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Old April 18, 2013, 10:08 AM   #1
Rodger_p
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My Third generation S&W 5946

I picked this up not too long ago. Very light "burnishing" from holster, like new internals!
These things have one of the smoothest, shortest, DAO triggers ever. And, since I am a bit of a revolver fan, the trigger was very easy (for me) to get used to.

Way more accurate than I, eats anything I feed it.

And, I got it for a fair price.

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Old April 18, 2013, 10:15 AM   #2
BarryLee
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Yes, I have always liked these guns. I have a 5903 that really does not get the use it should, but I'll probaly never get rid of it.

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Old April 18, 2013, 02:59 PM   #3
745SW
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“eats anything I feed it.”

I know.

I believe the 5946 are all stainless. IMO most likely a former LE pistol because the DAO trigger has limited appeal to the masses. While many will prefer a Glock because of the trigger, the striker fired Glock can/will choke/misfire using ammo with hard primers like SMG.
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Old April 18, 2013, 03:33 PM   #4
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Yes, it is all stainless. And, though a bit on the heavy side, with the right belt- holster combo, it can be concealed easily enough.

And then there is the 15+1 advantage.
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Old April 18, 2013, 05:29 PM   #5
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I picked up this 3906 last summer from a collection and was never fired.
I have shot the heck out of since then and I agree that it will feed anything, in fact I put a 9mm in backward and it fired and fed the next round.
Ok I might be pushing the level of truth but it’s reliable. My only negative comment is on the sharp lines around the trigger guard.
Around the magazine release its sharp enough you could shave with. You can see the polished edge on the frame above the trigger that one helped a lot. As little as I paid for it I will be doing my first trigger job on it. Just polishing.
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Old April 18, 2013, 06:25 PM   #6
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Man i miss my 5906. They are great guns.

Congrats!
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Old April 18, 2013, 07:26 PM   #7
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5946 is still my duty weapon. Can tell you it's been 100% reliable. Even cycles 380acp rounds that we mix in our magazines for malfunction drills (only Glock owners benefit from having to clear those jams). Picked it for it's smooth trigger pull and when empty can still serve as a club. Too bad they don't make them anymore.
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Old April 18, 2013, 09:04 PM   #8
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Fantastic!

(A 3rd gen S&W is soooo on my Want List.)
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Old April 19, 2013, 01:11 AM   #9
BuckRub
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Good for you. I have a 3rd generation S&W model 1076. It too loves to eat anything I feed it and super accurate. It's not my duty gun only because I carry a glock gen 4 model 22 because of 15 rd mags, lightweight on my hip all day but Smiths are awesome guns.
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Old April 19, 2013, 02:01 PM   #10
breakingcontact
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Hate how the safety works, but otherwise awesome guns.
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Old April 19, 2013, 02:12 PM   #11
Bart Noir
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Breakingcontact, the OP has a DA-only version, so his does not have an external safety. However, I agree that those with slide mounted safeties are a bit awkward to use. Not my favorite, but with P38's, Berettas, S&Ws using them I had to make myself get proficient in using them.

I agree that the DA-only versions of the 3rd gen S&W guns have a very nice trigger. Actually, all the 3rd gen guns have nice trigger pulls, but with the DA/SA versions (which most are) the DA trigger is not as short and light as on the DA only guns. Or so my memory tells me.

My 1076 has a different slightly trigger than the normal S&W 3rd gen guns, since this is the one with the SIG-style frame mounted decocker. The decocker does not lower the hammer all the way down, which the slide mounted safety/decocker does on most of the 3rd gen guns. The DA trigger on the 1076 seems a little shorter after it has been decocked.

All in all, this line of guns is a great one. I keep wanting to buy more of them!

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Old April 19, 2013, 03:06 PM   #12
carguychris
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Quote:
I agree that the DA-only versions of the 3rd gen S&W guns have a very nice trigger. Actually, all the 3rd gen guns have nice trigger pulls, but with the DA/SA versions (which most are) the DA trigger is not as short and light as on the DA only guns.
That is correct; the DAO S&W 3rd-gens have a preset trigger that is partially cocked by the action of the slide. The pull length and weight were advertised as roughly 2/3 of the DA pull of a conventional DA/SA Smith. The hammer is rounded and cannot be hand-cocked; it basically serves as an indicator that the trigger has been preset.

A potential downside is that the DAO guns lack second-strike capability; in the event of a failure to fire, the pistol MUST be cleared, as the trigger becomes non-functional. This is not the case with a standard DA/SA metal-frame Smith. It's mostly seen as a non-issue today, because most striker-fired polymer pistols work the same way, and clearance drills have become standard training doctrine; however, it was an issue "back in the day", when these guns were being marketed to LE agencies as an alternative to the DA revolvers their officers were accustomed to.

