5906 Barrel and New Member

J

jcounter

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Hey all - new member here and first time 5906 owner.

Finally picked up a 5906 - not sure why I waited so long.

Bought one sight unseen - trusted the seller. Gun is in great shape and the serial number turned out the be my birthday! Pretty cool.

This is a wide hood barrel version - barrel appears to have been shot a bit.

I'm desperate to find a replacement barrel and cannot find a single spot that has them. Does anyone know where I can look or maybe order a custom barrel?

Also - under the grip there are some numbers engraved. Looks like handwriting and it's not too deep. Any idea? Can post pictures as well.
 
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Just put a .com after any of those names.

If the barrel is shot out and you don't know the guns history then it would be good practice to replace all of the springs. At least replace the recoil spring if you're not comfortable disassembling the gun to replace the other springs.
 
Thank you! I will check all those out.

I have a spring kit on back order from Wolff- very comfortable with working on the gun. Plan to do some light internal polishing as well.

Really excited to get this thing up and running.

The slide and frame are going to be bead blasted back to former glory as well
 
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Before replacing the barrel, test fire it with several brands of ammo and different bullet weights, you may find that the original barrel is capable of acceptable accuracy. Don't expect 1.5 inch groups at 25 yards, these are not match grade pistols, but expect groups of 4 to 6 inches at 25 yards. If it shoots tighter groups, then you got a really good 5906.
 
Thank you for the tip! I appreciate it.

Hoping to have it together soon. Will still keep eyes out for a barrel.
 
I've got several thousand rounds thought my 5906 - it still holds about 1-2" at 10 yards. Can't tell if that's me throwing a few or the gun, but it's among the most accurate pistols I own.

I would clean it, replace the springs, and shoot it. The barrel may be fine.

Some wear on the hood is to be expected, and nothing to worry about. One of the big wear points for accuracy is the "ball" on the end where the barrel fits into the slide bushing.

Again, that may be fine, and the only way to know is to shoot it.

That said, if you would like a spare, I found one here:

www.durygunsshop.com

Smith & Wesson Barrel S&W 3904, 3906, 3944, 3946, 5903, 5903SSV, 5904, 5906, 5923, 5924, 5926, 5943, 5944, 5946, 915 9mm Luger 4" Stainless Steel - Dury Guns Shop

Factory replacement parts are manufactured to the exact same specifications and tolerances and use the same manufacturing materials as the original parts.
www.durygunsshop.com www.durygunsshop.com

Never used these guys, so, this isn't a recommendation, but there are still some out there.
 
We had a Trooper in my Agency who was a very good shooter and his issued 439 or 5904 (don't remember which) had poor accuracy. They traced the problem to an out of spec slide lock lever. After replacing the slide lock lever the pistol shot very accurately. The recoil spring guide rod impinges on the shat of the slide lock lever. The out of shape shaft wasn't letting the barrel lock up correctly or consistently. My Agency had some very experienced armorers and that was the only pistol they discovered with that condition (that anyone could recall). I suspect many shooters weren't good enough to know it was the pistol wasn't accurate. Some guns just shoot better than others. A Friend has a fixed sight 5906 and it is a lemon compared to every other 3rd gen S&W 9 mm I've been around.
 
Appreciate that. Mine had the wider hood. I have one lined up!
 
Appreciate everyone's help! Hoping to have this 5906 done by the end of the month. Now comes the hunt for a CS9
 
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I really wish folks would stop with the replace every spring in the gun notion. It's not necessary and a pointless waste of superior factory parts. The sole spring I consider a consumable part is the recoil spring. So, on a used gun with unknown mileage, sure, replace that with a fresh factory S&W part. All the other springs in the gun, every one, so long as they are found not corroded or deformed upon inspection go right back in the gun. You are not going to find any springs from Wolff or any other manufacturer superior to those produced by S&W. In point of fact I have come across many instances where aftermarket springs have caused problems.

For one example, an extractor and it's spring are individually fitted to the slide and and gauged with a dial force instrument to make sure the spring force is withing the specified range. I have a bag of Wolff "extra power" extractor springs here that won't pull as much as a used factory standard power spring.

As to internal polishing...
I also have a pile of ruined parts here polished by well meaning folks. Don't mess with the hammer notches at all.
Things that may be beneficial...
*Stone the flats on the sides of the drawbar.
*Smooth out the "bullet point" on the drawbar spring plunger
*Lightly stone the "foot" on the bottom of the disconnector
*On carbon steel hammer, stone smooth the radius below the full-cock notch and nothing else.
*On the hammer stirrup, file a bevel on all four corners of the length that's housed inside the mainspring.
*Mainspring plunger, if metal, polish the interior with a small mounted stone or a slip mandrel and a strip of crocus.
or swap it for the plastic part.

