booyahbaconbits
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Intro: First off I realize my username is ridiculous, it is my email and originates from a joke back in college - long story. Anyhow, I have been meaning to write about the PPC 9 for some time, although much of this content comes from previous posts by others on this forum, so I want to thank all the PC owners on this site who posted such helpful info and expanded the knowledge of these amazing guns. Also please suggest any corrections and I will make edits as necessary. Admins please let me know of anything that needs to be removed such as links.
Background: I love accurate handguns. I don’t own many, but after reading two excellent articles about the S&W 5906 PPC by bac1023 (one co-authored) I had to have one. I already owned an X-Five in 9mm and really wanted to see how the PPC 9 compared (and if I could mount a red dot on it as alluded to in the 2nd link below).
High-end Centerfire Pistol Buyer's Guide | Page 2 | 1911 Firearm Addicts
Exclusive: Testing the World’s Most Accurate Pistols – Part I -
The PPC and WISCHO Target Champion do show up on Gunbroker from time to time and are from all accounts outstanding. I had become fixated on the 6 inch model and know some others on this forum own one, although they have been much more difficult to find. I have not been able to obtain any production data from S&W. To date I have identified 15 examples of the 6 inch with unique PPC prefix serial numbers including my own, ranging from 548 - 1121; this has been purely through online image searches. The newest US example I have seen had an accuracy certificate dated June 06. However I am still trying to wrap my head around what appears to be an even more recent example for sale overseas. Please see the attached picture in case the below link is no longer active. Sevens previously spoke to a possibility that is the only scenario I can currently rationalize.
SMITH & WESSON 5906 PPC 1500
http://smith-wessonforum.com/141516713-post25.html
Several years later I was able to find a 6 inch posted on Gunbroker by a gun store that was relatively close, put on consignment by a state police officer who shot competition. I regret not reaching out to him and learning more about the guns origin, and also potentially obtaining the LE letterhead used to order it. The attached photo shows the gun after I installed a red dot and curved factory grip (more on this to come). There is some light holster wear although not a very big deal to me; I am trying to keep this gun out of the safe and at the range, and expect it to get some more signs of use.
I know others have mentioned never seeing the 6 inch in any S&W literature, nor have I. However I was able to locate the 5 inch PPC in an S&W LE catalog from 2000, which I found on the vintage gun catalog site below. The catalogs are packaged with cardboard dividers to avoid damage and the owner included a handwritten note thanking me for the purchase.
Vintage Gun Catalogs
Bushing system: One of the hallmarks of this gun and many other PC semi-autos is the Briley bushing and spherical ring. Claudio Salassa of Briley was involved in the design of this system, and actually walked me through reinstallation of the bushing housing after I noticed it unthreading during cleaning.
Caution: The busing housing threads into the slide and should be secured using red loctite. When I first started shooting the gun, I noticed some red flakes but did not even realize what it actually was; maybe the loctite weakens after 20 years of abuse. I once read on this site about a bushing going downrange. For bushing removal/reinstallation, the spherical ring must be rotated and turned outwards via the two cut outs on either side of the bushing housing in order to loosen or tighten the housing itself. The ring once in this position can also be completely removed through the cut outs. This took some practice to remove. Clean with acetone, do not over tighten/over apply loctite.
The spherical rings are still produced by Briley but not advertised in sizes for 9mm barrels. As of May 22 Claudio had some 9mm rings. Briley can also bore out rings to fit larger barrels. If your caliper skills are like mine I would suggest just sending them your barrel for fitting.
Barrel: There have been posts on this topic, but I am currently unsure of the twist on the original 5906 PC barrel, and if this changed over the lifespan of these guns (to better accommodate 115 gr vs. 124 or 147 gr). Thank you CALREB and others.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...-5906-5-target-champion-9mm-springs-ppc9.html
It is my understanding that Briley produced the original 5906 PC barrels. What I do not yet understand are the numbers/markings on the barrel itself, which I have heard are on other PC barrels and do not appear to have any relationship to the serial # of the gun.
Scott Sullivan sells .356 TSW conversion barrels for Glock and has such a wealth of knowledge on the PC guns; he truly helped to educate me on the subject and I very very much thank him for that. Scott also partnered with Claudio to produce a lot of 5 and 6 inch 9mm conversion barrels for the original S&W guns chambered in the TSW cartridge.
