Looks like they are back in stock online.

I have a 6906 and a 4043. The 6906 is as good a compact 9 as any other non-sig. The 4043 was somebody else's duty gun, and needs to ride in a good holster on a duty belt. I think third gen Smiths are often overlooked and underrated

S&W 3rd gen guns are all I have used for the last 20 some odd years. The 4513TSW, 457 and CS45 being my current carry/teaching/competition guns.

In all those years of buying, carrying, being issued and shooting these guns, I never experienced any malfunctions. In fact, I have had exactly three malfunction in all those years. Two were mag catch related and one was magazine related.

These guns are extremely underated. That the current company posing as s&w does not offer one or more of these models for sale currently, is just one more stupid decision on their part. Regards 18DAI

quote:

Originally posted by 18DAI:
S&W 3rd gen guns are all I have used for the last 20 some odd years. The 4513TSW, 457 and CS45 being my current carry/teaching/competition guns.

In all those years of buying, carrying, being issued and shooting these guns, I never experienced any malfunctions. In fact, I have had exactly three malfunction in all those years. Two were mag catch related and one was magazine related.

These guns are extremely underated. That the current company posing as s&w does not offer one or more of these models for sale currently, is just one more stupid decision on their part. Regards 18DAI

I was shooting my 3906 last week and was shocked to get a failure to extract the empty case. It happened on the third round of each of the first three magazines then quit for the rest of the box of 50. I don't recall ever having a 3rd gen fail on me before.

How is the recoil on the 457? I just put a 457D on layaway a few weeks ago. I'm not a huge .45ACP fan but at $300 it seemed worth picking up.

NICE! My first handgun was a 457. I traded it for something "bigger and better" that I can't even remember. It's one of the guns I regret letting get away.

Nice score on the 457D. Congrats!

The story on that gun is that it originally was made for the Chicago PD. The overums from that order went to a few distributors.

The recoil on the 457 is not bad. While felt recoil is subjective, to me the 457 recoil is less than a USP45C, similar to a Glock 30 and MUCH LESS than a Glock 36.

I use Winchester RA45T in mine. Shoots to point of aim and feeds consistantly.

One thing I have found carrying and shooting my 457 is that the OEM Delrin grip, with a Hogue grip sleeve, works better for me than the Hogue rubber grips. It preserves the concealability of the 457 while giving me a firmer grip on the gun to facilitate a fast accurate 1st shot.

I also found that a DeSantis Nemesis holster, worn IWB, offers me the most comfortable carry while still providing a fast presentation. Im 6'1" 240. Using the Nemesis, I can carry the 457 wearing jeans and a T-shirt and it is invisible.

I hope you enjoy your 457 as much as I have mine. I look forward to your range report! Regards 18DAI

^^^^^Thanks for the reply. I couldn't find a lot of postings online about the 457D but there are a few with the info about the Chicago PD. I'll probably put a few rounds through it but I doubt I'll carry it. I recently picked up a CS9D as well. After an action job by S&W and Trijicon sights it became a CCW for me. The CS9D booted my Glock 43 to the "for sale" pile.

This thread cost me. I picked up a Houlton ME 5946 at my local Cabelas tonight. I've been looking at these since this thread and low and behold, they had two. A Springfield and a Houlton.

Congrats! Absolutely love the trigger. I just picked up a few 20 round Mec-Gar's from Greg Cote....just becuase

If anyone is interested Midway has factory 15 rounders on sale right now for $26.24.

https://www.midwayusa.com/prod...ound-stainless-steel

A quick update: I stopped Saturday at the Cabela's near Richmond while on the way down South. They still have a few 5946s in the system, and marked down to $549.99!!! If they'd had one in the shop to check out, I may have taken it home.

Correction; they had a few. Just spend time on hold with them at the central number and the store, they have a used one in MI in VG condition, but the new ones are gone again.

Way back in the 1980's when we carried 6903's I was one of the Armorers. We were like the old Maytag Repairmen from the 1960's TV commercials....Nothing to REPAIR. Still have my old duty gun. Still reliable, still feels good in the hand. I agree with those calling them "under rated". For whatever reason one sees very few of them out here in MT. In Shops or gun shows, very few seem to show up.

Very nice pistols sir.

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I took my 5946 to the USPSA match today. The match is on the first Saturday of the month.

I shot mine one day at the USPSA match. One of the younger guys accused me of going "old school". Of course he had a plastic gun in his holster.

Yeah, I'll take old school any day and twice on Sunday.

RMD