Gun Porn & Review: Smith & Wesson Model 4043

Update, many moons later: These guns all sold, and sold quickly. They are no longer available from this source, but keep your eyes peeled on gunbroker.com if you want one.

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I have the opportunity to get as many used S&W autopistols as I like for an absolute steal of a price. And I would get several of these guns at this price, but for one thing (scroll down to the bottom of this post to see what it is).

These are in at LEAST NRA Good condition, sometimes bordering on Excellent. Some even come with serial number-matching S&W blue plastic padded lockable cases. All have one, two, or three magazines.





The user controls are VERY simple, and I like simple on emergency tools. There is a slide stop/release lever, a magazine release lever (where John Moses Browning, PBUH, intended), a trigger, and that's it. Simple, simple, simple. Keep it simple, sir!



They all have TruDot night sigts (they're getting old but you can still see them when it's dark) which are beefy and don't look like they would be damaged by anything short of intentional blows from a medium-sized hammer. The hammer in the gun itself is a nice bobbed affair, rounded, preventing snags of any sort. There is a minimalist beavertail. Nice, nice, and nice.



It might make disassembly for cleaning marginally more difficult, but I also like the "jab a goblin in the back and stay in battery" extra-long guide rod. I also like the checkering on the front of the trigger guard, which matches the checkering on the front strap.



But there is one thing that kills the deal for me.



The pistol shown in that last photo will NEVER fire.

It has a "magazine safety" inside. If you needed that last shot during a reload, or if somehow you managed to release the magazine accidentally (some holsters do this for you) you would not be able to use this weapon except as a blunt force trauma-inducing instrument.

Fail.

Aside from that, the S&W 4043 is a great choice. It is all-metal for the polymer haters. It has an aluminum alloy frame for light weight (the steel frame models of the same type are a half-pound heavier). The edges are rounded to prevent snags. The size is just about perfect for concealed carry. If you don't mind a magazine safety, or if you don't mind disabling your own pistol's safety devices (and the attendant civil liability risk that entails), give me a holler and you might be happy with the price I can get for you. There are also some 4053 and 4046 models if those float your boat.

If the price gets much lower, I might have to pick up a few in spite of the magazine safety, for emergency hand-out, trunk, or drop guns. Feel free to buy one for me, for one of those purposes.