S&W Autos

[wes007]

So whats the consensus with the older S&W autos? good/ bad/ pos's etc.
Been wondering for a while why they are so cheap and why there is a plethora of them on the market now. I've figured because of the advances in the firearms industry that they are slightly outdated in terms of what else is on the market.
Is there anything I'm missing? Which ones do you have and why?

[TOrrock]

The older 1st Gen double action pistols, the Model 39 and Model 59, were ground breaking pieces, way ahead of anything else on the American scene at the time.

The later 2nd Gen, the 439's, 459's, 659's, were decent, but showing their age in design and ergonomics compared to the Beretta and SIG offerings just coming out of Europe.

The 3rd Gen models, the 5904, 5906, 4006, 4506, etc. went a long way in updating the designs and were generally really well built. Smith really took that design as far as it could go, and then went around looking for something new.

Unfortunately, they came up with the SIGMA and in a partnership with Walther, the SW 99. Both of those models should be avoided.

However, there are some good deals out there on police trade in 3rd Gen models out there and they'd make good defensive pieces on a budget.






So whats the consensus with the older S&W autos? good/ bad/ pos's etc.
Been wondering for a while why they are so cheap and why there is a plethora of them on the market now. I've figured because of the advances in the firearms industry that they are slightly outdated in terms of what else is on the market.
Is there anything I'm missing? Which ones do you have and why?