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The Smith & Wesson Semi-Auto Generations: Decoding

Annihilator

Annihilator

Hellion
Founding Member
Good read on some history and explaining the different generations of S&W semi auto pistols.

gunmagwarehouse.com

The Smith & Wesson Semi-Auto Generations: Decoding the Classics - The Mag Life

Depending on the model, these varied-generation guns can fetch a pretty penny, but many still offer good value. Third-generation .45, 9mm, and .40 S&W guns can often be had for a great price and are competent weapons.
gunmagwarehouse.com gunmagwarehouse.com
 
I still feel there is a market for S&W to reintroduce the 3rd Gen TSW style 5000.4000.1000 and 4500 series with an updated optic cut and a decocker only lever like they did for CHP and some of the 5906 PC guns.
Maine of us oddballs (OK ME) like a steel frame DA/SA gun over a soulless Polymer gun

I have a trainjng associate that’s retired NYPD and works at their range and several NYPD officers are still running 5946 DAO’s however when they become unserviceable they are deadlines and have no choice but to get a Glock 17/19 now.

For those interested in agency issue stuff My friend did say NYPD is testing the FN509 MRD with ootic they supposedly have 100 guns and coppers are carrying them throughout as a carry test
 
ECS686 said:
I still feel there is a market for S&W to reintroduce the 3rd Gen TSW style 5000.4000.1000 and 4500 series with an updated optic cut and a decocker only lever like they did for CHP and some of the 5906 PC guns.
Maine of us oddballs (OK ME) like a steel frame DA/SA gun over a soulless Polymer gun

I have a trainjng associate that’s retired NYPD and works at their range and several NYPD officers are still running 5946 DAO’s however when they become unserviceable they are deadlines and have no choice but to get a Glock 17/19 now.

For those interested in agency issue stuff My friend did say NYPD is testing the FN509 MRD with ootic they supposedly have 100 guns and coppers are carrying them throughout as a carry test
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When people decide that plastic junk is better than solid metal products, we know society has declined. More so, when government branches do so. If a few more ounces make it too hard for someone to carry, they shouldn't be carrying at all. People tend to get too influenced by shrewd marketing. Give me a solid S&W, CZ, SIG, Colt etc. any day over the "Glawk," FN or H&K etc. "reinforced" plastic iterations. Good old steel frames didn't need to be reinforced!
 
bavabasra said:
When people decide that plastic junk is better than solid metal products, we know society has declined. More so, when government branches do so. If a few more ounces make it too hard for someone to carry, they shouldn't be carrying at all. People tend to get too influenced by shrewd marketing. Give me a solid S&W, CZ, SIG, Colt etc. any day over the "Glawk," FN or H&K etc. "reinforced" plastic iterations. Good old steel frames didn't need to be reinforced!
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While I obviously have a fondness for steel framed guns I can’t knock the polymers as they have proven their durability. And I can’t blame companies as they are less costly to make kver steel That said I carry an HK 45 LEM or duty and it is probably endured one of the biggest endurance tests from Todd Green (RIP) 50,000 rounds of Federal 230 gr HST plus p

And all that said I do like my Springfield 1911 Operator so we can have both
 
bavabasra said:
When people decide that plastic junk is better than solid metal products, we know society has declined. More so, when government branches do so. If a few more ounces make it too hard for someone to carry, they shouldn't be carrying at all. People tend to get too influenced by shrewd marketing. Give me a solid S&W, CZ, SIG, Colt etc. any day over the "Glawk," FN or H&K etc. "reinforced" plastic iterations. Good old steel frames didn't need to be reinforced!
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That's the dumbest shite I've ever heard.

I would educate you on reasons ( besides, but including weight) people might choose a polymer framed, striker fired, high capacity handgun for concealed carry, but you know, if you have to ask..........
 
Bassbob said:
That's the dumbest shite I've ever heard.

I would educate you on reasons ( besides, but including weight) people might choose a polymer framed, striker fired, high capacity handgun for concealed carry, but you know, if you have to ask..........
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Sort of like the MIM argument as the MIM parts today are not what they were 30 years ago.

I flew to and from Seattle last week in an airliner filled with of MIM parts and then there’s every time you drive your car!
 
Bassbob said:
That's the dumbest shite I've ever heard.

I would educate you on reasons ( besides, but including weight) people might choose a polymer framed, striker fired, high capacity handgun for concealed carry, but you know, if you have to ask..........
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Say what you want.
I don’t want air conditioning, power brakes, fuel injection, power windows, auto choke…

<Sarcasm inserted for effect>
 
The model 39 started American LE on the road toward DA/SA pistols in the late 60's. The early guns were superbly accurate. I carried a Model 39, Model 669, Model 6906, Model CS9, and Model 4566TSW at various times in my career. All were fine and accurate pistols, but QC at S&W lapsed in later guns. That was never a problem with SIG DA/SA pistols that I have relied upon for the past 25 years.
 
HayesGreener said:
The model 39 started American LE on the road toward DA/SA pistols in the late 60's. The early guns were superbly accurate. I carried a Model 39, Model 669, Model 6906, Model CS9, and Model 4566TSW at various times in my career. All were fine and accurate pistols, but QC at S&W lapsed in later guns. That was never a problem with SIG DA/SA pistols that I have relied upon for the past 25 years.
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Sig of late (since the early 2000’s) have suffered the same QC issues that S&W had. Not all the time and sporadic but no manufacturers are immune.

