3rd Gen Smith Question

O

Onward Allusion

New member
Do all 3rd Gen Smiths (i.e. 59XX) have Novak dovetail sight cuts? Not including 915's in this question...

My research is saying YES, but I would like input from a live person.

Thanks!
 
I would not think that the adjustable sight versions do.

They were available for a couple of years before Novak sights were standard on the fixed sighted models. Were Novaks made for the existing cut?
 
When the very first 5906's hit the market the fixed sight versions were still using the old school 2nd Gen fixed rear sight. I had heard there were some "contract details" being worked out on the Novak rear but it sure seems much more likely that S&W had a stock of 2nd Gen slides that they wanted to use up, so we may never know why the earliest ones had the 2nd Gen style rear.

This also happened on the 3906 (I have an example of one) and may well have happened on the 5904/3904 as well.

With S&W... we've seen time and time again that there are no rules and that S&W has been quite frugal when it comes to using up parts.

Also agree that the adjustable rear sight 3rd Gens have a much different dovetail cut.
 
With S&W... we've seen time and time again that there are no rules and that S&W has been quite frugal when it comes to using up parts.
Click to expand...

So much AMEN there ;)

You get those answers on the S&W forums where they start out with...
"Usually...however...here's X times they didn't." lol

There's contract versions made for specific departments which had a specific sight for their own reasons...
someone does have a list of almost everything over there, fortunately ;)
 
Not all fixed-sight 3rd Gen's had Novak sights. I bought a used 6903 which had a smaller and less useful rear sight, using a non-Novak dovetail. It may have been part of a LEO purchase (since it was stamped "STATE FIRE MARSHAL"). Or it may just have been built using an older 2nd Gen sight, as mentioned above.

Bart Noir
 
The 6906 is a short-slide, short grip double stack pistol. It is in 9mm only and is stainless steel for slide and aluminum alloy for frame. I was mistaken and called it a 6903. I shall never say that again. Such shame. Must go for a quiet time on my recliner. <geezer retreats>

Notice that the last digit fails the standard S&W decoder ring description. It SHOULD BE 6903 since the 3 indicates alloy frame. Except here, it doesn't. You know the numbering system got too big when the manufacturer can't even follow it.

The 6904 is the same except having a blued carbon steel slide.

I've owned both models.

Bart Noir
 
C'mon now, my smiley guys appeared clearly!

Of course S&W botched the numbering system. It was a ridiculous system from day one and it got worse with nearly each model added. They tried to make "rules" and then they broke them at will. But the truth is that they made their first goof in the 2nd Gen model numbers when they named the 6906's predecessor a "669" even though it had an alloy frame. Sheesh.
 
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