Another peculiarity of the DAO guns is that many of them lack the mag disconnects found on almost all DA/SA Smiths. They were built this way so that the shooter can safely pull the trigger to drop the hammer in a training or competition situation, without having to carry an empty mag specifically for this purpose.
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Last edited by carguychris; April 19, 2013 at 03:08 PM. Reason: minor reword...
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Old April 19, 2013, 03:47 PM   #13
breakingcontact
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Re: My Third generation S&W 5946

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bart Noir View Post
Breakingcontact, the OP has a DA-only version, so his does not have an external safety. However, I agree that those with slide mounted safeties are a bit awkward to use.
Good call. Was just speaking about 3rd Gen smiths overall.
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Old April 19, 2013, 07:32 PM   #14
Rodger_p
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I know some LE versions had the mag safety removed. Mine still has the safety. I will most likely leave it as is. I don't want to remove the rear sight to get to the components.

Rodger
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Old April 19, 2013, 08:48 PM   #15
Rmart30
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a 5946 was my first semi auto.... choose it because it was DAO and had no safety. I do not use it as a carry gun. Ive moved on to XDM's (also because of no safety and lighter) but the 5946 goes to the range quite frequently and is a BU bedside gun.
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Old April 19, 2013, 09:43 PM   #16
6.8
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Nice gun, I own several third gen smiths. My 5946 is our home defense pistol. It has Never jammed on anything. Bet your life on this gun.

Last edited by 6.8; April 19, 2013 at 09:45 PM. Reason: Wrong smiley face
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Old April 20, 2013, 09:09 PM   #17
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Why would you use the safety for anything but a de-cocker. On a DA/SA the first trigger pull is as long as a revolver. The DAO has a shorter trigger pull and no saftey. I have never tried it on my 3rd gen 9's and 40's but my 4506 and 4516 will feed empty brass every time. In 30 years I have never had a malfunction on a 3rd gen Smith.
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Old April 20, 2013, 09:34 PM   #18
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My only gen 3 S&W is a 3914... Great da/sa gum with a nice short reset...

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Old April 20, 2013, 11:37 PM   #19
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The 5946 is my 2nd favorite. My absolute favorite is the 5946TSW, and of course the prototype 5906TSW with the integral rail (not riveted) is the ever elusive unicorn. BTW, they're not true DAO's, but DAO with a partial reset. That makes for the short smooth "DAO" trigger. If you ever want to clean up the finish, just bead blast it and it will look like new.
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Old April 21, 2013, 12:00 AM   #20
RUN2424
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S W

I have the 469,915 and about 4 weeks ago traded my
berreta 96 for a 4006. The 40 is a great shooter,cant beat a smith.
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Old April 21, 2013, 04:33 AM   #21
6.8
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Ive never seen the 5906tsw with the rail as part of the frame. sounds sweet. you wouldn't happen to have a pic?
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Old April 22, 2013, 06:42 PM   #22
Bart Noir
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WVSig, that looks like the rare black 9mm Ladysmith, which was called the "Lady Smith". S&W had at least 3 variations of that name.

I have only ever seen 2 of those since they were only made in black for one year, I believe. And I bought the first one I saw. It has been a regular carry gun for years, only recently replaced by the XDs.

Naturally any 3914 will work just as well as the Ladysmith, it is just that I liked the sloped portion of the frame in front of the hammer. But the downside is that the blued slide doesn't have a tough finish and mine is looking more and more like it is not blued. Since I believe it is carbon steel, not SS, I have to be careful of rust.

My regret is that I long ago sold the DA only version of the 3913 (stainless). I believe it was the 3953 in the secret S&W coding method

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Old April 22, 2013, 07:38 PM   #23
WVsig
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You are correct Bart... It is a lady smith which has been carried a lot shot a little. I bought it used from a guy got a more than fair price. I am going up send it out to be refinished one of these days...

I love the profile of the lady smiths... You do not see many in black and when I go see them most are asking too much for them. I was lucky to find this one.
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Old April 23, 2013, 05:35 PM   #24
Ozzieman
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WVsin, Don’t think I have ever seen a 3rd generation like yours in black.
MAN that’s a nice looking gun even with the wear. I would never refinish the gun. It looks good the way it is.
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Old April 23, 2013, 05:57 PM   #25
WVsig
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Thanks Ozzieman.... I have not done it yet because I am torn. If I was the original owner who put the wear on it I would leave it alone. But since I didn't I am considering doing it.....





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