S&W 3913-My latest CCW Pistol

[rptrower]

Several months ago I saw a S&W 3913NL in a post on this forum. Since I am a S&W enthusiast it attrached my attention. I thought it would be an ideal CCW pistol for me & I have coveted one since. I have searched for one to no avail. Recently I found a 3913LS in excellent condition for $400 & thought what the heck it only has "Lady Smith" on one side. When I took the pistol home I made my first mistake of the day in letting my wife see it. She immediately wanted it & now we are in a fight over who gets the pistol. I guess there is only one solution, buy another!

 

[Sevens]

I love that little pistol. A shop near me has one in their case, I don't think it has the Ladysmith designation on it, but their price is a little kooky... they have it at $599 so I've never done anything more than look at it through the glass.

For $400, I'd be all over it. Lady or no lady on the side.

I think you got a helluva buy. Were it mine, I might consider seeing if someone makes a replacement grip--I've never gotten along with the Delrin grips that S&W put on all of the 3rd Gens.

 

[Mark B]

Very nice, congrats I've wanted one of those for a long time.

 

[IdahoG36]

Great choice. I carried one around for quite a while years ago. Mine was all black and had Lady Smith on the slide as well. My buddies used to poke fun at me because of that, saying it was a girly gun. It is still a great CCW piece. Accurate, reliable, and easily concealable. I replaced it with a Kahr CW9, and eventually, a Kahr PM9.

I forgot to add, I picked mine up for $350. It was like new with the box and 2 mags. I couldn't pass it up for that price.

 

[poptime]

Excellent choice. I carried one every day for 15 years. After I polished the feed ramp right after I got it, it has never had so much as a hiccup at the range. Fires a wide variety of ammo, even mix and match 7 different kinds in one magazine, fits close to the hip in a Kramer hoster. Not to worry about the "Lady Smith" on the side, it just means your lady goes bang every time you pull her trigger.

 

[scottycoyote]

excellent little carry guns......i have a 6906 which is just a double stack version of yours. One day im thinking ill pick up a 39 for those days i need to feel thinner lol.

 

[michael t]

I carried one for a time was a great pistol But I could never get comfortable with it went back to a compact 1911

 

[skoro]

When I took the pistol home I made my first mistake of the day in letting my wife see it. She immediately wanted it & now we are in a fight over who gets the pistol.

You and I both know that's a fight you'd better lose.

 

[Ticman]

My wife has a 3913 and there's no way I could get that thing from her. LOL!!

Great shooting and very reliable psitol.

 

[PSP]

Congratulations. Great price... nice find.

 

[DasFriek]

I have been keeping an eye on these guns for a while now,IE a few months.
Prices are usually very high as this gun is highly sought after for ccw,and most gun shops know this.
$400 is a steal,especially in such good shape.

 

[PeterGunn]

3rd generation S&W pistols are absolutely phenominal... their quality/relability/durability are among the best in the industry and as a result they are very under-rated by those who think other premium brand names have a corner on the market.

The 3900 series continues to stand out among discriminating buyers. If the ergos work for you and you are OK with slide mounted safties, the 3913 is a fantastic little 9mm!

The only thing that bugs me about the Lady Smith is the weird upward slant on the underside of the frame from the trigger guard to the muzzle. I know the engineers at S&W wanted to differentiate the LS from the standard model, but for crying out loud, it just looks odd. That said, it wouldn't keep me from picking one up at the price you mentioned... or two... or three...

Enjoy!!!

 

[Sevens]

It does look different and it's quite noticeable but I can't sit here and tell you that I don't like it... I think I do like it. Maybe just because it is a slight difference that's so obvious, even though it's just a couple of angles.

I think it looks "right" on a pistol of that size.

 

[18DAI]

Congrats on your 3913!!

You just obtained the finest, most reliable, easily concealed single stack 9mm made. IMO of course. Enjoy yours! Regards 18DAI.

 

[KyJim]

You made an excellent choice for a CCW. I mostly like carrying a 1911 but I do have a 3913 in my carry rotation. And, yes, it's a LadySmith, too. Real men don't care.

 

[grumpa72]

I have a CS9 that appears to be a clone of your 3913. In fact, after acquiring my CS9 I was able to find holsters using the link for the 3913. I bought my CS9 thinking I was going to carry it all the time and, while trim and highly concealable, I just find that I prefer my Colt 1911 Commander IWB.

The CS9, and I assume the 3913, is truly a nice feeling pistol in my hand. Too bad I don't carry it much anymore. Enjoy yours.

 

[jsbethel]

I bought my girlfriend a S&W 3904. After I shot it, I took it back and bought her a S&W 3913LS which she liked better. Naturally, I shot the 3913LS and wanted one for myself. I found a LNIB 3913NL a short time later. They are exceptional pistols.

 

[Bart Noir]

The version without the Ladysmith marking is the 3913 NL. I guess that means Not Ladysmith.

They are great guns and I wanted one for years, not caring if it had that marking on it. I finally got one that is dark blued, which they only made for one year. The Ladysmith marking is hard to read on the slide which is OK for me.

It was that unusual shape that I liked. It reminds me of the Mauser HSC which I have liked since I was a kid. The only reason that I don't have the HSC is that I have more power in the same size gun, meaning the 3913.

One nice thing is that I can carry either my 3913 or my 6906 in the same holster. The doublestack frame is outside the holster so either one fits.

Some of my friends, who have bigger paws than I do, feel there isn't enough to hold onto. I don't mind wrapping my pinky finger under the grip of a small pistol and as stated earlier, it is a very nice carry gun, thin enough to really work in an IWB holster.

Bart Noir
Who likes to end the working day with a joke like poptime's.

 

[Teuthis]

I have a 3953, which is a true, double-action-only pistol. Otherwise it is quite similar to your 3913. I am a big fan of the 39 series.

 

[John Clum]

Just what I need--another reminder about my 3953 that got stolen last week (car prowl).

I loved that gun. Used it for the Defensive Pistol class I took 10 years ago at the Seattle Firearms Academy and scored 299 (out of 300) with it on the final exam. I still remember the shot that missed!

Definitely a nice shooting 9mm.