Help me decide: S&W 5906

Jaap from Holland

Jaap from Holland

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My local gun store here in The Netherlands offers a Smith & Wesson 5906. It is a variant with the adjustable sights/protective ears, square/large triggerguard and the steel/flash chromed hammer and trigger. At the price of €275 it's a steal...

I haven't seen/held the pistol yet, but I consider buying it. Lately I have been cured from my 'all guns must be black and polymer' vision. Currently I own a 686 and a CZ 75b New Edition.

One thing is holding me back though:
Many years ago I owned a 5906...it was worked on: single action only trigger with an insanely short reset. The sights we're of the BoMar kind. I really loved this pistol for the way it was made; all steel construction, looks and the way it felt in my hand. I liked it better than my all steel Sig Sauer P226.
There was however one downside to this particular 5906: it keyholed like Tartarus and wouldn't shoot consequent groups. I knew this when I got the pistol from a shooting buddy who was bored looking for the right loads, COL and such.

In the end I got rid of this particular 5906. I am wondering the 'gunsmith' who worked on this 5906 did a bad job...at the time I was a novice shooter.

In my country one may be permitted owning firearms for sports-/targetshooting. CCW, HD, SD with firearms is prohibited.

I would like to ask the experienced 5906 shooters/owners/gunsmiths about the accuracy of this pistol. Does it shoot acceptable and consequent groups at, say, 25 yards? I use reloads, so what kind of bullets does it generally like or dislike? Are there quality differences between the different versions of the 5906?
Of course I understand that this pistol was made to always work and go 'on patrol'. I am not expecting hole-in-hole accuracy from a servicepistol...however my past experiences with the 5906 make me wonder if I should buy this one.

I shoot mainly service-like disciplines where the 10-zone is roughly 4 by 6 inches.

Looking forward to your replies! Thank you.
 

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Your expectations are correct about accuracy, the 5906 is not a target gun. It's reasonable that if you do your part, it will stay in a 4X6" center at 25 yards. The 5906 which I own would not shoot cast bullets with any accuracy, improperly sized or reloaded, wrong powder load, don't know. It shoots jacked rounds just fine. As noted the trigger reset is phenomenal. At the price, I say buy.
 
Dear Jaap,

Hello from Virginia. It’s good to hear from the land of dikes, windmills and tulips. I’ve loved visiting your beautiful country, although it has been many years now.

The price you are seeing on that 5906 would be most attractive even translated to dollars if the gun shoots well. Magazines are becoming somewhat expensive here, especially original factory ones... does the one you are looking at have more than one? Prices for spare mags become a serious consideration.

An original, un-altered 5906 should easily be able to shoot to the level you describe. Is the one you are looking at currently at a store with a range? Can you test fire it (even if you have to pay a fee?) This could put your mind at ease and even prevent a costly mistake!

Good luck with your search and keep us informed of the outcome. You might even post a picture if you buy it; we love pictures here. ;)

Green Frog
 
I think the 5906 is a great gun, great to shoot and reasonably accurate, I belive with the smallest exception, that anything gun can be accurate. Its dependent on the shooter. Even better with an adjustable sight models..

At 325 America dollars I would grab it just because thats a phenomenal price just to have it around...

Good luck from Florida !
 
I had two of these in the early 90s and found them both accurate and reliable. I do not like 9mm, and quickly moved on.

Interestingly, I used one of these to hit (not topple) 200 meter rams at a handgun metallic silhouette range near Raton, NM using Speer 125 grain lead round nose bullets and 4.5 grains of Unique powder.
 
An unaltered 5906 should be expected to shoot to a reasonable level of precision, with adjustable sights allowing for acceptable accuracy. This 5906 has a Bar-Sto match barrel installed. But, I would also expect the original barrel to keep most all shots in the black at the same distance.



It seems there’s always one shot which wanders away from the rest.
 
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Exchipy said:
An unaltered 5906 should be expected to shoot to a reasonable level of precision, with adjustable sights allowing for acceptable accuracy. This 5906 has a Bar-Sto match barrel installed. But, I would be surprised if the original barrel couldn’t keep most all shots in the black at the same distance.



It seems there’s always one shot which wanders away from the rest.
Click to expand...

What kind of rear sight is that? Gotta be aftermarket.
 
That is a very good price for an early version of the 5906. I would be hard pressed to not buy at that price. As for accuracy, my experience with S&W pistols is that, unless you get a Performance Center model, they are service grade handguns. That means 6 inch groups at 25 yards is acceptable.

Key holing is usually an indication of an oversized bore or undersized bullets.
 
Buy it.
I've had four 3rd Gen. 9mm; 5903, 5946, and x2 5906s. They shoot about as good as any of my stock polymer S&Ws. I noticed that all four of mine seem to shoot better with 124 grain ammo.
 
I have 2 5946's, a 5903, and a 4566. I would buy another just to have a source for spare parts if need be. A $350 5906 would be a no-brainer.
 
I have owned my 5906 since the early 90's. Great targeting at 25-27 yards...tears a target up. I have several other automatics, though this o s my favorite!
 
Jaap, I have a bias for all steel guns at the range. The factory condition 5906 is a standard US police pistol that officers relied on for their lives. As mentioned. it is not a target pistol, but is reasonably accurate ("Combat Accuracy") for a handgun though I might choose another weapon for the biathlon or as a sniper weapon. The factory SA/DA trigger on S&Ws is now intuitive to me. I hope that you are as pleased as I am with this firearm.
 

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Jaap, I've owned both production and Performance Center 5906s. The production version is a reliable, heavy duty pistol. With the factory barrel in the production version, I would expect the gun to be capable of 4" or less groups at 25 yards with jacketed bullets. I tried, but never had much luck with cast bullets in the 9MM with factory barrels. I don't think BarSto makes barrels for the 5906 anymore, but the Barsto barrels I've used in the FN/Browning Hi Powers shot cast bullets very well.

TW, I prefer adjustable sights in general, and actually prefer the winged adjustables as on the 5906 you're considering. At the price you mention, I'd buy it...
 
The longer I am reading/looking at pictures on this forum...the more I believe I am living in the wrong country hahaha. Over here you can legally own 5 firearms for a sportspermit. If one can motivate he needs more than 5 there are possibilities to own more, but that is rare. If one has a hunting permit, one can own 6 firearms (double barrel shotgun or bolt action only).

Over here...where not as free in the 'gun department'.
 
Jaap from Holland said:
The longer I am reading/looking at pictures on this forum...the more I believe I am living in the wrong country hahaha. Over here you can legally own 5 firearms for a sportspermit. If one can motivate he needs more than 5 there are possibilities to own more, but that is rare. If one has a hunting permit, one can own 6 firearms (double barrel shotgun or bolt action only).

Over here...where not as free in the 'gun department'.
Click to expand...
Sadly, our freedom seems to be waning.
 
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