I guess this was Smith's answer to the Sig 225.

My older brother bought a 3914 back in the early 90's probably 1991. I didn't care too much for it as I wanted a full sized Beretta 92F like the movie heroes had. I demanded capacity.

Brother wanted a concealment weapon.

Now that I'm older and wiser, his pistol was the perfect carry size for the time. Yes, I know my 365X has nearly double the capacity in a smaller package, but this just feels incredible.

It's on par with the P225.

This one went to Israel for the security weapon trials and was one of the test guns. I know there were bunches of them sent, then re-imported back to the US when they were done.

It has a little wear and scuff marks, but I don't need it to be perfect. Perfect would be much more expensive!

Cool!

There is nothing like a cool gun with a little history behind it. That one seems to have a lot of stories to tell.

I was able to find a Desert Eagle that has 'IDF Toolroom' stamped on the side of the frame. Haven't been able to get a story behind it.

Someday...

I love single stack midsize to smaller 9mm’s of the 80’s and 90’s. I have a 3916 the stainless version of your 3914. Very reliable pistol. One of Smith’s best imho.

The P225, the P7, the P5, the 3916. What cool pistols.

<---likes.

Looks very good to me. What's the mag situation w/ those? Are they still around from shared models?

Yep, a great carry gun. I carried a 3913 (the silver/stainless variant of this handgun) as my off duty gun for about the first half of my LE career.

But it's true that nowadays, you can get even higher capacity in an even smaller and lighter package, with the recent advent of the various "double stack subcompact/microcompact" models.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I guess this was Smith's answer to the Sig 225.

Kinda, not really. They're both compact single stack DA/SA 9mms, so they were aiming at the same market segment, but the 39XX's lineage predates the P225's creation in 1975.

Your 3914 is descended from the S&W 39, which was released in 1954. Along with the double stack S&W 59, these are known as "1st Gen" S&W semiautos.

These were followed in the "2nd Gen" models like the 439 and 639 starting in 1980.

And then the "3rd Gen" models like the 3904/3913/3914 starting in 1989.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:
What's the mag situation w/ those? Are they still around from shared models?

You can still find them used occasionally, but there are no current production guns using 39XX magazines.

The S&W 3rd Gen lines of guns have been discontinued for over a decade now. S&W ended production in the late 2000s/early 2010s, as the less expensive and more popular M&P line was taking off. (And as all metal framed DA/SA guns were losing significant ground to polymer framed striker guns.)

That sure looks like it would take the magazine from my 3913. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s basically the same gun with slight differences that caused the number change, like blued instead of stainless.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
That sure looks like it would take the magazine from my 3913. In fact I’m pretty sure it’s basically the same gun with slight differences that caused the number change, like blued instead of stainless.

That's exactly right. The finish is the only difference between the 3913 and 3914. No mechanical differences. Mags are identical.

I had its lower-cost cousin, the Model 910, back in the mid-90s. Good pistols.
Yours is even better with its history!

My first gun was a 3914. Originally purchased at B&B Sales in Westminster Ca. 1990. I wanted a P-5, P225, or a P7, but I could not afford one of those.

Very cool 9mm pistol. Just the right size to be comfortable to shoot and carry.

The S&W 3914 appears to be very close in size to the Sig P-6/P-225 adopted by the W German and Swiss police. The size/weight met their requirements for both a uniformed and undercover weapon. Many civilian buyers recognized the same advantages.

I’ve got a couple of 39xx pistols. There’s just something cool about them.

Does yours have any Irsaeli markings or anything? If not, how did you determine its history? Not doubting you, just genuinely interested and curious.

It has it's import box and electropencil markings under the trigger guard.

My first hand gun was a S&W 469, very similar, but double stack mag.

My first off duty handgun was a 3953, the DAO version of that gun in stainless. I loved that gun and wish I still had it. Super easy to conceal, never had a failure to feed, and shot like a laser. I traded it for something higher capacity which I no doubt promptly traded for something else. One of the few guns I let go of that I miss.

Love it!

Local dealer has a S&W Model 908, the “Value Line” edition of that gun, for a surprisingly reasonable price that includes three magazines. It’s tempting.

quote:

Local dealer has a S&W Model 908, the “Value Line” edition of that gun, for a surprisingly reasonable price that includes three magazines. It’s tempting.

Get it!! Have one and a 3914.
Be aware that holsters for the 908 are difficult to find and not interchangeable with the 3913/3914 models.

PC

The 3913/3914 was actually S&Ws answer to the ASP and Devel and other custom cut down Model 39s.

That looks a lot like the 669 I broke with that CorBon +P garbage.

I took the 3913nl out to photograph with the intent of selling it. Looked it over, set the camera down, and put it away.