When Was Peak 3rd Gen
- Thread starter kmk008
- Start date
My understanding, which may well be incorrect, is that those were made up after the end of regular production using frames that had been in storage somewhere.
There was a rash of them that popped up on various gun auction sites about ten years or so ago.
I've never seen or heard of a 5904TSW, but with S&W you can never say never. No one had ever heard of the 3914TSW until a bunch just showed up. Then there were those 10 NYPD 3983...
There was a rash of them that popped up on various gun auction sites about ten years or so ago.
I've never seen or heard of a 5904TSW, but with S&W you can never say never. No one had ever heard of the 3914TSW until a bunch just showed up. Then there were those 10 NYPD 3983...
I'll argue this one a little bit... the 3rd Gens also brought better sights and more sight options but one of my favorite upgrades of the 3rd Gens over the 2nd Gen pistols were the ergonomic improvements, specifically the generous undercut at the base of the trigger guard where it meets the grip frame.
It may not look like much when you compare them visually, but I really appreciate the difference when I grab a hold of the pistol.
I'll tell you where I notice it the most -- my 645 and 745's don't have it, but my 1006 has it and 4506's have it (although I don't actually own a 4506!)
I'm a massive fan of my 745 pistols, the undercut trigger guard would be a dream come true for me.
JohnHL
Member
Performance Center pistols are to regular production S&W pistols
as
Nascar Toyota Camrys are to regular production Camrys...
John
as
Nascar Toyota Camrys are to regular production Camrys...
John
I'm a gargantuan fan of S&W Performance Center semiautomatic and specifically, the Limited series of single action target pistols. They are the absolute center of all that I love and chase and WANT in firearms.
If you want to make every 3rd Gen ever made look ordinary, vanilla, and "meh whatever", just drift a great 3rd Gen conversation to PC pistols.
They are not only in a different class, they are in a different galaxy.
If you want to make every 3rd Gen ever made look ordinary, vanilla, and "meh whatever", just drift a great 3rd Gen conversation to PC pistols.
They are not only in a different class, they are in a different galaxy.
LVSteve
Member
I have the 5906 TSW in the BAW series with the black rail and "9 TACTICAL" emblazoned on the slide. It's a great gun to shoot, having a very smooth DA pull and crisp SA trigger. The only DA/SA gun I have with a better trigger is a Slovak Grand Power K100.
I guess I never thought of this too much since the only 2nd Gen I have is a 639 and the slim grip feels so different anyway that I didn’t pay attention. Although the 639 and 5904 I own essentially have the same sights as they were both the adjustables.
This thread is making me fall in love with the 945’s - I remember back when I was younger and didn’t know as much about them I thought they were pretty stupid. In my eyes then it was just an expensive, customized wannabe 1911. I thought the pairing of essentially a 1911 frame with a 4506 slide was just a half baked attempt at competing with 1911s.
You've got half the answer!
Your 5904 has a dovetailed front sight, which opens up a world of options and at the time, that option included night sights.The 639 has two options for a front sight. Live with what it came with... or find a talented craftsmen to start cutting, grind it off and chisel in a dovetail so you can then begin the search for front sight options.
Kmk008, I’m glad I brought up the 945. Phenomenal pistol’s and extremely accurate. To me The frame is based more off of the 4506/745/645 also as it has the same grip angle. I think of it more as the 3rd Gen version of the 745.
Doug M.
Member
There are actually some pretty big differences between the 2nd and 3rd generation pistols, although they may seem subtle. Much of the work into improving the line came from the very hard work/testing of the Illinois State Police range staff, communicated back to S&W. At the time, ISP was pretty dedicated to the S&Ws and shot the heck out of them using service ammo specifically made for them. I bought some of that 115 +P+ ammo off the state contract in the early 90s; it was about $12/case more than hardball. My Glocks ate it right up. My understanding was that only ISP got warrantee coverage for that ammo, which reflected the symbiotic relationship of the time.
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Best Quote
Thanks JohnHL.
Kind Regards,
BrianD
The best thing written on the internet since Algore invented it! Sensible sentiment and an appropriate proper quotation.Whenever an objection to an anachronistic feature on an older product is raised, (like "billboards", rails, or even hooked trigger guards) I am immediately reminded of a quote by Thomas Jefferson in a June 12, 1883 letter to William Johnson:
"[O]n every question of construction, [let us] carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed."
While Mr. Jefferson was examining the question of Federal Court supremacy over the states, I am cautious of employing current "standards" when criticizing past conventions.
That is to say, the fashions of the time were new, innovative, coveted, and seemed to make sense at that time.
I am certainly not above the subjective distaste for some stylistic embellishments (Schuetzen Rifles offend my delicate esthetic sensibilities), however, I feel inclined to divorce myself and view objectively that which "neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg".
John
Thanks JohnHL.
Kind Regards,
BrianD
GaryS - Hogue does make a two-piece wrap-around grip for the 3913, or at least they did. I found one for mine on eBay, and it was NIB when I bought it about a year ago.
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Charlie Foxtrott
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JohnHL
Member
You're most welcome, Brian.
A rare moment of lucidity, then the effects of the surgery wear off and I return to being Algernon...
John
Hogue are in rubber and wood [smooth or checkered] slightly arched backstrap..... been using them for 30 years.
Still on their website $80-105
Green Frog
Member
I hate to flog a deceased equine, but in my humble opinion, the best of the 3rd Gen S&Ws was ... the 2nd Generation!. Others may argue, but to me the absolute zenith of S&W autopistols intended for service and carry occurred with the 639 and others of its generation. My 639 that became the basis of my FrankenSmith is everything I could ask for and some I didn’t even know I “needed”.
We now return you to your previously scheduled thread?
Froggie
We now return you to your previously scheduled thread?
Froggie
That would be so much a minority opinion that, by the numbers, they might call it a statistical anomaly.
I have six of the 2nd Gen series and I have no doubt that the 2nd Gen is well below the 1st Gens and miles below the 3rd Gens.
I have six of the 2nd Gen series and I have no doubt that the 2nd Gen is well below the 1st Gens and miles below the 3rd Gens.
Some good commentary on the 2nd gen’s here too. Which brings me back to my 639 and 5904. There certainly are a lot more differences than just the grips and some of those changes have been called out in this thread. But my feelings remain - I love the 2nd Gen and I love the 3rd Gen, but id prefer a 2G over a very early 3G. Maybe not on this thread or forum, but any of us that even carry a 3rd gen or use it for home defense are in the minority these days.
Back in the day the 3Gs brought forward some very useful changes at the time that had a lot more importance in their prime. These days most people would write them all off as “dinosaurs” regardless of generation. As part of my collection these days, the 5904 isn’t really any more practical or useful than a 2G and I think the styling of the 2G was a little sharper.
Back in the day the 3Gs brought forward some very useful changes at the time that had a lot more importance in their prime. These days most people would write them all off as “dinosaurs” regardless of generation. As part of my collection these days, the 5904 isn’t really any more practical or useful than a 2G and I think the styling of the 2G was a little sharper.
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