However in the case of Kimber and Sig the common denominator is Mr Cohn as he took iver Kimber when they were top of the 1911 game in the early 2000’s and then Kimber QC went to crap, he took kver Sig in New Hamshire and well 229 mags started falling out (NJ State Police dumped them and went to Glock) and a whole slew of other issues. Not to mention that whole export trial in Germany Sig part where he was fined 600 grand in key of prison.

I so have a 2017 Sig 226 Legion that’s ran like a SIG 226 is ment to run thank goodness!
 
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ECS686 said:
Sig of late (since the early 2000’s) have suffered the same QC issues that S&W had. Not all the time and sporadic but no manufacturers are immune.

However in the case of Kimber and Sig the common denominator is Mr Cohn as he took iver Kimber when they were top of the 1911 game in the early 2000’s and then Kimber QC went to crap, he took kver Sig in New Hamshire and well 229 mags started falling out (NJ State Police dumped them and went to Glock) and a whole slew of other issues. Not to mention that whole export trial in Germany Sig part where he was fined 600 grand in key of prison.

I so have a 2017 Sig 226 Legion that’s ran like a SIG 226 is ment to run thank goodness!
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I was issued an M11 by OSI in the 90's and carried one until I retired in 2011. I can't begin to tell you how many rounds I fired with a M11, and later through 226's and 220's. I did have a trigger break on a 226 and SIG overnighted a replacement. I presumed their QC slipped on the metallurgy. Other than that I never had a hiccup. My daily carry is a P220 Legion and sometimes a SIG 1911. My SIG rifles have been flawless. I trust SIG with my life. Pick up my Legions and you can feel the quality. SIG strong points are reliability and ergonomics, let either of those slip and you run into a ditch. I wonder how much the military contracts will impact quality of guns in the civilian market.

The QC problem I saw with S&W in the late 90's was cracked frames, again a metallurgy problem. It sent the Gen 3 pistols into obscurity. The people running the company at the time knew little about guns, only about profit. I was told changes in the frame metals allowed them to make more guns faster and cheaper. S&W should have continued to dominate the market bit screwed themselves out of it. I have shot the stew out of my Gen 3 S&W pistols, but they are earlier models and have not had an issue with them.
 
HayesGreener said:
I was issued an M11 by OSI in the 90's and carried one until I retired in 2011. I can't begin to tell you how many rounds I fired with a M11, and later through 226's and 220's. I did have a trigger break on a 226 and SIG overnighted a replacement. I presumed their QC slipped on the metallurgy. Other than that I never had a hiccup. My daily carry is a P220 Legion and sometimes a SIG 1911. My SIG rifles have been flawless. I trust SIG with my life. Pick up my Legions and you can feel the quality. SIG strong points are reliability and ergonomics, let either of those slip and you run into a ditch. I wonder how much the military contracts will impact quality of guns in the civilian market.

The QC problem I saw with S&W in the late 90's was cracked frames, again a metallurgy problem. It sent the Gen 3 pistols into obscurity. The people running the company at the time knew little about guns, only about profit. I was told changes in the frame metals allowed them to make more guns faster and cheaper. S&W should have continued to dominate the market bit screwed themselves out of it. I have shot the stew out of my Gen 3 S&W pistols, but they are earlier models and have not had an issue with them.
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I had an ejector break on a 4006. It was a quick fix by an armorer in the next PD. This was a slightly used one in 1997 which shouldn’t have happen with that low a round count. It also wouldn’t hold a group for anything.

The 5906/46 and 4500 series I had tried were night and day different night and day in a better way.

As far as Sig I like the 22X series and have had a personal 220 (west German) and NH made 226 Legion and issued 228 (West German) and all ran like sewing machines but I do know they have had set backs since someone with a record took over the drivers seat in NH.

But no matter what brand you have to run it for a minute just to make sure it works!
 
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bavabasra said:
When people decide that plastic junk is better than solid metal products, we know society has declined. More so, when government branches do so. If a few more ounces make it too hard for someone to carry, they shouldn't be carrying at all. People tend to get too influenced by shrewd marketing. Give me a solid S&W, CZ, SIG, Colt etc. any day over the "Glawk," FN or H&K etc. "reinforced" plastic iterations. Good old steel frames didn't need to be reinforced!
Click to expand...
I’ll put money on any of my USP’s running ANY Colt into the ground.
 
Being a collector of S&W revolvers, I've owned a number of their semi-auto pistols over the years. They're good guns. No way to deny that. I carried a Model 3914 for a while. I still kick myself for selling my Model 39. I've also owned a couple of the 5900 models. But it seemed that I always liked something else better and they all went down the road. :rolleyes:
These days I only have two S&W semi-autos. A Model 41 and a Model 52. They ain't going nowhere. ;)
 
Grayfox said:
Being a collector of S&W revolvers, I've owned a number of their semi-auto pistols over the years. They're good guns. No way to deny that. I carried a Model 3914 for a while. I still kick myself for selling my Model 39. I've also owned a couple of the 5900 models. But it seemed that I always liked something else better and they all went down the road. :rolleyes:
These days I only have two S&W semi-autos. A Model 41 and a Model 52. They ain't going nowhere. ;)
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I remember seeing a couple folks run S&W Model 52’s in some local PPC matches I shot in the USAF. There was a big amount of Saturday matches around the area of the base and my base hosted one. From Kennet MO to Jonesboro and West Memphis Arkansas up to a few PDs by the base at Blytheville AR. Great times

Thee ran a snub, service (usually 4-6” K or L frames and the 52’s if I remember right ran there but sometimes they had a separate auto category) then an open where all Douglas bull barrels and aristocrat/davis sights came out!

Man I miss those days!
 
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