S&w 5946

[Dale53]

In a few hours I will have an opportunity to buy a Smith 5946, 9mm Stainless auto. It is apparently a LEO trade in. Supposed to be nearly new (I have seen one and it is near 100%). It is "double action only".

I am NOT a 9mm fan, but the price is really good and it comes with three mags. I have NO experience with late model Smiths, so any comment will be appreciated.

This is a one time opportunity and I cannot pass it on, sorry.

Dale53

[sundog]

Dale, it's still a 9mm..., not a 'manly-man' cast boolit launcher. Apparently the Army is even giving up on it. Now, a good .357, .41, .44, or a .45. Now yer talkin'. If you want an auto, then the .45 acp is the ONLY way to go, and a 1911 variant at that. Just one man's opinion. sundog

[Dale53]

Sundog;
I AM a .45 ACP man from WAY back. I am just asking about this particular example of an auto that happens to be in 9mm. I have no experience with a Smith 5946.

Thanks for your comments, anyway:mrgreen:

Dale53

[danski26]

We just traded in our 4506's for sig p220. Boy if you bought one of our trade ins you bought a pistol that was WORN OUT. I was given the option to purchase mine at a very low price but I figured it was a waste of money.

On the other hand I have been keeping an eye out for a 357 trade in at a good price. I guess if it still has some life in it........go for it.

[sundog]

Dale, me too. I have a few 9mm's. (And I'm a .45 man - how did you know?). In fact, last year before my sister deployed to Iraq, she came here for a few days and we went through the numbers on a 92FS as that's what she was going to qualify on and carry (M9). We shot alot of ammo - ALL CAST. When she left on her way to Bliss to process (and qualify) she was comforatble with it. Better than nuthin'. Sorry, can't hep with the Smith. sundog

[Dale53]

Well, I am now the proud owner of a "like new" S&W 5946. Careful inspection shows almost NO wear of any kind. Inside and out it is like new. Three magazines show signs of a little use (bit of carbon on the followers) but otherwise like new, also.

For those that haven't seen one, the 5946 is a stainless, 4" barrel 9mm duty gun. It holds 15 in the magazine and has a dovetailed front sight and a high visibility rear sight that is also dovetailed and secured with a set screw. The pistol is double action only. Has a real decent pull and should be quite shootable.

I'll have to get a little ammo and try it out. I think I know where some "first nighter" brass is. All I need is a bullet mould and I could be in business (would need dies, etc). Don't know how far I am going with this piece. It'll make good trading stock, if nothing else. Would also make a good house gun with proper ammo.

Dale53

[robertbank]

The 5946 is the issue gun for the RCMP. Constables are issued Stainless version with the Emergency Response team issued blue/black guns. Guns have a good record in service. Reliable and combat accurate. Trigger takes time to get used to, more like the old double action guns. Seem to tak a lot of shooting in stride.

Enjoy your new gun.

Take Care
Bob

[Dale53]

Thanks to all who responded. The fellow that handled the deal is my pistolsmith. He is a very conservative truly reliable gentleman. I asked him how they shot in general and he stated 2.5" at 25 yards is the norm. That tallies with roberbank's reply, "Combat accurate". The double action trigger is merely a matter of accommodation. It is probably the best action for a policeman (always ready and safe from those ridiculous "PC" people who scream "hair trigger" when a bad guy receives his just due).

Dale53

[9.3X62AL]

Dale--

From lack of real-word usage, I hesitated to comment on the S&W DAO designs. My agency authorized them, but since conventional D/A pistols were also authorized, I don't think anyone carried such a variant.

I have owned about a dozen S&W centerfire autoloaders, and still have many of them. Based on service performance and ergonomics, I would have to rate the S&W's behind the SIG-Sauer and Glock, but not a great distance so--and a little ahead of the Beretta. These are the 4 primary makes of service pistol my agency authorized. I think the S&W will last the longest under heavy shooting of the 4 makes listed. The Glockrockers will howl at that, but I stand behind the assertion. The things that break on S&W's are mild annoyances--the things that break on the other 3 take them out of service. All in all, I think our country's law agencies became overly enamored of the Europistols as influenced by FBI and the JSSAP tests of the 1980's, and developed unwarranted and undeserved contempt for anything American-made. The 3rd Generation S&W centerfire autopistols are good tools, as far as I'm concerned.

