Ohsheepdog
Member
I understand the 559 is a 2nd Gen made of carbon steel and the 5906 is a 3rd Gen made of stainless. What other differences are there? Is the 559 as durable as the 5906? Would anyone prefer the 559 over a 5904 or 5906? Thanks
559 vs 5906
- Thread starter Ohsheepdog
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JohnHL
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At this time, probably only for the scarcity.
John
John
Scarcity, the 559 wins. And it’s easier to find different grip options.
Beyond that, the only thing a 559 offers is the black finish. The 3rd Gen absolute equivalent of the 559 is the 5905 which is extremely scarce. I have heard that maybe a thousand were made but I personally believe that is unlikely to be true because the 5905 very rarely appears ANYWHERE, not just for sale but it barely appears even in discussion.
Otherwise, the 5906 just plain slaughters the 559 in any measurable way. Durability would be similar except that the 5906 finish is far more durable.
Every other comparable category and it is a one horse race, the 559 is a dog and the 5906 is the cornerstone of the entire 3rd Gen line of pistols.
The two places where the 5906 simply embarrasses the 559 is ergonomics in the shooting hand and trigger pull weight, smoothness and break in both single action but especially in double action. These two categories are the most obvious wins for the 5906, but I cannot think of any other categories where the 559 beats the 5906.
If there are categories where the 559 beats the 5906 other than scarcity and nostalgia, I would be interested in hearing the argument.
Beyond that, the only thing a 559 offers is the black finish. The 3rd Gen absolute equivalent of the 559 is the 5905 which is extremely scarce. I have heard that maybe a thousand were made but I personally believe that is unlikely to be true because the 5905 very rarely appears ANYWHERE, not just for sale but it barely appears even in discussion.
Otherwise, the 5906 just plain slaughters the 559 in any measurable way. Durability would be similar except that the 5906 finish is far more durable.
Every other comparable category and it is a one horse race, the 559 is a dog and the 5906 is the cornerstone of the entire 3rd Gen line of pistols.
The two places where the 5906 simply embarrasses the 559 is ergonomics in the shooting hand and trigger pull weight, smoothness and break in both single action but especially in double action. These two categories are the most obvious wins for the 5906, but I cannot think of any other categories where the 559 beats the 5906.
If there are categories where the 559 beats the 5906 other than scarcity and nostalgia, I would be interested in hearing the argument.
My self and my old mentor both have 559s that we carry.
These were in use at the FBI during the same time that the 1076s were being phased in. He was allowed to continue carrying the 559. He argued that since he was close to retirement it made no sense to get used to a new sidearm
I put the carved Ivory on the pistol just for the picture
One of the requirements was that the 559 be able to change the extractor in the field with no tools. Who knows why they wanted that, but it is one of the visible differences between the two sidearms. You can see in the above photo that the extractor is kind of short
These were in use at the FBI during the same time that the 1076s were being phased in. He was allowed to continue carrying the 559. He argued that since he was close to retirement it made no sense to get used to a new sidearm
I put the carved Ivory on the pistol just for the picture
One of the requirements was that the 559 be able to change the extractor in the field with no tools. Who knows why they wanted that, but it is one of the visible differences between the two sidearms. You can see in the above photo that the extractor is kind of short
OP
Ohsheepdog
Member
So would you choose a 559 over a 3rd Gen if buying one today?My self and my old mentor both have 559s that we carry.
These were in use at the FBI during the same time that the 1076s were being phased in. He was allowed to continue carrying the 559. He argued that since he was close to retirement it made no sense to get used to a new sidearm
I put the carved Ivory on the pistol just for the picture
One of the requirements was that the 559 be able to change the extractor in the field with no tools. Who knows why they wanted that, but it is one of the visible differences between the two sidearms. You can see in the above photo that the extractor is kind of short
I like ALL of them regardless of age or style, but it's always interesting to see other's history with certain weapons (like yours) and their preferences.
