Is the 5906 in 9MM any good?  A family friend brought his over today, I got to shoot 30 rds. through it.  Almost no recoil, 15 rounds in the mag.  I told him if he didn't want it, I'd pay him 400 dollars.  It is in very good to execellent condition.  He bought it before the ban, with 3 SS Mags.  I saw in Shotgun News a 5906, no mags, for 320 something, SS Mags:40, Blue: 25.  Is it a better deal than the Glock or Beretta?  I want a 9MM.  Thanks.

While I have a great deal of admiration for S&W revolvers, their pistols leave a lot to be desired.  The thing I find most annoying is the bore height.  The bore is so damn high over the grip that felt recoil is increased.

I would say that if you can get that pistol for $350 with the mags you'd be getting a decent pistol.  These guns are reliable, just not very ergonomic.  If you decide that you don't want that particular pistol I might recommend the Ruger P95.  They for $250-$300 new and are dead reliable and quite accurate.  High end 9mm is the the Beretta Elite in my opinion, accurate, reliable, and not too expensive.  The USP is German and (as is typical of German weapons) overengineered and overpriced.  Glocks are great, but I don't like the ergonomics (being a 1911 man I don't like the grip angle of the Glock) and the trigger downright sucks.  

I own a M5906 and have never had any problems with it. Having an all stainless steel frame, slide and barrel makes it a little too heavy for any kind of concealed wear, but it is OK as a duty gun. It has almost no felt recoil due to the high weight and mine has been pretty flawless in feeding any kind of brand name ammunition. They are built tough and should last several lifetimes of normal usage. Accuracy is pretty much average for a quality service 9mm pistol, perfectly good for self defense and casual target shooting, but you will never win a formal match with one. If you buy one in excellent/new condition for $400 with 3 factory hi-cap mags, I would say that is a fair deal, especially if it is a private sale without any government paperwork.  

Redmanfms:  .....The USP is German and (as is typical of German weapons) overengineered and overpriced.....

RG, Haws, & Haws-Sauer are German too. heI don't like their politics (or Colt's, or Ruger's for that matter), or the disconcerting "click" if you short-stroke the trigger.

Wana see me get roasted? ...
I think the 4006 is the best .40 caliber pistol ever made!

Quoted: I think the 4006 is the best .40 caliber pistol ever made!

What do you think about the model 411, its alloy frame low-budget clone? 11-round "pre-ban" hi-caps is kinda funny ain't it?

Rainer:

S&W semi’s are OK guns but definitely a step below a Sig, Beretta, H&K and such.  $400 for the gun and 3 SS hi-cap mags is a reasonable price.

IMHO a 5906 is certainly too heavy for concealed carry wear.

This gun was made in the late 80’s or early 90’s.  S&W had terrible quality control problems back then.  I remember going through a batch of seized NIB 5906’s a few years ago and finding that many were unserviceable right out of the box.  However, since you’ve fired it with no problems, it’s apparently OK.

Until you learn how to do it, you’ll find disassembly is a real pain.

I don’t know about 5906’s, but when the 6906’s were first introduced, there was a recall on the grips.  The original grips were brittle and could break if the gun was dropped.  This is very bad since the grip holds the mainspring in place, which means dropping the gun could render it unworkable.  If you get the pistol, you might want to touch base with S&W re: this recall.  

(The original 6906’s also had problems with the hammer dropping into the half cock notch when the trigger was pulled, and with loose sear springs.  However, these problems were cleared up very quickly.  Not so with the grips.)  

I had two different S&W semi’s break drawbars on me back in the early 90’s.  During the same time frame, I also had the manual safety on a 6906 automatically engage itself during a formal qualification course.  Maybe I’ve just been unlucky, but I’ll never again carry a S&W semi for self-protection.  

I had one and it worked just fine.  I bought a police turn-in for about $300 and 5 extra hi-caps at my local dealer for $12 each.  My brother bought one too and I took both of them to Defensive Handgun 1 at Thunder Ranch.  And, as a side note, no I didn't get a lot of grief for it either... :)

Anyway, it was broken in, smoothe, never jammed, easy to clean, and I put easily 3000 rounds through it.