Things that are pointless...
Polishing the sides of the hammer & trigger.
Polishing slide & frame rails (polished surfaces don't hole lube well and removing metal by polishing loosens the fit)

Keep an eye on eBay, I scored most of my extra/spare barrels there. And a few on GB as well.

Cheers
Bill
 
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BMCM said:
I really wish folks would stop with the replace every spring in the gun notion. It's not necessary and a pointless waste of superior factory parts. The sole spring I consider a consumable part is the recoil spring. So, on a used gun with unknown mileage, sure, replace that with a fresh factory S&W part. All the other springs in the gun, every one, so long as they are found not corroded or deformed upon inspection go right back in the gun. You are not going to find any springs from Wolff or any other manufacturer superior to those produced by S&W. In point of fact I have come across many instances where aftermarket springs have caused problems.

For one example, an extractor and it's spring are individually fitted to the slide and and gauged with a dial force instrument to make sure the spring force is withing the specified range. I have a bag of Wolff "extra power" extractor springs here that won't pull as much as a used factory standard power spring.

As to internal polishing...
I also have a pile of ruined parts here polished by well meaning folks. Don't mess with the hammer notches at all.
Things that may be beneficial...
*Stone the flats on the sides of the drawbar.
*Smooth out the "bullet point" on the drawbar spring plunger
*Lightly stone the "foot" on the bottom of the disconnector
*On carbon steel hammer, stone smooth the radius below the full-cock notch and nothing else.
*On the hammer stirrup, file a bevel on all four corners of the length that's housed inside the mainspring.
*Mainspring plunger, if metal, polish the interior with a small mounted stone or a slip mandrel and a strip of crocus.
or swap it for the plastic part.

Things that are pointless...
Polishing the sides of the hammer & trigger.
Polishing slide & frame rails (polished surfaces don't hole lube well and removing metal by polishing loosens the fit)

Keep an eye on eBay, I scored most of my extra/spare barrels there. And a few on GB as well.

Cheers
Bill
Click to expand...
Thank you for this! I've been following your advice today. I had the gun blasted to restore finish - only replacing the recoil spring and I've been stoning and polishing what you recommended. Hoping to have it back together tomorrow.
 
these guns prefer heavier bullets. I ahoot 124 grain and my 5946 is capable of minute of clay pigeon out to around 40 yards when I do my part. These guns actually like 147 grain ammo best, so I've heard
 
The only thing I notice is that the decocker is pretty easy to rotate or use. I am not sure how firm or tactile the usage should be. In my mind I think 1911 safety - this is my first 5906.
 
The decocker/safety should rotate smoothly. As long as it drops the hammer after the drum rotates and protects the firing pin from the hammer and it disconnects the trigger, it's good.
 
jcounter said:
The only thing I notice is that the decocker is pretty easy to rotate or use. I am not sure how firm or tactile the usage should be. In my mind I think 1911 safety - this is my first 5906.
Click to expand...

Corrected the same issue on another piece a few days ago. The tiny spring intended for retaining the ambi lever on the right side of the safety body, well, one of those springs has been inadvertently installed under the detent plunger on the left side.

The two springs are of similar size and easily mixed up. The stronger one goes for the detent on the left while the weaker one is for retaining the ambi lever on the right. Even some of the parts suppliers get these two mixed up.
#10577 goes on the left
#10602 goes in the right
4ea78870-b7e0-4c33-b3d9-3643d231b628.jpg

Unless one looks closely the two springs appear identical.
I've often had guns on the bench with those springs swapped around or two of the same spring installed.

Cheers
Bill
 
Last edited:
BMCM said:
Corrected the same issue on another piece a few days ago. The tiny spring intended for retaining the ambi lever on the right side of the safety body, well, one of those springs has been inadvertently installed under the detent plunger on the left side.

The two springs are of similar size and easily mixed up. The stronger one goes for the detent on the left while the weaker one is for retaining the ambi lever on the right. Even some of the parts suppliers get these two mixed up.
#10577 goes on the left
#10602 goes in the right
4ea78870-b7e0-4c33-b3d9-3643d231b628.jpg

Unless one looks closely the two springs appear identical.
I've often had guns on the bench with those springs swapped around or two of the same spring installed.

Cheers
Bill
Click to expand...
You sir, are AMAZING! Just ran downstairs and swapped the springs. Now it's nice and firm with a very tactile click.

The gun just got even better. Thank you so much! This gun is very special to me.
 
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