u/conkanman

A little Sunday appreciation for one of the less common S&W 3rd Gens: the Model 3906.

I’ve always thought Smith & Wesson’s 3rd Gen autos were some of the best service and defensive pistols ever made. I carried a 4506 on duty in the ’90s, so I’ve always had a soft spot for them.

The 3906 is a slim, single-stack 9mm that was only produced from 1988–1990. I picked this one up about three years ago and later found the wood grips on eBay. They really finished it off nicely.

Still one of my favorite 3rd Gens in the collection.

Here’s one of my favorites: my Smith & Wesson Performance Center Model 945, product code 170152.
This particular version is the 4-inch, black-finished stainless 945 with the polished stainless “racing stripe,” fixed Novak sights, full-size 8-round grip and those wonderfully over-the-top Performance Center dragon-scale serrations.

It was a Camfour distributor special from around 2000, and it’s an early no-dash 945. A good description is that the 945 is basically 1911-inspired from the frame rails down and Third Generation S&W from the frame rails up. It uses S&W’s linkless barrel system, external extractor and other Third Gen design DNA, but with a straight-pull SA trigger, thumb safety and grip safety.

Production numbers are still a bit of a mystery. I haven’t found a documented factory total, but known examples in the CFR serial range go from at least CFR0058 to CFR0330. Mine is CFR0209. If that CFR block was dedicated primarily to this Camfour run, the best working estimate is somewhere in the low-to-mid 300s, although I wouldn’t call that a confirmed production number.

Regardless of the exact count, you sure don’t see many of them. And for anyone wondering: yes, it shoots every bit as nicely as a Performance Center pistol ought to. 😎

Anybody else here have a 945, 845, 745, 4506 or one of the other big-bore Third Gen S&Ws? I'm missing an 845, but I'm always keeping an eye out.

My S&W Model 69 .44 Magnum has become one of my favorite revolvers. I swapped the sights for an XS Sights Tritium Big Dot up front and an LPA rear with a black face and green fiber-optic dots. The factory lock is gone and plugged with an Original Precision lock delete.

The trigger is completely factory, but it’s ridiculously good. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear somebody had already done a professional trigger job on it.

VZ Grips give me a much more secure hold when shooting full-power .44 Magnum loads. It’s a compact, lightweight .44 that definitely lets you know when you’ve touched one off. 😎

Not exactly subtle, but then again, subtlety isn’t really the Model 69’s department.

Took Gabby on the road this weekend to visit my MIL. Also brought her son, Gus. They had a big time, played a lot. This is just a few hours after we got home. She ate, played for a little bit, and then decided she needed a nap. She a good girl.

Our stray-turned-family tortie, Gabby Sue, absolutely lives for clean laundry day. ❤️

Since her last appearance, we’ve found wonderful homes with friends and coworkers for three of her four kittens, and Gabby has been spayed. The post-op recovery suit the vet sent her home in (instead of the dreaded cone) worked great—even if she absolutely hated wearing it. She recovered beautifully and is thriving.

She’s still discovering how to be a carefree house cat. She’s learning that toys are fun, naps are unlimited, and she’s completely safe here. She also still dotes on the one kitten we kept—her son, Gus. Their bond is very sweet.

And yes… she’s actually using her back paw as a pillow. 🤣 Gabby sleeps in the strangest positions, but seeing her so relaxed reminds us just how far she’s come from life as a stray.

My latest wheelgun obsession: the S&W Model 296Ti. It’s an oddball in all the right ways—a scandium alloy L-frame, titanium cylinder, enclosed hammer, and chambered in .44 Special. At just 18 ounces, it’s remarkably light for a five-shot .44.

It definitely gets your attention with defensive loads, but it’s surprisingly manageable with a solid grip. The 296Ti had a relatively short production run and never sold in huge numbers, making it one of the more interesting—and increasingly hard-to-find—modern Smith & Wesson revolvers. I don’t expect to run into another one at my local range anytime soon.

My latest wheelgun obsession: my S&W Model 296Ti. It’s a weird "little" revolver in all the right ways—Scandium frame, titanium alloy cylinder, enclosed hammer, and chambered in .44 Special. At around 18 ounces, it’s astonishingly light for a big-bore N-frame.

It definitely lets you know when you touch off full-power defensive loads, but with a good grip it’s surprisingly manageable. It’s one of those Smith & Wessons that never sold in huge numbers, making it a pretty neat piece of modern S&W history. Definitely not one you see posted every day.

CORRECTION: This is an L frame, not an N frame. Thank you u/BabaSherif for pointing out my error. 😎👍

Finally managed to add one of these unicorns to the collection a few years ago.

The Model 632-1 was Smith & Wesson’s first revolver chambered in .327 Federal Magnum, produced only for a short run (roughly 2009–2011). This example is the matte black Chief’s Special configuration with a 3-inch barrel, adjustable rear sight, and the factory Carry Comp port.

From what I’ve been able to piece together, there were several variants:
170329 – Matte black, 3” barrel, Carry Comp, adjustable rear sight (pictured)
178028 – Matte stainless, 3” barrel (catalog doesn’t mention porting)
178045 – Stainless 3” Carry Comp made for Sports South (2009)
A 2⅛-inch DAO Centennial-style version produced around 2010–2012

I’d still love to track down one of the DAO models to complete the set.

For those who own one of these:
How do you like the .327 Federal Magnum in a J-frame?
Have you found the Carry Comp porting makes a noticeable difference?

Any idea how many of these were actually produced?
Looking forward to hearing what the revolver crowd knows about these.

Just found this sub; I'm a big fan of the 3rd Gen. The 4505 is a fairly rare stock 3rd gen pistol in perfect shape. There was approximately 1,200 of them made in the early 90s. The 4506 is a beautifully customized 3rd gen pistol that has been slicked up and refinished by Novak Custom. The action is amazing.