Obscure Object of Desire – The Smith & Wesson Model 5903 SSV 9mm Pistol



The Smith & Wesson Model 5903 SSV, a rare bird for sure and now I have one thanks to a very special donation by a person that wishes to remain anonymous. First and for most, you know who you are. Thank you very much for allowing me to own one of the rarer Third Gen Automatics.

Okay, so what exactly is a Model 5903 SSV you ask? Well, it is a traditional 9mm S&W Third Generation Automatic with some differences from the normal run of the mill guns. The fabled S&W Whiz Wheel can't event describe it.


The Whiz Wheel was Big Blue's answer to the confusing model numbers for all their Third Generation Automatics.

It was a one off production made in 1990 and released in 1991 by Lew Horton Distributing Co. Inc of Westborough Massachusetts. S&W was transitioning from the first production design of guns to what would be their mainstay layout for the Third Generation. The original frame design of the Third Generation guns had a hooked combat trigger guard and Big Blue was transitioning to a rounded trigger guard.


The original frame design with the hooked combat trigger guard.

So they had first production run frames just lying around. Big Blue being the company that they are wouldn't just junk them. No siree Bob they wouldn't do such a ghastly thing. S&W has a history of using older parts and frame to make one offs and that exactly what they did. They took those first production run frames and made something special.


The original dealer sales flyer.

SSV stands for Short Slide Variation. S&W took the compact 6904 slide and barrel and slapped it on the 5903 frame. The 5903, being the full size aluminum framed 9mm duty gun meant it was already a light weight gun. But by adding the 6904 upper, they trimmed the weight off a little more and instead of it having a 4" barrel, it had a 3.5" barrel.

So in essence, Big Blue made a Commander variant of their tried and true 9mm duty guns. Or for you younger shooters out there that aren't 1911 aficionados, S&W made their own version of the GLOCK 19X and GLOCK 45.


My 5903 SSV has a set of replacement Hogue Grips and I use the 17rd Mec-Gar magazines for it. But it shipped from the factory with 15rd magazines and wore the "straight back" one piece wrap-around plastic grip.

Some other touches they did to the gun was instead of a spurred hammer, they used a bobbed hammer. Also they used a stainless decocker/safety lever to give it a nice two-tone look. They also shaved down and thinned the slide stop lever too.



The sights are the ever classic 3-Dot Novaks. Rugged, reliable, and slick. They're far better than what S&W originally had when they first came out with the Third Generation line.



They only made 1,500 of them. Along with the 5903 SSV, they made a Double Action Only version too. That is the 5943 SSV. They made just over 3,200 of those. But the 5903 SSV is a traditional Double/Single Action gun. Long DA pull for your first shot and then a crisp SA pull for all your subsequent shots.

Size wise, the 5903 SSV and a traditional Third Generation Compact like the 6906 are not that different.


Notice the round trigger guard versus the hooked combat trigger guard.

The guns both weigh in about the same. The length of barrel is the same and even the grip length is the same due to the pinky extension on the magazine. But the main difference is magazine capacity. Yes, the 6906 can take a regular full size mag. But their specific mags are limited to 12rds while the original magazine for the 5903 was 15rds. But like I said, I use the Mec-Gar 17rd mags for my gun. Now, the 6906 is easier to conceal is you use a flush base plate on the magazine.

If you have a Compact gun like my 6906 and you want to know what it is like shooting the 5903 SSV. You can always get Grip Plus 2 magazine adapter from Precision Gun Specialties. It gives you a full grip when using the full size magazines in the compact guns.



What makes it special is the little "SSV" marking on the gun, because nothing stops you from buying a regular 5903 and getting a surplused 6906 or 6904 upper and making your own. I know on the various Smith & Wesson forums that I visit, folks have done exactly that. But the fact that this gun was an factory build from Big Blue and it has that little marking, that is what makes it special.



All in all, the 5903 SSV is a gun for a hardcore S&W fan (like me) and for someone that wants something different but reliable. They're great carry guns since they have the shorter barrel and slide but you still get the full length grip. The weight isn't bad either since they're made with the aluminum frame instead of the boat anchor stainless steel frame. So they're easier to carry with a good OWB holster and belt.