The story goes that Claudio was receiving slides from S&W with some variation in the dimensions and machined a barrel to accommodate for this. The replacement barrel is ever so slightly longer than the original and I measure the OD to be approx. .536 vs. .540 respectively. Minor fitting will probably be required based on the model and a different diameter ring.
Sights: Aristocrat is one of those companies where the owner answers the phone and actually enjoys talking to you. Many or maybe all of the PPC prefix guns come equipped with their TS-45 adjustable rear sight, and Aristocrat makes a replacement red dot mount for this setup.
https://www.aristocratproducts.com/page6.html
Caution: The Aristocrat mounting base has several compatible sights, others may require modification. If you go with the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, the sight sits pretty high. I was able to zero the gun at 20 yds with Winchester 115 gr but had maxed out the elevation screw. I later added a shim which was definitely needed, and this may be worth doing for any sight given the mount itself is also fairly high.
The existing Leupold screws (M4x.7x15.8mm Torx Head) also leave little thread after adding a shim and caution should be exercised not to strip the threads on the mounting base when installing them. There are some slightly longer and fully threaded screws (M4x.7x16mm) sold on eBay by the user xcontrols (2342) that fit perfectly.
Slide: Surprisingly to me there is actually some movement between the slide and frame, but not a major area of concern given how accurate the gun remains. Maybe I can send it back to the PC for some tightening up?
Frame: I honestly felt that the original straight-slanted style grip fit my hand better than the curved factory or beautiful Nille grips, but I do love the aesthetics provided by the Nilles. Many of the internal components appear to be replaceable with standard 5906 parts. The mag release appears to be from a 745. I am unsure of the hammer interchangeability but would be interested to know.
Caution: I believe info on this has been posted previously, but the grips cannot be removed without first removing the magwell, which is held in place by the grip push pin and has also been fitted very securely in the butt of the frame. Removing the 5906 grip without a magwell requires some finesse unto itself and the factory plastic grip can be broken in the process. Luckily this is not a PC specific piece and factory replacements still exist.
The aftermarket grips by Nille-Griffe are truly amazing in terms of fit and I have heard very few complaints about them from others on this forum. These can be ordered through Mactec Sales or the Nille US site. Great caution should also be taken when installing the grip screws to avoid stripping them.
https://us.nill-shop.com/Grip-parts/SW-4-pcs-screws-M4-x-60-mm-.45-Target-Champion-4506
Another word of caution, if Nille grips are used the original push pin for the magwell will instead have to be replaced with a spare trigger grip pin. Thanks very much to BMCM.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...ew-pair-shoes-installing-karl-nill-grips.html
Trigger: As has been reported previously the PPC trigger is superb. It breaks clean at what I believe to be around 4 lbs in line with the minimum specified by PPC rules. Compared to the adjustable X-Five trigger the PPC is certainly heavier.
Springs: Wolff springs are available and work well. See previously referenced S&W forum post above.
Magazines: 5906 magazines are currently available and I often see the 10, 14, and 15 round variants. What I rarely see are the coveted CP Super Tuff extended base pads which can more than double the asking price of a magazine. CP or Classic Pistol still appears to make base pads for 1911s and should really consider bringing these back. Hogue apparently made an aluminum version that was discontinued and I have never seen for sale. I am not a huge fan of the Mec-Gar 17 rounders and the factory mags fit much better.
Case: The case does not appear to be produced domestically and leaves something to be desired in terms of the build quality compared to the contents it holds.
Accuracy: As with others, the test target was fired by Tom Gordon dated June 03. I love accurate guns but cannot shoot nearly as well as Tom or many others on this forum. I just love to shoot, unfortunately my range only goes out to 20 yards, but given all my flyers I should be spending more time there. That being said the gun is an absolute tack driver and would win trophies in the right hands. Maybe not the best analogy, but the Sig X-Five feels like a Porsche 911 that is forgiving and somewhat shoots itself while the PPC is more American muscle and requires skill and effort to steer. I can get tighter groups with the X-Five but have gotten more enjoyment out of shooting the PPC. They are definitely some of the most accurate semi-autos ever produced. I would love to hear more from others on this topic. Also I can’t wait for the dream comparison.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearms-knives-other-brands/691836-dream-comparison.html
Background: I love accurate handguns. I don’t own many, but after reading two excellent articles about the S&W 5906 PPC by bac1023 (one co-authored) I had to have one. I already owned an X-Five in 9mm and really wanted to see how the PPC 9 compared (and if I could mount a red dot on it as alluded to in the 2nd link below).
