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Be sure to enter the NES/Pioneer Valley Arms February Giveaway ***Smith & Wesson SD9VE 9MM***
Anyone has a S&W 5906?
- Thread starter 2garfields
- Start date
Garys
NES Member
It's not a 1911 in 9mm. It's a double/single action high capacity 9mm of modern design. It shoots beautifully and is as accurate as hell. It's also reliable. Some people think it might be the best made hi capacity 9mm ever made. If you get a chance to buy one, do it.
AmmoSapien
NES Member
Patriot Arms in Ipswich had 2 S&W 5906 and one 4516 in their case today. Very very nice guns.
AmmoSapien
NES Member
Agree 100%
I have a 5906 and it is one of the best 9mm's I have. Also the fact that the mags are 15 rounds. Great pistol!
The third gen S&W's to include the 5900 series were some of the best all metal 9mm's made. S&W was totally caught with their pants down, after getting creamed by Glock and the 2nd Generation 459 pistols failing the US Govt pistol tests in favor of the Beretta 92 and the Sig-Sauer P226. They were losing LE contracts (which they dominated in all but the Soviet Bloc countries) until the 1980's and the 3rd Gen Pistols were their first attempt at regaining dominance (the Sigma striker fired polymer pistol in the 90's being their other attempt). The 5906 was the flagship of the line. I think one has to remember that S&W was one of the oldest makers of traditional Walther Style DA pistols (trigger mechanism, not lock-up) in the world. My favorite, the Model 39 came on the commercial market in 1956. It languished for years until 1967 when the Illinois State Police adopted it as their service side arm. (There was a municipal dept in RI that was first). They learned many lessons after the ISP started using the pistol in police service, and in about 1972, the 39-2 came out with an improved extractor. When the Army decided it was time to go 9mm DA auto (the Army had mandate of procuring and testing pistols for DoD) S&W made further refinements with their 2nd Generation Pistols. Personally I have a M459 and a M539 and I really prefer the 1st Gen 39-2's (2nd Gen are drop proof, 1st Gen are not) when it became obvious that S&W was losing business, another 9mm pistol project developed and this was the 3rd Gen which the 5906 was the flagship of the line IMO. Some say that overall their accuracy is not as good as the Sig-Sauers or the Beretta 92, I'm not so sure about that, as I think individual examples may vary. A plus factor for both the Sig and the Beretta is that they are easier to field strip, but other than that, I personally have nothing bad to say about the 5906. They tend to be under-appreciated, esp by the cops who were being won over to Glocks which became almost cult-like at one time.
The thing about the 3rd Gen 9mms were that there were so many variations of them in S&W's attempt to answer all consumer requirements, including DAO models and models with the decocker which resembled a Sig.
Personally if the gun in question is in good shape, I think it would be a good choice if the price is right. Appreciation of them seems to be growing over the years but prices are usually reasonable and there plenty of parts. S&W will still make 3rd Gen guns on order and will also do a performance package on them. The WV State Police just received a shipment of new 3rd Gen 45's. They had them in service and wanted ones with rails, and apparently preferred them over the M&P.
I collect S&W semi-automatics, so I am biased, but they always have a soft spot in my heart.
The thing about the 3rd Gen 9mms were that there were so many variations of them in S&W's attempt to answer all consumer requirements, including DAO models and models with the decocker which resembled a Sig.
Personally if the gun in question is in good shape, I think it would be a good choice if the price is right. Appreciation of them seems to be growing over the years but prices are usually reasonable and there plenty of parts. S&W will still make 3rd Gen guns on order and will also do a performance package on them. The WV State Police just received a shipment of new 3rd Gen 45's. They had them in service and wanted ones with rails, and apparently preferred them over the M&P.
I collect S&W semi-automatics, so I am biased, but they always have a soft spot in my heart.
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My father had one when he was a police officer, he said during his primary tests he shot almost 2k rounds before needing any service...which was just a touch of oil and it was back to running. He also said it was the finest handling pistol (aside from his CZ-75) that he had ever used as well as one of the most accurate. He hasn't fibbed to me yet about a gun. If i ever come across one i will definitely purchase one! That all stainless gun will be nice and heavy, so follow up shots would be ultra easy ![[grin]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/041.gif "Grin [grin]")
Dom
Dom
Garys
NES Member
The only problem could be getting one shipped into MA from an out of state dealer. I'm reasonably sure that even though it's on the roster, it would have to be in MA before the effective date (1998) to be legal for a dealer to sell. Then again, since I find the rules incredibly confusing, I could be completely wrong about that.
My father had one when he was a police officer, he said during his primary tests he shot almost 2k rounds before needing any service...which was just a touch of oil and it was back to running. He also said it was the finest handling pistol (aside from his CZ-75) that he had ever used as well as one of the most accurate. He hasn't fibbed to me yet about a gun. If i ever come across one i will definitely purchase one! That all stainless gun will be nice and heavy, so follow up shots would be ultra easy
Dom
My 5906 weighs 37 oz with a mag which is enough to soften the 9mm recoil quite a bit.
In response to another post on field stripping. I find the 5906 and the SIG P226 to be about the same in terms of ease (or difficulty) to field strip. The SIG is a lot easier to detail (complete) disassemble than the 5906. I came to this conclusion after detail disassembling both pistols several times.
Both the Beretta 92 and the Sig 226 have take down levers, the 5906 does not, and field strips the way you would field strip a 1911 or BHP by removing the slide stop. I personally find that not quite as easy as the take-down lever. When reassembling the pistol, one must engage the slide on the slide rails, there is a lever that remains up by the hammer, and care must be taken to push that lever down while bringing back the slide. That can be tricky and I have seen novice pistol shooters have a lot more trouble with field stripping and reassembly than the Beretta or the Sig. Since you detail strip the weapons, you are probably pretty handy and mechanically inclined. One reason that the 459 was rejected by the Army Pistol Board was that field stripping and re-assembling the pistol (which field strips just like a 3rd Gen gun) was deemed more difficult than the other two pistols. Frankly, while I can field strip all three guns with absolutely no issues, I still think that the 3rd Gen S&W is a little harder. YMMV.
CrackPot
NES Member
No comment on your interpretation of the law. All S&W were in the state on the day they were made... no?
You're right. I forgot about those nasty little levers. I don't think, however, that the 5906's 1911 style slide stop is any harder to deal with than the P 226 "Take Down Lever". The only advantage the SIG has is that the take down lever doesn't have to be removed from the pistol during disassembly.
Garys
NES Member
Sure they were, but many were shipped out to other states and weren't in the state prior to the enactment of the law. Different gun shops have different interpretations of the law, so you'll get different answers. I've been told, but have no personal experience, that some shops will transfer in guns that are not on the EOPS list if they are essentially the same model. Of course high capacity weapons are a different story.
For example, and I am not speaking for Four Seasons, this is what they have on their site,
The 5906TSW is on the list. The 5906 is not. The 3913TSW and 3913LS are on the list, but the regular 3913 isn't. Nor does it appear that the 3914, which is the same gun only in blue, is on the list.
Oh, and production of the 5906TSW didn't start until 2000. Some 3913LS and some 3913TSWs were made before 1998, but not all. Try to sort that one out.
It just goes on and on.
And yes, the law sucks and yes the AGs consumer protection regulations suck. I don't see either changing in the foreseeable future.
If you happen to find a dealer who has a different interpretation of the law, don't say anything about it.
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Couldn't agree more on the 3rd Gens. I had a 4043 as a duty gun and liked it quite a bit. We've since gone to the m&p, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hold a soft spot in my heart, even if it was a fortay.
