Smith and Wesson 4046TSW

[eddiejoe333]

I just traded for this at the gun show yesterday. I will post pics later. This is my first Smith semi. This is DAO, right? Will the action get smoother over time like a revolver?

Ed

 

[Sharkbite]

Yep, the 4046 is a dbl action only pistol. No ability to cock the hammer other then thru a long trigger press.

Anything will smooth up with use. The parts rub together each time. A good trigger job is really the same thing. Just a smoothing of the mating surfaces.

My agency adopted the 4046 back around 1996/1997 if memory serves. I was part of the transition training team. So i got LOTS of trigger time with the pistol. Good gun. Very reliable, although a little heavy. When the TSW version came out they started buying them. I only had the original 4046 before moving on to a f/t instructing position. The gun continues to serve them well, although they now offer the M&P, which is ALOT lighter and so more appealing to the guys

We had good results with the 4046 while i was there. Both on and off the range. It worked and worked well

Ours had our shield embossed on the slide for the first run. Id love to find one of those for memory sake

 

[Sevens]

The DAO 3rd Generation Smith & Wesson pistols were some of the first DAO semi-automatic pistols on the market, as I recall. I'm not sure if they were -THE- first ever, but they were certainly the first ones made in volume and actually sold on a large basis.

Since the more common DA/SA pistols can see a genuine improvement in the double action trigger pull with a mere mainspring swap, I would imagine that one of the xx46 DAO models would also benefit.

I should hope that carguychris pops in to this thread to confirm that and add some insight.

 

[WESHOOT2]

You can have your S&W enhanced at www.robarguns.com or S&W or Chestnut Mountain Sports.

 

[carguychris]

I should hope that carguychris pops in to this thread to confirm that and add some insight.

Glad to be here.

Since the more common DA/SA pistols can see a genuine improvement in the double action trigger pull with a mere mainspring swap, I would imagine that one of the xx46 DAO models would also benefit.

From what I've read elsewhere online, the TSW series pistols came with 18lb springs from the factory. This is lighter than the 20lb or 22lb springs used in the earlier pistols. Lighter springs can be had, but I can attest that the 18lb spring is pretty much 100% reliable, whereas some individual pistols reportedly have problems with the lighter ones. You can try it, but I'd be hesitant to use one for defensive purposes.

Will the action get smoother over time like a revolver?

It should, although the TSW's received some extra TLC at the factory, and are generally pretty good out of the box.

Here are a few other tidbits, some culled from earlier posts of mine...

AFAIK all mags for 400x and 404x pistols are interchangeable, along with mags for the M410, which is basically a slightly simplified 400x-series pistol with an alloy frame and satin blued finish. Keep in mind that these pistols were largely marketed while the AWB was in force, so you'll find a fair number of 10-rounders. Mags from the compact 401x, 405x, and CS40 pistols will NOT work, as they are all too short, and some are single-stack.

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 SOME 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. Such pistols normally have a warning statement on the slide reading "CAUTION- CAPABLE OF FIRING WITH THE MAGAZINE REMOVED".

If the gun HAS a mag disconnect and you don't like it, it's fairly easy to disable, but the process DOES require drifting the rear sight halfway off. IOW you might not want to try it yourself if things seem to get broken every time you pick up a hammer.

Speaking of rear sights, S&W 3rd-gens were sold with 3 types: a vertical drift-adjustable blade, a fully screw-adjustable unit with very large protective "wings" or "ears", and a slanted drift-adjustable Novak-style unit. AFAIK all of the TSW's came with the last type. The only reason I mention this is that each style fits in a different sized slide dovetail, so they do NOT interchange unless you swap over the entire slide! IOW if you decide to get night sights, read the application chart very carefully!

 

[eddiejoe333]

Wow! Carguychris you are a wealth of information! The gun already had night sights when I got it. It fits my hand well, but I think I'm going to change the grips. I haven't shot it yet. I'm eager to really try the trigger, but I don't have any snap caps in .40.

Thanks for the tip about the mags, too. I got three with the pistol, but I can always use another...five! I still need a holster that accommodates the rail. BTW, can the rail be easily removed?