3rd gen pistol (5906) for IPSC ?

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m1976

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Hi
Do you think S&W 3rd gen 5906 and its variations (915, 910...) and maybe also 6906, suits for IPSC production division?

From the feedback at the forum I understand it's very reliable and accurate.

So I think to myself, if my EDC pistol is 3914, why not use 5906/6906 for IPSC (I'm going to start a course soon...) and benefit from the training (similar guns)

Thanks
 
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Get the 5906 variant with stainless frame and slide. It's 38-40 ounces. Too heavy for everyday carry, but a great gun for 'gundancing'.

Shoot it extensively before doing any mods. You might want to add Hogue rubber grips and hi-viz paint of some sort on the front sight.
 
The weight of the all stainless steel 5906 really helps to tame recoil, and makes follow up shots faster and easier.

The 6906 is significantly lighter than the full size 5906, and has perceptibly more recoil.

I own both, and really like both. I think the 5906 would be a much better choice for the shooting you want to do.
 
The 5906 I own has been totally reliable and pleasant to shoot. Accuracy is great out to ca 10 yards. I have seen a few people use them at USPSA shoots and steel challenge shoots - I may try next year.
 
I tried a 5906 for IPSC back in the late 80's and found I did better with a 1911 in 38 Super so I quit using it. Still got it and it's been a great gun over the years.
 
So long as you realize from the start that the first DA round is going to cost you about 0.1 second on each draw. That's about the average additional time necessary to complete the DA trigger stroke vs a SA trigger stroke for an A zone hit.

I shot a 5906 as a standin for my 1006 duty gun for a few years and managed to stomp on a few guys who's money would have been better spend on practice ammo than "game guns".
 
Yes, I think just about any 3rd gen gun would be good for IDPA. I have used a 3913 and a 4506. The hard part may be finding a holster for your gun (or at least it is the hard part for me)
 
jeb21

I don't know where you might be looking for holsters, but I find 3rd generation holsters easily and readily available on eBay, local pawn shops, local gun shops, gun shows etc.

m1976, by all means use your 5906 in IDPA/USPSA and have a blast with it. You will be quite competitive.

Randy
 
I shot my 5906 just this past weekend in production div. I placed 6th out of 21 shooters. I won one stage straight up.
No reason you can't be competitive with it.
 
Same question except using a 559 for ISPC

I have not started to compete but did find an excellent S & W 559 for use in the competition. Any pointers or commments would be appreciated.
 
I used (and still do when shooting minor) a Wischo TC (=PPC9) in standard with zero issues.
A 3gen in prod. will run just fine. As many before, I would choose a 5906, prod is all minor anyway.

CR-Speed WSM2 and Sickinger Range Master holsters fits perfect.
 
Check out the CDNN website. At times, it has some fair deals on trade ins for Smiths - that is if you are considering buying.
 
Wrote to IPSC and asked if S&W 915 approved for Production Division (it’s not on the list).

Got the following answer:
"...we will consider adding the 915 during our current annual review." o.k. let see if it will be approved

and a very disturbing comment:
"...Speaking frankly though, nobody serious about Production Division would use models 915 or 910 or 5906."

Well I can think about only two possibilities:
1. I'm dead wrong about considering to use 3rd gen at IPSC competitions.

2. As mentioned a lot of time in the forum, the 3rd gen are among the most underrated pistols. :confused: :mad:
 
m1976 said:
and a very disturbing comment:
"...Speaking frankly though, nobody serious about Production Division would use models 915 or 910 or 5906."

Well I can think about only two possibilities:
1. I'm dead wrong about considering to use 3rd gen at IPSC competitions.

2. As mentioned a lot of time in the forum, the 3rd gen are among the most underrated pistols. :confused: :mad:
Click to expand...

Production Division is pretty much dominated by Glock and S&W M&P pistols. Very few use a DA auto in Production.

From what I hear, many nay-sayers told Ben Stoeger he could never win a Production National Championship with a Beretta 92.

But he did.

Use and enjoy the 915 or 5906 in competition. Who cares what other self-proclaimed "experts" have to say about it.
 
m1976 said:
and a very disturbing comment:
"...Speaking frankly though, nobody serious about Production Division would use models 915 or 910 or 5906."
Click to expand...

Probably one of the dumbest thing I've ever heard.


jdesro1911 said:
Very few use a DA auto in Production.
Click to expand...

Not true. A lot of prod. shooters use CZ SP-01. Actually believe that the CZ is more common than Glock (over here that is).



m1976 said:
Well I can think about only two possibilities:
1. I'm dead wrong about considering to use 3rd gen at IPSC competitions.
Click to expand...

No, not at all.

m1976 said:
2. As mentioned a lot of time in the forum, the 3rd gen are among the most underrated pistols.
Click to expand...
Before the 15 rnd rule "everybody" wanted a gun with as high capacity as possible. Newer models like Glock etc easy took 17-18 rnds (started to get ridiculous when SIG released a 226 with 21rnd cap) so older models were considered dead.
With the new rule older models like 3gens and Beretta 92s are just as competitive. Some people just can't change their mentality.
 
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When they say "nobody serious........." they mean about taking home championship trophies at the end of the year. At the top levels of competition, trophies can be won or lost over hundreths of a second. Are those time differences significant in an actual self defense scenario? No!

It's not that you can't have a good time and improve your skills, it's just that as I noted earlier, you're giving away 0.1 sec each time you come out of the holster. If the stage isn't long enough, and you're not fast enough to make it up, you're screwed.

There's a lot to be said for having the same trigger stroke all the time. When we went from issuing TDA S&Ws to the M&P series average scores went up. The shorter, lighter trigger stroke at 15 & 25 yards was why. I carry an M&P, but I still have my 5906 in the safe.

BTW, if you're going to shoot competition, I'd go with the steel framed gun. More weight= less recoil=faster recovery= faster times and the steel will put up with much more abuse than the aluminum alloy.
 
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Extremo said:
Not true. A lot of prod. shooters use CZ SP-01. Actually believe that the CZ is more common than Glock (over here that is).
Click to expand...

A big part of that though is that IPSC rules require a 5 lb trigger pull on the FIRST pull. DA/SA's hence have become very popular there because they can satisfy that requirement and then drop down to a much lighter trigger pull for all subsequent shots.

Striker guns like the Glock have the same trigger pull for every shot, so in IPSC that means a permanent 5+ lb trigger.

Under USPSA Production rules there is no minimum trigger weight (they briefly passed a 3 lb limit but after a huge uproar it was quickly repealed). As such striker fired guns tend to be the norm here.

That said, a good shooter can do well with anything. I have since switched to an M&P 9L (occasionally shooting my Glock 17 when I'm bored), but my first few matches I shot with a Ruger P95. It worked just fine until I was ready to move up.
 
Very good information in this thread. For the most part it's the indian not the arrow. I've shot only one IDPA match where I saw someone use a 3rd gen S&W. It was a 3913. The shooter was classified as a master and he was shooting it with +p ammo. It was only a 4 stage indoor match, and he did quite well. Not sure why he wanted to shoot +p ammo given he told me he often carries a 22 mag.
 
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