S&w 5906?????

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BP44

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I have a chance to pick up a 5906 for $350.....

I am kinda a glock/wheel gun guy and I dont know to much about the S&W auto loaders. Is there anything I should know before I commit to it?

It seems like a really good deal as it comes with 10 mags,holster,and some
ammo as well.

Do the 5906's come in different variations or are they all a standard configuration.
 
If I recall the 59xx series of guns are all 9mm the 5906 in particular should be the stainless steel model. Should have either fixed tritium sights or adjustable target sights. For $350 with 10 mags, that is a steal, btw.
 
For $350 with 10 mags, that is a steal, btw.
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I absolutely agree...its a steal!

The 5906 will eat ANY 9mm ammo on the planet, last for tens of thousands of rounds and shoot better most people expect.

I have a S&W 910 (3rd gen value line copy of the 5904) it has the alloy frame so it weighs only 26oz (vs 5906 ~34oz). My 910 will out shoot my SIG P6 and run neck and neck with my P226.
 
If it hasn't been abused $350 is an excellent deal for a 5906 especially with the extras. The 5906 are generally very reliable from what I have seen. The ones I have shot had adjustable sights. Not sure if all 5906 had adjustable sights or not.
 
Don't walk - RUN to that deal!

A 5906, especially 3rd generation (round trigger guard), with 10 mags, holster, & ammo is a steal and will not be around for long.

Some 5906's have night sights, some even have adjustable ones, and the TSW models even have the dust cover rail. These are some of the best 9mms ever made and will last a couple of lifetimes of range visits. They will eat anything. I think one of the only reasons why they are no longer in production is the manufacturing cost and the weight as a duty weapon.

- 5906's are stainless frame and slide
- 5903's are alloy frame with SS slide
- 5906TSW & 5903TSW are the tactical models with rails
- 5904's are regular blued steel.
- 5946 is DAO all SS
- 5943 DAO SS slide, Alloy frame
- 5926 are the decocker models (not very popular for some reason)

All of the above can support up to 17+1 flush using MecGar mags & 15+1 on factory. I think MecGar even used to make a 20 round mags.

(yeah - I love those pistols)... :)



BP44

S&w 5906?????
I have a chance to pick up a 5906 for $350.....

I am kinda a glock/wheel gun guy and I dont know to much about the S&W auto loaders. Is there anything I should know before I commit to it?

It seems like a really good deal as it comes with 10 mags,holster,and some
ammo as well.

Do the 5906's come in different variations or are they all a standard configuration.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the info fellas

I wont have to run for the deal as my Father in law just want to thin out his herd so to speak:D. I dont know what gen it is but he did say 5 mags are factory and still in the wrapper. He also told me that it has been fitted with adjustable sights "Bomar". year before I remember looking through his collection and seeing a tactical model, I hope it's the 5906.
 
The most noticeable variations in the 5906 were:
- fixed sights (early) or low-profile fix sights (later) versus adjustable sights;
- curved trigger guard (early) versus round trigger guard (later);
- curved backstrap grips (early) versus straight backstrap grips (later); and,
- as Onward Allusion said, the 5906TSW has a rail.
 
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5906 is a good gun. One feature often overlooked is the short reset of the trigger. Way better than the Sigs and Berettas and Rugers.

You have the option of getting the straight backstrap grip or the round butt version, regardless of which one is on there now. If there is a little dimple on the heel of the grip, it means it's the "good" one.
 
"Little dimple on the heel of the grip"

Why does this make it the good one? Model,recall,etc?

Also can you change the grips for a straight backstrap or vice versa?
 
Some of the earliest grips cracked; S&W changed the grip material and issued a recall. The dimple on the grips show that they are made of the new material.

Both straight and curved grips are available for the 5906; the grips are very easy to change.
 
Thanks gc70, I guess that about sums it up I will give him a call in the morning and hopefully pick it up in a week or two. thanks again fellas:)
 
Do the 5906's come in different variations or are they all a standard configuration.
Click to expand...
Grips with straight or arched backstraps (which can be swapped, or replaced altogether with Hogues if you wish), fixed Novak or adjustable sights (which require their own slides with the appropriate rear sight cut) are the only variations I know of. ETA: there have been round and square trigger guards.

Buy it, if it fits your hands. The arched grips are a little bit "blocky" (this is late 1980s technology) but this can be gotten used to. If to be carried concealed all day it can get a bit heavy, but again, you can get used to this (you need a good belt and holster anyway, right?). Its trigger action, both DA and SA, is one of the better ones, and you will probably tire of finding and buying ammo before you can wear it out. The eight extra magazines (the gun came with two), if factory, would cost you over $200 new by themselves.
 
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I have had a 5904 since 1988 and I like the gun. It has never jammed. Shoots well. Carrys well too. Just a nice gun. When I get my CC permit it's whats going in my holster.
 
I have the 6906 (Same basic design, just alloy and compact) and the 5924 (Blued version with decocker on the frame) and the 59 series guns are AWESOME to shoot at the range, and not too terribly heavy for carry. It weighs less than a full-sized 1911, which many, many of us have carried for decades. It is very reliable, and I love the frame-mounted decocker of the 1076/4576/526/5924 guns. It's like a Sig, but without the annoying Sig hammer fall, and the placement of the slide release lever is more foreward, like a 1911.
 
I much prefer the straight backstrap. If it does NOT have the dimple, I personally wouldn't worry too much about it.

Supposedly what happened was, a cop dropped his fully cocked gun on concrete in the winter and it slightly cracked. They then took 2 more and THREW them cocked on the concrete and they, too, slightly cracked. S&W changed the material to stand up to such silly abuse.

I've seen these grips on Ebay in years past sell for less than $10
 
FWIW:

5906.... Excellent pistol..

I use mine for home defense... Surprisingly low recoil, due I guess to the all steel construction.. My wife who is 5' small loves shooting it.

There is a Crimson Trace Lasergrip available for it.. :D

Best Wishes,

Jesse

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