Corona said:
I am curious to know more this model, any experience you all have with similar S&W semis of this genre,bout... availability of extra mags (which I find now are hard to come by and high priced as well).
The 908S is the "Value Series" version of the Model 3913, which has become a quite sought-after carry piece. These guns were also available in matte blued finish as the 908 and 3914 respectively. The 3913 and 3914 were also sold in DAO form as the 3943 and 3944, but no DAO "Value Series" models were offered. All of these pistols take the same mags, although there are some variations as detailed below.
The "Value Series" was, as one might assume, a group of S&W models that were modified to lower their selling price. The major changes were a guide rod and sights made from plastic rather than metal, less refined slide machining, and the deletion of the RH-side ambidextrous decocker/safety lever. In each case, standard 391x/394x-series parts can be substituted. That said, the only one of these parts that generally causes problems for the user is the guide rod, as the plastic one tends to flex, causing it to pop out of the assembly notch under the barrel; if it pops out too many times, the soft plastic can become rounded off and exacerbate the problem.
There's one minor issue that may pop up when holster shopping. The 908S uses a slightly different frame contour than the two types of frames offered on the 391x/394x pistols. (Suggest a Google image search, as the differences are hard to describe verbally, but readily apparent in pictures.) Additionally, the 3913TSW or "3913 Tactical" model was sold with an add-on accessory rail. The bottom line is to make sure you read the fine print closely when ordering a holster.
Three basic types of 391x/394x-series magazines were offered: a 7rd unit with a flush-fit metal floor plate, an 8rd unit with a slightly projecting flat-based plastic floor plate, and an 8rd unit with a plastic pinky rest. The 7rd units are the least common and were not popular as spares; most were sold with early-production 391x/394x pistols, and AFAIK they have not been available from S&W for many years. OTOH the 8rd units are quite commonplace. Both 8rd versions actually use the same mag body, spring, and follower- only the floor plates are different.
OEM 3914/3944 mags were blued rather than stainless; there's no problem using these in a 908S other than the (expected) inferior corrosion protection. They're less common than stainless 908S/3913/3943 mags because AFAIK S&W dropped them from production years ago, but NOS examples pop up on eBay and GB from time to time.
Full-size 39-series mags will function in the pistol, although they'll project from the grip frame. Most 39-series mags are 8rd, so they offer no advantage over standard 391x/394x mags. However, the later-production 3904 and 3906, the 909, and the 952 were sold with 9rd mags. The 9rd mags are, however, generally harder to find and may be higher priced than 391x/394x mags, and they suffer periodic supply droughts. (I think S&W makes them in small batches, which tend to sell out.) Given that 1 additional shot IMHO isn't a major advantage, I personally wouldn't bother.
The 908S, like almost all standard-production S&W metal-frame centerfire automatic pistols, came equipped with a magazine disconnect. If you're one of the people who's really bothered by this (FWIW I'm not), it's fairly easy to remove, although the procedure requires partially drifting out the rear sight.
[EDIT TO ADD] One last note... if you decide to upgrade the sights, all 908/391x/394x pistols take the same type of rear sight, but this type is only one of
four types of rear sight historically offered on the full-size 39-series. Again, this is a matter of reading the fine print when you order. The correct type is generally referred to as the "Novak" or "slanted" rear sight. Do NOT order the "blade" or either "adjustable" type. The dovetails are different sizes, so they do NOT interchange.