High-end Centerfire Pistol Buyer's Guide | Page 2 | 1911 Firearm Addicts
Exclusive: Testing the World’s Most Accurate Pistols – Part I -
The PPC and WISCHO Target Champion do show up on Gunbroker from time to time and are from all accounts outstanding. I had become fixated on the 6 inch model and know some others on this forum own one, although they have been much more difficult to find. I have not been able to obtain any production data from S&W. To date I have identified 15 examples of the 6 inch with unique PPC prefix serial numbers including my own, ranging from 548 - 1121; this has been purely through online image searches. The newest US example I have seen had an accuracy certificate dated June 06. However I am still trying to wrap my head around what appears to be an even more recent example for sale overseas. Please see the attached picture in case the below link is no longer active. Sevens previously spoke to a possibility that is the only scenario I can currently rationalize.
SMITH & WESSON 5906 PPC 1500
http://smith-wessonforum.com/141516713-post25.html
Several years later I was able to find a 6 inch posted on Gunbroker by a gun store that was relatively close, put on consignment by a state police officer who shot competition. I regret not reaching out to him and learning more about the guns origin, and also potentially obtaining the LE letterhead used to order it. The attached photo shows the gun after I installed a red dot and curved factory grip (more on this to come). There is some light holster wear although not a very big deal to me; I am trying to keep this gun out of the safe and at the range, and expect it to get some more signs of use.
I know others have mentioned never seeing the 6 inch in any S&W literature, nor have I. However I was able to locate the 5 inch PPC in an S&W LE catalog from 2000, which I found on the vintage gun catalog site below. The catalogs are packaged with cardboard dividers to avoid damage and the owner included a handwritten note thanking me for the purchase.
Vintage Gun Catalogs
Bushing system: One of the hallmarks of this gun and many other PC semi-autos is the Briley bushing and spherical ring. Claudio Salassa of Briley was involved in the design of this system, and actually walked me through reinstallation of the bushing housing after I noticed it unthreading during cleaning.
Caution: The busing housing threads into the slide and should be secured using red loctite. When I first started shooting the gun, I noticed some red flakes but did not even realize what it actually was; maybe the loctite weakens after 20 years of abuse. I once read on this site about a bushing going downrange. For bushing removal/reinstallation, the spherical ring must be rotated and turned outwards via the two cut outs on either side of the bushing housing in order to loosen or tighten the housing itself. The ring once in this position can also be completely removed through the cut outs. This took some practice to remove. Clean with acetone, do not over tighten/over apply loctite.
The spherical rings are still produced by Briley but not advertised in sizes for 9mm barrels. As of May 22 Claudio had some 9mm rings. Briley can also bore out rings to fit larger barrels. If your caliper skills are like mine I would suggest just sending them your barrel for fitting.
Barrel: There have been posts on this topic, but I am currently unsure of the twist on the original 5906 PC barrel, and if this changed over the lifespan of these guns (to better accommodate 115 gr vs. 124 or 147 gr). Thank you CALREB and others.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...-5906-5-target-champion-9mm-springs-ppc9.html
It is my understanding that Briley produced the original 5906 PC barrels. What I do not yet understand are the numbers/markings on the barrel itself, which I have heard are on other PC barrels and do not appear to have any relationship to the serial # of the gun.
Scott Sullivan sells .356 TSW conversion barrels for Glock and has such a wealth of knowledge on the PC guns; he truly helped to educate me on the subject and I very very much thank him for that. Scott also partnered with Claudio to produce a lot of 5 and 6 inch 9mm conversion barrels for the original S&W guns chambered in the TSW cartridge.
