Smith & Wesson Model 5904: 1988 All-Metal ‘Wonder Nine’ Still Shines

[Winchester67]

You know, this thread got me thinking. So I cracked open the safe and compared the 4516 to the 1911. You know what? It was not nearly as chunky as I remembered. I think this is because up to that time the Browning Hi Power was the only so called "Hi Capacity Nine" I had worked extensively with. But now, years later, and countless double stack wonders, it does not seem that clubby anymore. Look at it side by side. It does not balance like a 1911, so I thought it was awkward. But now...I think I might give this another carry for a few days and see.

 

[Winchester67]

Funny how things change over the years. It really is not that chunky.

 

[Winchester67]

Remember the wording on those mags? I suspect the mags would sell for more than the pistol now to the guys that didn't stock up when they were available from the factory.

 

[Winchester67]

OK, enough from me. Range report and carry report to follow. Winchester 230 grain Silvertips. How long have those mags been loaded?!?!?! Fifteen years at least. Been married 13 years and I know I have not fired this since we moved to town. Maybe 20 years. Bet there are no failures. Good mags with modern springs last and last.

 

[Anchorite]

Interesting note on the magazines. Have never seen those/that before.

 

[Winchester67]

Memory is a little hazy now. With the 4516-1 there was some change to the mags but I can't remember what that was. But the 4516 No Dash was only reliable with the mags with the yellow follower. This was an early gun.

 

[Winchester67]

I wonder if many gun reviews at the time failed the test because they were using the wrong magazine. I can say this thing has never bobbled as long as I have owned it.

 

[The Night Rider]

The very first hand gun I ever owned was a Smith & Wesson Model 915.

Even though that gun was a bit of a lemon, for a long time the third generation Smith & Wessons were my ideal of what a handgun should be.

My grail gun for a long time was the Model 4006. I still own it. It's the only 3rd Gen S&W I still own.

I carried a 6906 for several years until I broke the firing pin spring and found out that S&W no longer supports them and parts are hard to come by and expensive.

I've also decided not to carry a defensive gun with a manual safety ever again.

 

[Winchester67]

Discontinued handguns are a real problem. The Colt pattern 1911, the Browning Hi-Power...those designs are classic. You can not only get all the parts you need here in the USA, you can get them on the Cape Horn of Africa or Fairbanks Alaska. That has to count for something. You kind of just talked me out of the 4516 and back into a 1911 or a Hi Power if my arthritis is acting up and I need less recoil.

 

[Anchorite]

View attachment 82128
The very first hand gun I ever owned was a Smith & Wesson Model 915.

Even though that gun was a bit of a lemon, for a long time the third generation Smith & Wessons were my ideal of what a handgun should be.

View attachment 82130
My grail gun for a long time was the Model 4006. I still own it. It's the only 3rd Gen S&W I still own.

View attachment 82132
I carried a 6906 for several years until I broke the firing pin spring and found out that S&W no longer supports them and parts are hard to come by and expensive.

I've also decided not to carry a defensive gun with a manual safety ever again.

Huh? Firing pin springs appear to still be available.

https://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=58#899

 

[The Night Rider]

Huh? Firing pin springs appear to still be available.

https://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=58#899

I had a hard time finding one. And I decided I'm not going to carry any handgun with a manual safety again. So, the 6906 had to go.

I started out carrying TDA guns and I was satisfied with them, until I accidentally engaged the safety on one while clearing a malfunction during a class.

That incident occurred right before I decided to sell all my guns and start over. So after some consideration I decided that was never going to carry a gun with a manual safety again and I haven't.

 

[Winchester67]

I still have the 4516 because during the "Great Gun Collection Sale" I kept it because the market would not go over $300 and it was worth more than that to me. When Biden got elected my wife and I sat down and thought "what can we do to insulate ourselves from the coming disaster". As a result, we sold off most of my lifelong gun collection to pay off the house. Once your house is paid for, you are in a great position to weather any storm. So I miss having lots of guns, but I kept the best of the best. Small amount but high quality works for me.

 

[Winchester67]

And note the holster. Classic design from Milt Sparks. And quite concealable inside the belt waistband. But later designs are vastly improved by not placing the loops over the thickest part of the handgun but instead adding "wings" fore and aft to slim the profile even more. Brilliant.

 

[Winchester67]

Full Disclosure. The pictured holster is a Brommeland not a Milt Sparks. But Sparks offers the same style, I just don't have any pics.

 

[jumpinjoe]

I had a 645 when they first were introduced. The trigger was Terrible! I bought it when I was stationed in Germany. There were no authorized S&W service centers in Germany and sending it back to the states for servicing wasn’t going to happen.
I sold it and got a Colt Delta EliteView attachment 81762

Looks a whole lot like my 659. A great shooter, but way too heavy for EDC.