suggest the 6906 as well. The only 9mm I ever owned that I actually liked
 
NOT SURE I'M GETTING YOUR?

If it's an on duty gun why go small and low capacity? if concealability is needed a sig 239 9mm single stack holds 8 in the mag I believe. I have the 239 40 cal & it holds 7 and they are great guns, but for open carry on duty I'd definitely go for the sig 226 9mm dbl stack with 15, both are da/sa. If you want a bug that can use the same mags as the primary than go glock.
 
Are we talking uniformed duty use or plain clothes/off duty carry?

If we're talking uniform use I'd look at the 5906 TSW. It's a full size double stack 9mm with a rail to mount a light. JMO, of course, but a compact, low capacity gun is not suitable for duty carry. I wouldn't argue one bit if the chief told me today I had to turn my tactical tupperware in and carry a 5906. In fact, that model with my Surefire X300 attached would be a very nice setup. Ditto for the 4006 or 4566 if other calibers are options.



Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk
 
If it was open duty carry I'd go back to my M645 or newer brothers 45XX. But I believe the OP was referring to Off Duty carry. I realize there are fine double stack compacts & hold more rounds if one actually got into an off duty situation where back up is minutes away. But because of my small hands & the bulk, I'd go with a single stack 3913.
I used to qualify with my 645 & 39-2...
 
I carry a model 59 with 14 in the mag and one in the pipe in my waist band or in a shoulder rig. As a back up to that, I carry a 9mm shield with the 8 round larger mag. Really like the idea of having 24 rounds of the same ammo at my disposal with out a mag change.

If you need more than that, bring a friend. :D
 
I'll cast another vote for the 3913/3914. I carried one for years off duty and on court days. I have no regrets. If we hadn't gone to all 45's I'd still be carrying one.

Accurate, bet your life reliable, easily concealed and looked good doing all that.

The 39XX series are the finest single stack carry 9mm's made, by anyone, IMO. Sig 239 is a close second place. Good luck with your decision! Stay safe! Regards 18DAI
 
The CS9 may be hard to find and its short grip doesn't fit all hands. It's the same size as a 642, weighs a few more ounces than the revolver, and gives you a larger payload (8 versus 5) with much quicker reloads. As a civilian, the reload speed doesn't greatly concern me, but I'd much rather shoot the semi over the wheel gun. In fact, I haven't carried the .38 since acquiring the CS9. The 642's just taking up space in my safe and will probably be gone soon.
The 3913/908 is the next step up in size. If you do a search, you'll find some members here who consider it the perfect compact.
As for the SIG 225/P6, I consider it a full sized duty weapon. A close friend has a Browning BDA, which is a early import version. It's a good shooter and I'd like to find a P6 for my own.
 
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By "carry" in my post, I was referring to both duty and concealed personal defense. I carried the pre-rail 3913TSW in uniform duty and plain clothes. Qualifiction with this one is a breeze. However, for more serious situations, I have many other S&W brothers including the Performance Center 9 Recon and the IDPA 5906 for up to 15 rounds. I carried these in uniform duty and concealed. Now that I am retired LE, I like the lightweight and easily concealed 3913TSW.:)
 
I'll also recommend the 3913.

Mine has constantly been drop-dead reliable. I just had the 3913 and the 6906 out seeing which would ride in my IWB today. With the thicker Cocobolo grips on my 3193 they are nearly identical guns.

I do not have the TSW version of the 3913, but I am constantly looking for one... ;)

.
 
Third Gen 5906!!!

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I could not keep the "all steel" 5906s on the shelf!! I NEVER had one on my repair bench, except for cleaning (some users just dont know what Hoppes #9 is). I own two to this day, one still unfired in the box. It is one heavy weapon, but built to run forever, and 100% reliable, and will eat any ammo you run. I do like the new M&Ps, my wife carries a 9C along with a 380 Bodyguard, depending on the purse she is carrying. My carry is the same, but the 5906 is in a shoulder holster in the colder months. The alloy versions are lighter in weight, but that solid steel is just old school and always goes bang!! I also used to carry the 5906 in a IWB and a loose shirt in the warmer months, you did know you were carrying, but what a fine pistol!! Good luck in your search!!
 
RED, If you have a 3913/tsw, a Recon 9, and a PC 5906, you have the best there is. I carry a shorty 9 daily, it will shoot as good (usually way better) than any/ANY 1911 and has alot more ammo.
If you shoot alot of + p, just make sure you keep a fresh recoil spring in it.
I always wished they had made a single stack Shorty 9, but over the years Ive gotten use to the double stack and I like the ammo. I took the hump out of the grips and I like it even better.
Nothing wrong with a 3913 though they are great guns. I wouldnt waste any money buying anything else.
The only issue Ive ever seen with these guns is over time, if not cleaned properly, over oiled, or LCP type lubricants left in them until they dry out, (what police officer would ever do that !!!!)the firing pin channel/pin/spring need to be cleaned, or you can have misfires. If thats checked every year or so, and a fresh recoil spring every so often they are super reliable guns. Congrats on retirement, Bob
 

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You could do a lot worse than go with a 3913! I'll recommend only the HK P7 as a better piece, the SIG P225 and 239 are the 3913s equal yet the 3913 is stainless slide over an alloy frame, like the SIGs its easy to carry both in and off duty.
If you can live with 8+1 it don't get much better! A lot of my fellow posters nominated the grand 5906, I just found a like new a couple if months ago, 2,000 rounds thus far and not one burp!!
The 3rd Gen were just damned find pistols!
Dale
 
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