I LOVE Smith & Wesson 3rd Generation pistols. I personally feel that this series represents the peak of their quality, even rivaling today’s offerings. Many of these classics still ride in the holsters of many lawmen today, especially with Chicago PD and South Suburbs.
Hey thanks for the comment, completely agree and yes I still see them in holsters from time to time as well w guys from Chicago and NY. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
We 3GS-aficionados are a rare bunch indeed. Ive got single and double stacks in every caliber except for 10mm. I’ve been postponing it for too long and now they’re nearly priced out of my range. I like to machine grind almost all of the slide locks to about half depth. Those trigger resets are amazing.
Thanks agreed, I really do enjoy them and such a great part of smith and Wesson history. I think the 3rd Gen was certainly their best work but I do enjoy the first Gen and some of the 2nd Gen again from a historical perspective l
It was 1991 my grandfather come over to see us. CHIPs is on TNT. He then walks in and says I got a new gun for the police dept! He then takes out a S&W 6946 and clears it in the sink. He retired from police work in 2003. I now own his 6946. It for years was my only preban gun I could own in Massachusetts. Fast forward the year is 2012.. I just got my LTC I brought an ex police officer S&W 3913 which was my first semi auto. I wish I brought more S&W 3rd gens at the time most could be found between $300 and $400 as the M&P striker series took over
Im from sweden, found a used 5906, paid about $460 for it with 4 mags, lots of spare parts etc. The price might be high for americans, but a new glock 17 is $830 approx and a shadow 2 more then twice that. Its not a gun i will win competitions with but it will be unusual, almost everyone has a variant of glock, cz, pardini, 1911's.. Will probably be alone in competitions using it - i have never seen one before! looking forward to it anyway, will probably work fine for IPSC and PPC. I got the adjustable sight to.
I feel as if 3rd gen Smiths represent the pinnacle of the age of over-engineered mass-produced firearms that weren’t hand fitted/tuned Colts. Ive got a 6906 within arms reach right now. That nomenclature is in fact somewhat convoluted. I gotta say that so far, my current favorites within my collection is a tie between the 4013 and the 4566 TSW. I’m always looking for a 5903 SSV.
Agreed the 3rs Gen’s we’re their best overall work and I remember reading a while back some of the custom 9mm and 4506 models right at the very end were edging close to I guess what they were considering as 4th Gen but of course were never produced. You hear rumors of them bringing it back but without a big mass interest i don’t see this, although there does seem to a slight resurgence 1911 style (9mm) and somewhat cult status of DA/SA. The model number system is generally logical once you have the base format but then they deviate from for something like the value series and throw the whole thing off LOL……
The S&W 3rd gen pistols are the best and better than the tactical Tupperware we have today. I have bet my life on them be it .45 ACP, .40 SW, 10mm, and 9mm. Ricky from IBM, Ret
Thanks for the comment, very much agree, smith did a really nice job with them , it’s a shame they moved away from the program before they could get to a 4th Gen.
The 3rd generation smiths are my all time favorite guns ! easy to respring , except the 1076 . the alloy frame ones are plenty light enough for edc , imho . the steel ones will last forever ! trigger resets are amazing
great guns and amazing engineering back in the day and still capable today as self defense firearms. Yep, no one ever seems to give smith the credit they deserve on the trigger reset, especially considering we have so many trigger enthusiasts out there…. Just solid, well built very reliable firearms. I’m a little surprised the prices haven’t moved up more on them as you really don’t see many of them in shops generally and given their build quality, I guess they never really got to a cult level status with the masses but like yourself (and me) there are some die hards out there.
Yep two of my favorites in the third Gen line up,for sure. Concealment magazine just did a nice little article on the smith semi autos (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and specifically talked about the 3913.
You bet, many great models in the range, in fact the 1st Gen through the 3rd Gen guns all have some gems in there. Personal favorite is the 1st Gen 39 , in a fact stumbled across and early (probably 72’) 39-2 yesterday. But the 3rd Gen guns are really the refined group of the series.
