I found this very hand guide to Smith & Wesson metal frame center fire pistols at Lucky Gunner.
I am a huge fan of the Smith & Wesson third generation semi autos.
It is in my opinion, that the 4506 is the finest non-1911 style 45 ACP handgun ever made, and quite possibly what John Browning (Peace be Upon Him) himself would have developed had he lived long enough to do a 1911A3. The Third Gen S&Ws are essentially a Hi-Power action with a Walther P38 fire control.
If I had the money, I would LOVE to buy the rights and blue prints from Smith & Wesson for their Third Gen pistols and start making them again (minus the magazine disconnect safety), and with a Novak sight cut (for more end user options for aftermarket sights).
I prefer the feel of a metal frame gun to a polymer one, and I really love a DA/SA for concealed carry. I hear about too many accidents with striker fired pistols. Something like the old S&W CS9 is a dream gun for me for CCW; less than an inch thick, 3″ barrel, DA/SA aluminum frame.
Maybe one day I could get the capital to do this, if S&W was willing to licence the design.
Doesn’t Sig make some steel frame DA/SA pistols?
Out of curiosity: why don’t you want a magazine disconnect safety? I’ll admit I can’t see a great argument for having one (and my pistols do not) but I also don’t know why you’d want to modify an existing design that has one to remove it. Is it just to cut the parts count and remove one possible reason for stoppage?
I have a SIG P229 and a S&W 6904. I prefer the 6904.
Also the mag disconnect is a point of failure. They cab cause the gun to jam if the mag doesn’t compress the disconnect enough.
Hmm, sounds like the ASP version of the original model 39 would be just what you are looking for. Of course if I found it first you would be out of luck 😉
Anybody know where we could find 2 of them?
The ASP is classic but it’s all steel and I hate the guttersnipe sight. The Chief Special was the final iteration of that idea.
Love the 3rd Generation. I have a 1006 and a rare 5905 (the blued one, not the stainless 5906).
The 9mm is my daily carry gun – all steel and as such a bit on the heavy side but pleasant to shoot and the deckocker is nice – I prefer double action over “safe action”, but of course that’s subjective.
Had a 469 that I carried every day. Great pistol, and I’m sorry I sold it.
Ugh. Having had to carry a 3rd Gen on the job, no thanks. And the safety is in the wrong place too. Boat anchors.
True, the safety is kinda bulky. But I switched to a fully enclosing holster and it works just fine.
This is one of those points of disagreement I have. I have never considered the “safety” on a S&W to be a safety, I use it as a decocker only. Decock the hammer, return it to the up position. The Beretta M9 and 92F use the same system. I know the Army’s SOP is to carry decocked and safety on, but that is just too much.
Beretta has a 92G in which they call “decocker only” because the decocker lever is on a spring to return it to the up position so it can’t be left down.
It never made sense to me what Beretta and S&W needed this to be a decocker AND a safety since SIG only uses a frame mounted decocker and nobody seems to have a problem with that.
Maybe I’d do everything in the 92G style so the decocker lever returns to the up position after use. Make it clear that the intent is to carry it in Condition 2.