The story goes that Claudio was receiving slides from S&W with some variation in the dimensions and machined a barrel to accommodate for this. The replacement barrel is ever so slightly longer than the original and I measure the OD to be approx. .536 vs. .540 respectively. Minor fitting will probably be required based on the model and a different diameter ring.
Sights: Aristocrat is one of those companies where the owner answers the phone and actually enjoys talking to you. Many or maybe all of the PPC prefix guns come equipped with their TS-45 adjustable rear sight, and Aristocrat makes a replacement red dot mount for this setup.
https://www.aristocratproducts.com/page6.html
Caution: The Aristocrat mounting base has several compatible sights, others may require modification. If you go with the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, the sight sits pretty high. I was able to zero the gun at 20 yds with Winchester 115 gr but had maxed out the elevation screw. I later added a shim which was definitely needed, and this may be worth doing for any sight given the mount itself is also fairly high.
The existing Leupold screws (M4x.7x15.8mm Torx Head) also leave little thread after adding a shim and caution should be exercised not to strip the threads on the mounting base when installing them. There are some slightly longer and fully threaded screws (M4x.7x16mm) sold on eBay by the user xcontrols (2342) that fit perfectly.
Slide: Surprisingly to me there is actually some movement between the slide and frame, but not a major area of concern given how accurate the gun remains. Maybe I can send it back to the PC for some tightening up?
Frame: I honestly felt that the original straight-slanted style grip fit my hand better than the curved factory or beautiful Nille grips, but I do love the aesthetics provided by the Nilles. Many of the internal components appear to be replaceable with standard 5906 parts. The mag release appears to be from a 745. I am unsure of the hammer interchangeability but would be interested to know.
Caution: I believe info on this has been posted previously, but the grips cannot be removed without first removing the magwell, which is held in place by the grip push pin and has also been fitted very securely in the butt of the frame. Removing the 5906 grip without a magwell requires some finesse unto itself and the factory plastic grip can be broken in the process. Luckily this is not a PC specific piece and factory replacements still exist.
The aftermarket grips by Nille-Griffe are truly amazing in terms of fit and I have heard very few complaints about them from others on this forum. These can be ordered through Mactec Sales or the Nille US site. Great caution should also be taken when installing the grip screws to avoid stripping them.
https://us.nill-shop.com/Grip-parts/SW-4-pcs-screws-M4-x-60-mm-.45-Target-Champion-4506
Another word of caution, if Nille grips are used the original push pin for the magwell will instead have to be replaced with a spare trigger grip pin. Thanks very much to BMCM.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...ew-pair-shoes-installing-karl-nill-grips.html
Trigger: As has been reported previously the PPC trigger is superb. It breaks clean at what I believe to be around 4 lbs in line with the minimum specified by PPC rules. Compared to the adjustable X-Five trigger the PPC is certainly heavier.
Springs: Wolff springs are available and work well. See previously referenced S&W forum post above.
Magazines: 5906 magazines are currently available and I often see the 10, 14, and 15 round variants. What I rarely see are the coveted CP Super Tuff extended base pads which can more than double the asking price of a magazine. CP or Classic Pistol still appears to make base pads for 1911s and should really consider bringing these back. Hogue apparently made an aluminum version that was discontinued and I have never seen for sale. I am not a huge fan of the Mec-Gar 17 rounders and the factory mags fit much better.
Case: The case does not appear to be produced domestically and leaves something to be desired in terms of the build quality compared to the contents it holds.
Accuracy: As with others, the test target was fired by Tom Gordon dated June 03. I love accurate guns but cannot shoot nearly as well as Tom or many others on this forum. I just love to shoot, unfortunately my range only goes out to 20 yards, but given all my flyers I should be spending more time there. That being said the gun is an absolute tack driver and would win trophies in the right hands. Maybe not the best analogy, but the Sig X-Five feels like a Porsche 911 that is forgiving and somewhat shoots itself while the PPC is more American muscle and requires skill and effort to steer. I can get tighter groups with the X-Five but have gotten more enjoyment out of shooting the PPC. They are definitely some of the most accurate semi-autos ever produced. I would love to hear more from others on this topic. Also I can’t wait for the dream comparison.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearms-knives-other-brands/691836-dream-comparison.html