Good one to hang to if you can, I get it we’re all moving stuff around for different projects and needs but that’s a solid one, I just can’t see myself ever getting rid of my 5904….
Thanks for the comment, so glad you have your dads 59. I’ve kind of taken the same approach the same approach I shoot my 1st and 2nd Gen guns less than my 3rd Gen. If you haven’t shot a 3rd Gen you’ll appreciate the changes they’ve made.
hey thanks for the great comment and glad you like the video 😃. obviously I couldn’t agree with you more and almost a little perplexed that S&W isn’t considering a relaunch as a 4th Gen with these given their popularity and what appears to be a bit of a resurgence in all metal guns. I’ll be posting more 3rd Gen content soon.
Heck yea I can’t wait to see what else you post on 3rd gens. I’d be all for it if they released a full metal gun like the 3rd gens. I honestly think the trigger on my 5906tsw has a nicer trigger in the sense of pull weight, pre-travel, and reset is better than the SRT trigger than came in my sig.
@@the_t0ny agreed, the tactical reset on the 3rd Gen guns is pretty amazing. I don’t own a 5906TSW but that is on the short list. I found the SRT to be very good triggers but actually feel the trigger on my 229 Legion is probably the best overall DA/ SA set up I’ve used to date.
@@thedailydefender1408 that would make sense, the only sig I have with a SRT trigger is a M11-a1 from 2014 so I’m sure they newer guns have nicer triggers.
@@the_t0ny you would definitely appreciate the legion trigger, I believe it’s a grey gun trigger or they had some design input with Sig on it if I remember correctly.
I bought a 5926 a few months ago, and have had failure to eject problems from day one. It will feed and eject Blazer Aluminum case FMJ 100%, but nothing else. I sent it to S&W, and after charging $150, they declared it was fixed. It wasn’t, and I used the 115 grain Blazer Brass they claim was used to test fire it. It looks great, and is extremely accurate, but I need to have a reliable ammo. Aluminum cased Blazer has has a slightly larger case rim, so that could be a clue.
Uh, that’s interesting. I use to shoot Blazer Aluminum almost exclusively in the 90s with these 3rd Gen smiths and never had a problem with it, both in 9mm & .45 ACP and still shoot it today without difficulty. Have you checked the “tooth” on the extractor? I bought a 5903 used and didn’t inspect like I should have and it had a chewed up tooth. I’ve read the spring can also be a culprit. It’s an easy change if you feel that is your issue. I replaced the extractor and it made an immediate impact, I left the original spring in but probably should have changed that too as I would still have a hang up from time to time. The 3rd Gen smiths had this reputation of eating anything you fed them which I agree with but every once in a while it seemed like one pistol had a hang up.
@@thedailydefender1408 I’m waiting for a new spring set from Cylinder and Slide, and the extractor is new. The extractor channel gets fouled badly after 50 rounds of any ammo type, so I’m hoping a spring change will help. Thanks for the advice.
@@frankbutta9344 also interesting that it went back to smith and they declared it good. I do watch as you obviously do the amount of build up on the extractors. I bought a set of hard plastic picks / tools to aid it that cleaning. I really need to do a semi auto cleaning vid too and need to mention those tools. Not familiar with Cylinder and Slide , I’ll have to check them out.
I LOVE Smith & Wesson 3rd Generation pistols. I personally feel that this series represents the peak of their quality, even rivaling today’s offerings. Many of these classics still ride in the holsters of many lawmen today, especially with Chicago PD and South Suburbs.
Hey thanks for the comment, completely agree and yes I still see them in holsters from time to time as well w guys from Chicago and NY. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
Just bought a 5904, and I can't be happier!
Thanks for the comment, yep one of my favorites!
If you aren't going to show your face, why not just put the cam up high and 100% showcase the guns on the table?
Actually I’ve gone to that, it’s actually simpler for me and people like it.
