Hey all,

Just picked up a 5906! Its my first 3rd gen smith. It needs a little work to get it back to factory (have to get rid of those god-awful rubber Hogues) and give it a deep cleaning, but I am looking forward to shooting it.

A quick question..... Any ideas of the year with a S\N starting with VCSxxxx?

Pic attached for ref.

Congrats! I agree on the hogues!

Don't know about the year of manufacture, but Smith can tell you.

Did it come with the original box? The SPEC ORD number is the inception date. Don't forget that the factory grip pin is used in the Hogue installation.

Nice pistol! Good luck finding O.E. plastic curved grips. Pins and some extra parts can be found Numrich and Brownells. A 469 was my first pistol bought three years and after reading S&W forums went back and got a 5905. Bad thing had to sell the 469 because of several days off from work

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Congratulations. The 5906 is a fine gun and a really nice choice for your first 3rd Gen. Maybe you should give the Hogues a workout or two before you scrap them. Personally, I find the Hogues to be significantly better (for me) than the OEM wrap-a-rounds. I've put Hogues on my 5906, 4506 and 4006. They were especially helpful on the .45.

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Probably mid to late 1996.

Congrats,very nice S&W 5906 Semi Auto.

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Life is short,live it fully.

indeed nice pistol friend! though i am a junkie for the square trigger guard, i would still get a round trigger guard over anything else out there. i have noticed that glass shattering magazine floor plates are offered for various plastic guns, but not for 3rd gems. Apparently you may brake a car glass with a stainless gun without special floorplates as opposed to a toy gun! lol!

I'll second that on the Hogues, they are SO handy for multiple
reasons...give a fatter grip for big hands, give better all-weather
grip, soak Felt Recoil making it feel like it's not kicking as hard...

Beautiful thing about felt/perceived recoil, the less you feel,
the longer & better you can shoot

Some folks complain about how it sticks to clothing, but really
haven't experienced that at all...probably because I don't wear
polyester for any reason


If you do remove the Houges, sell 'em on here...lotsa folks LOVE
Hogue Grips and search hard for 'em!

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Marlin & Calico Specialist

The 4th edition lists VCS as 1995. My four 5900 series all have different grips - my favorite are the Uncle Mike's, which are thinner than the factory. But on my two 6904s I have a fat wood Hogue and a rubber Hogue, for my hand size. I just ordered a set of the rubber Hogues for a 4563 to try them. Don't toss 'em till you try them, if you like them and think they are too worn, you can always get more. Attached is a pic of my other grips beside the Hogues- i think the wood is the prettiest but least practical.

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You can also cold-cock Sasquatch with one. And unlike in the movies with tupperware pistols, when you throw a 5906 at a perp, it will NOT bounce off, it will knock them down.

I love mine.

Congrats on the score !! After getting in and then out of several gen3's in the last several years, I just recently stumbled into a killer deal locally on Armslist on another 5906 (1989, squared guard).
I agree with the majority that the (fat rubber) Hogues kinda suck. I got a set with a 5903 a few years ago, that I replaced with a new factory grip I got free from S&W. I still have the Hogues in my parts drawer, but the pistol's been traded or sold.
I also always liked the squared trigger guard better, but after a buddy got a 5906 with the rounded guard, I really grew to like them, and maybe even prefer them now. (BTW, this freind also runs the rubber Hogues, and his big hands really dig them).
As for finding an original grip, this ebay vendor has lots of them for $34.99,delivered (not great, but it isn't insane. But, no indication if they're post recall or not).
S&W Smith & Wesson NEW Straight Grip 5903 5906 4003 4006 4046 410 411 910 911 | eBay

edit: after looking again, there appear to be numerous vendors with factory grips, you might can find a better deal, and be sure to get a post-recall set.

Hey again ! This guy has factory grips for only $29,delivered, and going by the photo of the bottom, it appears to have the recall dimple. I wouldn't waste time, it's his last one in stock, this one's probably your huckleberry !!!
Smith & Wesson Factory Grips Straight S&W 4563TSW, 4566TSW...203620000 | eBay

This 5906 is my first 3rd generation Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol. I've had it for over 25 years but never gave it much love. I didn't care for the hooded adjustable rear sights and at the time of purchase I was still a 1911 aficionado so it didn't get any carry time.

Fast forward to joining this site and learning more about the 3rd gen semiautomatic pistols. I swapped slides to a 3.5" and added the CT laser grips and now this pistol is my bedside home defense weapon.

I also have a rare 5905, the all steel black version:



digiroc

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Shoot Well My Friends

nice! I actually love the hogue grip. I replaced my factory grips a couple of months ago and love the grip when shooting. Awesome find!

Congratulations on the acquisition. The Smith and Wesson 5906 is the Apex of 9mm handguns. Neglected for years the market is reflecting a new appreciation for the all metal pistol.

5906 was my "gateway gun" for Smith & Wesson 1-2-3rd Gen pistols.

To make a long story short... came in to an LE trade 5906 about 4 years ago. I have owned a 1006 since 1994 or maybe it was 1995 but this 5906 was just my second S&W autoloader. From there I went on a tear that has FINALLY slowed down. Likely never "over" but definitely has slowed down. I have a myriad of 1-2-3rd Gen pistols now in 9/40/.38 Spl/45/10mm and if I remember correctly, I have only sold four S&W pistols in the same period of time. I have kept & loved all of the rest of them.

I actually prefer the 915 model as the alloy frame makes it lighter and in my hands better balanced.



915 shown here with my 547 both in Kydex ISWB holsters



With 6 in the 547 and 17+1 in the 915 I feel quite adequately armed for whatever comes my way.

digiroc

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Shoot Well My Friends

I love my 5906

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Just hanging with my dogs

Super Fine

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Sorry it took so long to reply to you all, been swamped with work. I actually lucked out. I called S&W and the guy on the phone was super nice, he actually just sent me a straight grip for free. I like it a lot more than the Hogues as I have smaller hands. After shooting\carrying Glocks for years I can say that this 59 feels like a tank. I have shot it a few times and it feels like I am shooting a .22 due to the lack of felt recoil. I can already tell that this will not ever leave my collection for any reason.

Also, Just got off the phone with Smith, and they said that is is a 1995 and was a LE turn in from a police dept in Puerto Rico of all places! I have no idea how it ended up for me to buy up here in Alaska!

HAHAHA, from Puerto Rico to Alaska, that's fantastic!

I sure like seeing those wood grips!!