That is a unfair question, comparing a single model to an entire generation of firearms
So I am going to do a one on one
If a 5905 were available for the same price as the 559, I would probably go that route
Against a 5904, I would pick the 559 for it's steel frame
If we are talking about a stainless 5906, that would be a tougher choice. Especially if the 5906 had the rounded trigger guard. If the 5906 had that big honking reverse curved trigger guard, the 559 would win again
To this day, I have never owned any of the 590x pistols. However, I do currently own three 559s
Wow, thanks for that insight. It seems I learn something new every time I log on here.
I’ve had my short extractor 439 for a long time and I thought I knew why they were like that. It turns out I did not know all the reasons.
Thanks
Jim
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HOUSTON RICK
Member
Again, if you are not careful, you will learn something every day here. Thanks everyone.
stansdds
Member
Are the two generations as durable as each other? Yes.
Given a choice between a 559 and 5906 which would I prefer? 5906.
1. The 3rd gen pistols did away with the sloppy fitting, removable barrel bushing.
2. The 3rd gen pistols have more refined fire control parts, especially with the late production, MIM parts, giving a smoother, more consistent trigger.
3. The 3rd gen pistols also did away with the screw that retained the right side safety lever.
4. The 3rd gen pistols have two grip shapes available for the 3rd gen pistols, making them fit a wider range of hand sizes.
5. Sights on the early 3rd gen pistols are slightly better than the second gen pistols, the 3rd gen pistols with Novak rear sights are much better than the 2nd gen sights.
LOL..... that screw has always bugged me.
Like someone said; " Hey we need to attach this ambi-safety ...... can someone run down to the hardware store and pick up a box of phillips head screws!"
5906 problems
I had to carry the early 5906 by dept policy at one time. I hated the trigger guard. We began to have failures to extract. At first, Smith or our distributor blamed our ammo. We called around and found other departments having the same problem with two other kinds of ammo.
We dropped the 5906 like a hot rock and refused to consider the 4006 in our study adopting the 40 caliber due to poor service on the prior 5906. We then adopted the Beretta 96 Centurion. It served us well until our plainclothes personnel said both were like trying to conceal a box of Wheaties cereal. For plainclothes use, we modified policy and bought some single stack 4013 Smiths because the ammo and manual of arms was the same as the Beretta. The 4013s appeared to have a different extractor and served our plainclothes personnel well. Almost all our personnel carried a J frame as BUG.
I carried a 4013 in a Ted Blocker holster while serving as Chief of Police. Upon my retirement, the City Council had it engraved and gave it to me. Photo attached. I know over a 160 current or retired police officers that you could not give a 5906 as a gift. We shot for qualification, including a varied combat course, every 180 days, more shooting than most LE agencies. Most of our attitude was due to a lack of service not the firearm itself. We bet our life on what we carried if you got a problem, admit it and fix it.
I had to carry the early 5906 by dept policy at one time. I hated the trigger guard. We began to have failures to extract. At first, Smith or our distributor blamed our ammo. We called around and found other departments having the same problem with two other kinds of ammo.
We dropped the 5906 like a hot rock and refused to consider the 4006 in our study adopting the 40 caliber due to poor service on the prior 5906. We then adopted the Beretta 96 Centurion. It served us well until our plainclothes personnel said both were like trying to conceal a box of Wheaties cereal. For plainclothes use, we modified policy and bought some single stack 4013 Smiths because the ammo and manual of arms was the same as the Beretta. The 4013s appeared to have a different extractor and served our plainclothes personnel well. Almost all our personnel carried a J frame as BUG.
I carried a 4013 in a Ted Blocker holster while serving as Chief of Police. Upon my retirement, the City Council had it engraved and gave it to me. Photo attached. I know over a 160 current or retired police officers that you could not give a 5906 as a gift. We shot for qualification, including a varied combat course, every 180 days, more shooting than most LE agencies. Most of our attitude was due to a lack of service not the firearm itself. We bet our life on what we carried if you got a problem, admit it and fix it.
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