We 3GS-aficionados are a rare bunch indeed. Ive got single and double stacks in every caliber except for 10mm. I’ve been postponing it for too long and now they’re nearly priced out of my range. I like to machine grind almost all of the slide locks to about half depth. Those trigger resets are amazing.
Thanks agreed, I really do enjoy them and such a great part of smith and Wesson history. I think the 3rd Gen was certainly their best work but I do enjoy the first Gen and some of the 2nd Gen again from a historical perspective l
The S&W 1006 10mm magazines alone have climbed to $100-$125 each!
Good video, informative.
Thanks appreciate it !
It was 1991 my grandfather come over to see us. CHIPs is on TNT. He then walks in and says I got a new gun for the police dept! He then takes out a S&W 6946 and clears it in the sink. He retired from police work in 2003. I now own his 6946. It for years was my only preban gun I could own in Massachusetts. Fast forward the year is 2012.. I just got my LTC I brought an ex police officer S&W 3913 which was my first semi auto. I wish I brought more S&W 3rd gens at the time most could be found between $300 and $400 as the M&P striker series took over
Thanks for a great comment, a lot of inherited LEO S&W firearms which I think is great!
Im from sweden, found a used 5906, paid about $460 for it with 4 mags, lots of spare parts etc.
The price might be high for americans, but a new glock 17 is $830 approx and a shadow 2 more then twice that.
Its not a gun i will win competitions with but it will be unusual, almost everyone has a variant of glock, cz, pardini, 1911's.. Will probably be alone in competitions using it - i have never seen one before!
looking forward to it anyway, will probably work fine for IPSC and PPC. I got the adjustable sight to.
Excellent , thanks for the comment. That is probably a little less than a US price but not that far off. Hope you enjoy it. @@jmkhenka
I feel as if 3rd gen Smiths represent the pinnacle of the age of over-engineered mass-produced firearms that weren’t hand fitted/tuned Colts. Ive got a 6906 within arms reach right now. That nomenclature is in fact somewhat convoluted. I gotta say that so far, my current favorites within my collection is a tie between the 4013 and the 4566 TSW. I’m always looking for a 5903 SSV.
I just remembered, I have placed my 6906 upper on a 5906 receiver and also vice versa… just haven’t tried it yet.
Agreed the 3rs Gen’s we’re their best overall work and I remember reading a while back some of the custom 9mm and 4506 models right at the very end were edging close to I guess what they were considering as 4th Gen but of course were never produced. You hear rumors of them bringing it back but without a big mass interest i don’t see this, although there does seem to a slight resurgence 1911 style (9mm) and somewhat cult status of DA/SA. The model number system is generally logical once you have the base format but then they deviate from for something like the value series and throw the whole thing off LOL……
The 4013 was a great pistol!
The S&W 3rd gen pistols are the best and better than the tactical Tupperware we have today. I have bet my life on them be it .45 ACP, .40 SW, 10mm, and 9mm.
Ricky from IBM, Ret
Thanks for the comment, very much agree, smith did a really nice job with them , it’s a shame they moved away from the program before they could get to a 4th Gen.
The 3rd generation smiths are my all time favorite guns ! easy to respring , except the 1076 . the alloy frame ones are plenty light enough for edc , imho . the steel ones will last forever ! trigger resets are amazing
great guns and amazing engineering back in the day and still capable today as self defense firearms. Yep, no one ever seems to give smith the credit they deserve on the trigger reset, especially considering we have so many trigger enthusiasts out there…. Just solid, well built very reliable firearms. I’m a little surprised the prices haven’t moved up more on them as you really don’t see many of them in shops generally and given their build quality, I guess they never really got to a cult level status with the masses but like yourself (and me) there are some die hards out there.
Love my 5906 and my 3913… I would bet my life on either.
Yep two of my favorites in the third Gen line up,for sure. Concealment magazine just did a nice little article on the smith semi autos (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and specifically talked about the 3913.
