S&W "Tactical" Series pistols

[Quantum Singularity]

Just for fun, I shot a friend's (S&W TSW and regular S&W 3rd generation) auto side by side. I don't see much of a difference (they both are inferior to Sigs and most other auto brands in almost every area).

Observations (TSW vs Regular 3rd Gen):

Negatives:
* The SA trigger is still bad (heavy) on TSW pistols
* Accuracy is not improved (sub par accuracy at best)
* Neither were 100 percent reliable (both have over 500 rounds fired so it is not a break in period issue)

Positives:

*Slide movement is slightly smoother on TSW
*Good DA (smooth) trigger pull on both

S&W wants about 900 dollars (MSRP) for this TSW. Frankly, I don't think it is worth 500 dollars.

 

[GregM]

You know, I used to think a S&W auto was cheap and inferior to other autos, but something happened. I was hired onto a police dept. that issues the 5906. Myself and 4 other officers have fired near 13,000 rounds combined in 5 months and I can count the malfunctions we have had on one hand. I have had no malunctions in 3500 rounds myself. I admit I could not hit anything with it when I first shot it, but I just qualified 98% with it at my state qualification course. I think the S&W is very reliable and the triger to me is the best part about it. After firing the first shot DA, hold back on the trigger and slowly reset it to fire SA, the reset is amazing! This is just my opinion. I sold my Sig P225 so I could a S&W of my own, ended up buying a 6906 and a 4006. I guess there are lemons out there, but I love mine.

What kind of malfunctions have you had shooting S&W autos?

Greg

 

[Quantum Singularity]

Malfunctions:

Both the TSW and regular S&W pushed the bullet toward the top of the chamber leaving a dent on the bullet and malfunction. This happened 2/50 rounds with the TSW and 4/50 rounds with the regular S&W. This might sound like a low percentage of malfunctions, but I am accustomed to none at all (with my Sig 239).

I am glad these were not my pistols. I would not keep a weapon that is not 100 percent reliable after the break in period.

 

[Jhp147]

S&W, TSW....

Greg, you mentioned something that nobody seems to notice but that is the BIGGEST advantage of S&W....if you learn to use the SA sear reset, the 9mm Smith is the fastest firing 9mm out there, especially with the steel framed gun. That is why I switched from Sig to Smith and never looked back.
Quantum S.-$900 bucks? Is that a Performance Center gun? I only paid $630 for a TSW 4563. The trigger is not as nice as my well shot '04, or my Jacobsen 3914, but that will be fixed or will fix itself. For 900 bucks, though, I expect a Peformance Center grade action, slick with 8 lb. DA and 4+SA.

 

[Quantum Singularity]

The MSRP of the .45 ACP 4586 is listed as $897 in Gun Tests. Keep in mind that many places sell for a lot less than the MSRP. Perhaps they listed it wrong? I assume most TSW's are similar priced?

Anyway, the models I shot were in 9mm and I would expect that to be the best S&W makes (reliability wise).

 

[GregM]

I wholeheartedly agree that I would not trust my life to any gun that is not reliable, and 4 of 50 is definitely not reliable.

The only malfunctions I have ever seen with our S&W's is 2 casings fail to eject and one double feed, and that's in almost 14000 rounds total for the 4 guns. I estimate our guns to be about 8 years old. They set in storage new until they were issued to us in october. to the best of my knowledge they were not modified in any way before they were issued to us.

 

[M58]

Had to carry Smith autos for a few years; they are OK, but you can do better with Sig, HK or Glock. IMHO I would rather carry a Smith revolver.

 

[Frenchy]

Have to agree with you Greg. 5906 is my duty weapon. Have not had a malfunction in a little over 3000 rounds. Mine is a factory refurbish. The only thing I didn't care for was the curved backstrap grips. I ordered a set of factory straight backs from Brownells and they fit my hand much better.

 

[riddleofsteel]

it never ceases to amaze me how many folks will bad mouth a S&W semiauto but will in the next breath praise the 1911. in my experience both the third generation of S&W semiautos and the 1911 pistols both need love and some tweeking to be the best gun they can be.
i own one of the first S&W 4006's they manufactured. it required a LOT of work to make it the paragon of reliability and accuracy it is today. and yes i have hung every bell and whistle on it i could find. mostly Ed Brown stuff. but no more work than any of the 1911's i have owned. i think we are spoiled today by the "work out of the box" Euro pistols on the market today and have forgotten the joys of a finely tuned custom pistol. i own both but this is just an observation. by the way here is my baby...

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