Only 1,500 of them were made in 1990 and released in 1991. So in a thirty year time span, how many still exist? Who knows? All I know is I have one.

Thats fantastic

HAHAHAHA.

No

I had several 1st, 2nd & 3rd Gens through the years but never a one off, pretty cool snag !

I posted this last year....

When I started carrying CCW. This did not exist yet.



When I first started carrying, the Clinton AWB was still in full swing. Back then your options while not limited, were what would be considered primitive by today's standards. RDS/MOS was fiction for the most part. A Gucci Gun was a dehorned 1911 Commander or a S&W 3913. Micro subcompact like the Ruger LCP or even the pocketable 9mms like the M&P Shield, G43, and XDS were non existent. Hell, the super subcompact double stacks like the Hellcat or P365 weren't even on the drawing board.

Pocket pistol were relegated to .32 ACP and .25 Auto mostly like the LW Seecamp LWS32 or a Beretta Jetfire Also guns like the Colt 1903 and 1908 were popular.





The biggest you could do was a S&W J-Frame in .38 Special or .357 Magnum as a pocket gun. But the .357 Magnum guns were all steel and heavyweights for pocket carry. An aluminum framed 642 were better options in .38 Special.



They were more likely carried as IWB on a belt along with guns like the S&W 3913 and 6906, Colt Pocketlite, G26, Sig P230/232, Walther PPK/S, and Makarov.



Those were the king of the concealed carry world at the time. Sig came out with the P239 and S&W came out with the 4040PD and that was considered amazing well for the era because it was a CCW piece that small in .40 S&W.







Yeah, a surplus Cold War Eastern Bloc pistol was popular as a CCW piece in the late 90s and early 00s.



That just gives you an idea of how things have changed. Today, a gun like a Makarov is looked at as a C&R piece meant to be a range toy. Not a serious CCW capable self defense carry piece.

Yeah, carrying fullsize duty guns was still a thing then like now. But most quality holsters for CCW were leather, not kydex. Also, guns like a 4" Ruger GP100 or a 3" S&W Model 13 was still considered decent for carry.



The advancements with carry guns is amazing. You kids today don't know how good you have it. Super reliable micro .380s that are lighter than their contemporaries that used to be .32 or .25 autos. And the amazing thing is how cheap they are. A LWS32 was a hand crafted hunk of steel and it was famous for being as small as it was as a .32 Auto, and now we have the Ruger LCP which is polymer (lighter in weight) and it is a .380 Auto. Also the LWS32 had a one year wait time.



Scandium framed .38 Special and .357 Magnum J-Frames, Micro pocketable 9mm pistols, Red Dot equipped G19s, and so much more.





Seriously.... I dig through my Army Footlocker of holsters and I'm flabbergasted at how it has evolved. I still have CCW holsters for my guns, but honestly. They've mostly been retired. The guns I now usually carry are a LCP in a pocket holster, a S&W 342 in a OWB, or a G17 in a Kydex IWB. My leather has been retired. My 1911s, S&W 3rd Gens, Steel Framed Wheel Guns, etc have been retired to the safe and I rarely carry them these days.

Eventually I spring for a Glock with a RDS. But right now I'm focusing on other things. But the fact that such a thing is now commonplace and an option is absolutely amazing.

Additionally, the market support for CCW is phenomenal. So many choices in clothing and holsters. You can get pants, belts, shirts, etc meant for CCW and it isn't a custom one piece you had your local seamstress make.

Again, you kids today don't know how lucky you have it.

Yup, a traditional 3rd gen 6906 upper will fit on a 5906 or 5903. Hell, my 3913 and 6906 are the same exact slide and barrel.

Should have.

I want a PC 45 Auto. Specifically the PC 4567 .45 CQB.

@Alex_F, the Lady Smith was a dehorned Model 3913. Not a 5903.

Sit down all day with a full size in a patrol car and you'll understand why.