Yeah, missing that Recon hurt.
I posted earlier in the thread with my ideas on the 952 market, but I never really addressed the actual OP and discussion.
Collecting is what you make of it and you get to make absolutely ALL the rules, that's part of the fun. And I'm a but confused if we, as respondents, were supposed to offer suggestions on which way YOU should go... or simply talk about which way we wanna go.
Either way, fun discussion but there are no hard & fast "rules" for your collection. With that said, here I go!
Drop the idea that Performance Center pistols are a sect of 3rd Gens. I don't think that's fair. I think it sells the PC guns EXTREMELY short, and I don't mean to disparage the fantastic production 3rd Gens -- I mean to express the idea that PC pistols are "other worldly!" And if you think I'm out in left field when I say that PC pistols shouldn't be termed a kind of 3rd Gen... well, then you may also dislike it when I say "by the way, the 952 isn't even a 3rd Gen!" It's a modernized Model 52, a pistol that arrived in 1961. A First Gen!
How do I argue that PC pistols are not 3rd Gens? Well, you can take MANY different models of 3rd Gens (and 1-2 Gens too) and swap, share or migrate parts. You can swap whole top ends and mix configurations! You can take some internal small parts and jump between calibers too. And you can't do any of that with PC guns.
Having the absolute luxury (luck, good fortune, blessing of a good job that allows me to feed my hobby well after my essential life commitments) of owning some true PC pistols and a slew of 1-2-3rd Gens... they are on a whole different level. I would sell multiple production guns to get a hold of a single PC Limited 5" pistol and that is, in my (experienced) opinion, a more clear way to look at these.
Also, while I am ranting (and I have said this before...) yes, the 3rd Gen is the pinnacle of a fantastic design, the final evolution of one particular line of American firearms history. But to shower as much praise on 3rd Gens as you do and you always have while at the same time seemingly ignoring the 1st and 2nd Gen pistols? Well, it's my opinion that you have cheated yourself greatly.
So what 3rd Gen is missing from the TTSH collection? Well, I say it's a 52-2, 39-2 and a 745... none of which is a 3rd Gen.
If it must be a 3rd Gen then you seriously need a 3906 and if you can't find one (they are scarce) then settle for a 3904.