The reason I don't have it anymore was simply that it was heavy and I developed a Sig bug...  :)

Rich
NRA, GOA, LEAA, CCRN

I've got a police trade in 5906 in stainless.Almost brand new with some holster scuff marks. Shoots great. Only problem I've had is with remanufactured ammo, it jammed a lot. But with new ammo it never ftf or fte

Thank you for your replies.  He hasn't told me whether or not he's going to sell it to me, if he doesn't want to, I'll probably hold out for another pistol, maybe a Beretta.

the 5906 is decent, hi-caps are reasonable and why not add it to your collection!

I've carried the 5906 now for about 4 years on duty (as issued by dept) as a deputy sheriff and firearms instructor.  I've also been to Glocks transition course and recently attended a pistol class at Gunsite and took the Glock.  Of the two, the Glock wins hands down in my opinion as far as reliability and ease of manipulation of the gun.  I guess i just never got used to the initial double action pull and subsequent single action shots although if you practice enough it becomes second nature.  Should also note i'm on my second 5906.  the first one had problems and jammed one day.  i could not fix it and took it to our armorer who also could not fix it.  they ended up issuing  me another one.  i guess my .02 cents worth on your question is if it were me, i'd buy a glock, but if the 5906 is at a good price, it's an ok gun for the money.  

burnsome-

I have both a 5904 (blued carbon steel that is a bit lighter) and a 5906. $400 seems pretty fair with the 3 hi-caps included.

While it isn't my first choice firearm, it is a decent handgun and I have had good luck with mine. Mine were police trade-ins and were well used but still function very nicely.

I'd say $400 is a little high unless the gun is in Excellent condition with at least 3 15-rounders.

$300 is what the used ones go for around here.

I have a 6906 and a 4506 and I love them.  Both are accurate and reliable, and my 4506 has far and away the best DA trigger of any auto I've ever owned.  I think S&W pistols are underrated.  There are a few dogs out there but for the most part anything made in the last 6 years should be a good specimen.

I feel their trigger system is somewhat overcomplicated and I don't particularly care for the magazine safety, but for the money they are good solid guns.

I fired a Glock 22 at a commercial firing ranger near me, and I liked it a lot, but I have two problems with it.

It has a huge grip- when I get one (I plan to, someday) I will get the backstrap cut and remolded, get rid of the finger grooves, round the trigger guard etc.,

And the hi-caps are way too expensive.  I don't want to go broke on a couple of hi caps.

Other than that, the Glock is the best, but with the mags and the modifications, it is quite expensive.

Also, what is S&W's customer service like?  If something breaks on a pre-owned weapon, will they fix it for free, or charge?  Will they fix it at all?

Edited to make sense!

The 5906 is a fine pistol. I have shot several and they fed everything well. I think 400.00 for the pistol and 3 hi-caps is a fair price. I like the Glock better because it fits my hand and is more accurate than the 5906 pistols I have shot.
If this pistol feels good and shoots good then buy it.

Quoted: Wana see me get roasted? ... I think the 4006 is the best .40 caliber pistol ever made!

I had a S&W 4006 as well as a 4013 and the big drawbacks for me is takedown and cleaning.  Mine shot fine and the 4013 was easy to carry....

Just the same, I sold Both and now every pistol in my collection is a GLOCK!  I never regretted the switch and the only thing I will add someday is a quality 1911 45 ACP for target use.

I owned a 5906 for a long time, put about 6-7000 rounds through it. Recoil is not a problem, true, but found the slide movement distracting for quick followup shots.

Mine was reliable, rarely had a problem, and then usually marginal ammo. A bit too large and heavy for my comfort on an all day basis. Sold it to my brother who keeps it in his truck.

My 1989 5906 is stone-cold reliable; however, it has the worse double-action trigger of any gun I have ever owned or shot.  Talk about G-R-I-T-T-Y!!!  That trigger is rough as a cob and I've ran several thousand rounds through it.  I'm looking forward to it eventually "smoothing out" before I pass on.

Lawdog
P.S.
 Incidentally, the smoothest trigger I have pulled is on my Taurus PT945... and I have a gold cup trophy, Sig, etc.... believe it, or not.

We carry 5906s as our duty gun.  They are very accurate pistols.  I've never had any problems with mine.  Some guys had extractor problems but the armorers fixed em while they waited.  They are heavier than a comparable gun.  I helped the armorers strip them down to parts for annual maintenance check to clean them in ultrasonic cleaner.  IMHO, they are over engineered with an over abundance of parts. Particularly all those levers on the rear of the receiver (firing pin safety lever, sear release lever, ejector lever), and the quirky sear and disconnector.