I just got into these guns thank you for your input. I found a chart to identify the model numbers which can be confusing for me Thanks again
You bet, many great models in the range, in fact the 1st Gen through the 3rd Gen guns all have some gems in there. Personal favorite is the 1st Gen 39 , in a fact stumbled across and early (probably 72’) 39-2 yesterday. But the 3rd Gen guns are really the refined group of the series.
I have a SW 915 i thought about selling or trading. Ive changed my mind now 😊.
Good one to hang to if you can, I get it we’re all moving stuff around for different projects and needs but that’s a solid one, I just can’t see myself ever getting rid of my 5904….
I own a Model 59 from my father and I love it but don't want to overuse it so have been thinking of getting a 3rd gen Smith. Good video
Thanks for the comment, so glad you have your dads 59. I’ve kind of taken the same approach the same approach I shoot my 1st and 2nd Gen guns less than my 3rd Gen. If you haven’t shot a 3rd Gen you’ll appreciate the changes they’ve made.
Heck yea! Awesome video. I feel the 3rd gens are so underrated.
hey thanks for the great comment and glad you like the video 😃. obviously I couldn’t agree with you more and almost a little perplexed that S&W isn’t considering a relaunch as a 4th Gen with these given their popularity and what appears to be a bit of a resurgence in all metal guns. I’ll be posting more 3rd Gen content soon.
Heck yea I can’t wait to see what else you post on 3rd gens.
I’d be all for it if they released a full metal gun like the 3rd gens. I honestly think the trigger on my 5906tsw has a nicer trigger in the sense of pull weight, pre-travel, and reset is better than the SRT trigger than came in my sig.
@@the_t0ny agreed, the tactical reset on the 3rd Gen guns is pretty amazing. I don’t own a 5906TSW but that is on the short list. I found the SRT to be very good triggers but actually feel the trigger on my 229 Legion is probably the best overall DA/ SA set up I’ve used to date.
@@thedailydefender1408 that would make sense, the only sig I have with a SRT trigger is a M11-a1 from 2014 so I’m sure they newer guns have nicer triggers.
@@the_t0ny you would definitely appreciate the legion trigger, I believe it’s a grey gun trigger or they had some design input with Sig on it if I remember correctly.
I bought a 5926 a few months ago, and have had failure to eject problems from day one. It will feed and eject Blazer Aluminum case FMJ 100%, but nothing else. I sent it to S&W, and after charging $150, they declared it was fixed. It wasn’t, and I used the 115 grain Blazer Brass they claim was used to test fire it. It looks great, and is extremely accurate, but I need to have a reliable ammo. Aluminum cased Blazer has has a slightly larger case rim, so that could be a clue.
Uh, that’s interesting. I use to shoot Blazer Aluminum almost exclusively in the 90s with these 3rd Gen smiths and never had a problem with it, both in 9mm & .45 ACP and still shoot it today without difficulty. Have you checked the “tooth” on the extractor? I bought a 5903 used and didn’t inspect like I should have and it had a chewed up tooth. I’ve read the spring can also be a culprit. It’s an easy change if you feel that is your issue. I replaced the extractor and it made an immediate impact, I left the original spring in but probably should have changed that too as I would still have a hang up from time to time. The 3rd Gen smiths had this reputation of eating anything you fed them which I agree with but every once in a while it seemed like one pistol had a hang up.
@@thedailydefender1408 I’m waiting for a new spring set from Cylinder and Slide, and the extractor is new. The extractor channel gets fouled badly after 50 rounds of any ammo type, so I’m hoping a spring change will help. Thanks for the advice.
@@frankbutta9344 also interesting that it went back to smith and they declared it good. I do watch as you obviously do the amount of build up on the extractors. I bought a set of hard plastic picks / tools to aid it that cleaning. I really need to do a semi auto cleaning vid too and need to mention those tools. Not familiar with Cylinder and Slide , I’ll have to check them out.
Your continuous use of 'eeeaaand' almost gave me an epileptic seizure.
Great content otherwise.
Had to pass on this video.. that blue line gang flag your sporting is disgusting..🤬
Subbed. Check out my recent review on the S&W 659