Finally--and now on-topic......S&W autopistols are BY FAR the most user-friendly of the 4 makes when it comes to cast boolit shooting. Other than the 1-10" twist rate in their barrels, the S&W's do lead boolits very well. Use hard alloys and soft lubes sized to throat specs (usually .356" in S&W), and all will go well.

[Hi-Performance Bullet Coatings]

Our 70 person dept issues the S&W 4046 and have for many yrs. The trigger pull takes a little getting used to, but they prove themselves to be very reliable and quite accurate for a service pistol.

The trigger mech. does respond well to little tweaking. (trigger spring and mainspring are/were available from Wolf).

While I don't have much experience with cast bullets in the smith 9mm auto I have shot many thousands of 9mm cast bullets in a SA 1911. I've used the magma 124 grn rn, and the self cast Lee 124 TC and 124 TL's with very good results. I too size mine to .356 and have just started using the Lee TL's as cast.

My Smith 4506 gobbles up any cast bullet I can stuff in it from a 145 grn swc (made from a modified Lee mould) to 245 gr swc. But it really likes the 200 Lee swc over 3.8 grns of BE.

[9.3X62AL]

Swamprat--

That Springfield 1911A1 9mm might be the single best 9mm for cast boolits as it comes from the box. 1-16" twist, good tight dimensional integrity in the barrel and throat.

I have a 2nd Generation 45 ACP (M-645) that has at least 20K rounds through it, maybe close to 30K. These have been 90% cast boolits, same barrel as the day it left the factory. It is on its 4th slide stop and 2nd recoil spring guide rod, everything else is OEM.

A 3rd generation M-1026 in 10mm with about 2,500 rounds through it is barely broken in.

[Hi-Performance Bullet Coatings]

Al,
My SA is the "Loaded" model, slide fit is quite loose but the bbl is fitted rather nicely.. Replaced the Novaks with the MMC adjustable, checkered the front strap and did a trigger job. Runs like a champ and as mentioned earlier quite accurate.

Also have a S&W 9mm PPC that I need to try a work up a cast bullet load for.

[9.3X62AL]

Your SA sounds like the model I fired a few years ago, it had Novaks and was box-stock. NICE pistol, every bit as good as the Series 70 Colts, maybe better.

[Dale53]

DeputyAl;
>>>Finally--and now on-topic......S&W autopistols are BY FAR the most user-friendly of the 4 makes when it comes to cast boolit shooting. Other than the 1-10" twist rate in their barrels, the S&W's do lead boolits very well. Use hard alloys and soft lubes sized to throat specs (usually .356" in S&W), and all will go well.<<<

Thanks, Al,
That will save me from having to "re-invent the wheel". It'll give me a dandy place to start. I am real impressed with the auto's "build quality". However, I must admit that I see little need for a 9mm this large and heavy. You can have a REAL gun (1911 .45 ACP) in about the same package:mrgreen: . Sounds prejudiced, doesn't it?[smilie=1:

However, I can still admire good work and this pistol exudes that (aside from it's caliber).

Dale53

[Dale53]

I wanted to get some factory ammo (if I could find some that wouldn't break the bank) for the "new" 9mm. Bass Pro (we have a local store) has a sale on Remington 115 gr Round Nose Jacketed- $5.88 for a box of fifty!!! That is a heck of a deal. If any of you need some, now would be a good time... The sale has a ten box limit.

I'll be able to see what the pistol will do and will have a "standard" to compare with if and when I start loading for the 9mm.

Just thought I would pass this along.

Dale53

[robertbank]

Just to add a few comments. S&W has a long history with the RCMP. The old 38/44 Outdoorsman came about when the RCMP wanted a revolver that they could use as a club - LOL.

S&W virtually gave the force their 5946's to replace the 5" Model 10's previously in use. Their guns come with the RCMP "Musical Ride" logo engraved on them. Unfortunately we will not se these guns oferred to the public (4" rule up her and the RCMP would not want one of their "ex" guns used in a crime. Not politically correct. Lake Ontario will be the final repository when the guns are retired. You have to love our ploitically correct beauracracy!

I hear talk the Emergency Response teams may get the Sig 226 as a replacement but that rumour has been around for some time. The current practice round for the force is the 147 gr Remington MC and the Win 147 gr Encapsulated bullets. For serious use they use 147 Gr Win ranger SXT's.

I am sure your gun will give you years of excellent service.

Take Care

Bob