6906 question

[tep]

Hello, new here. Got my first semi-auto off gunbroker a few weeks ago. I love it! A previous owner jacked with both sights(pre-Novak) so I got them replaced by a Gunsmith. Haven't shot it yet with the new sights. When I look at a top view of the gun, the rear sight is NOT centered in the dovetail groove. Can't be off by much more than 1/32" but I'm wondering if anyone else has this issue. Best I can tell with my eyes it's lined up when i aim it. I don't care too much as long as it shoots true which I plan on a range trip this weekend . Thanks.

 

[torizus]

Ya think you love it now?..wait til ya shoot it,gets better and better. I have a 6946 which became my favorite carry 9. The sight thing is really simple to adjust if need be.

 

[tep]

Oh I shot it with the jacked up sights right after I bought it! Nice gun as you know. Thanks.

 

[SMSgt]

6906 is my favorite carry gun. Off center sight is a minor thing and may not need tweaking.

 

[jsbethel]

It seems to me if the pistol shoots too far to the right, you should have your gunsmith center the sight properly.

You may also want to be aware that early 6906 grips were subject to a recall. If your grips do not have a dimple on the bottom, S&W owes you an updated grip.

 

[TercGen]

It looks like the gunsmith you brought it to did a sub-par job on that rear sight, it should be centered. All of the 3rd Gens I've ever sighted in have shot to POA with the sights centered on the slide.

You could contact him about it and see if he'll fix it for you, assuming you paid him for the service. If you didn't want to bother, fixing it yourself will require removing the safety body from the slide, so that you can put it in a padded vice and tap the sight to center.

 

[Ross3914]

I'd shoot it first and see where it hits before doing anything.

A local gunsmith here would test-fire and zero guns that he put new sights on. It might look off because that's just where it might need to be for the gun to shoot straight.

It might be all out of whack as well, but "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." is sage advice. Find out if it needs fixing before you go "fixing" it.

 

[tep]

It seems to me if the pistol shoots too far to the right, you should have your gunsmith center the sight properly.

You may also want to be aware that early 6906 grips were subject to a recall. If your grips do not have a dimple on the bottom, S&W owes you an updated grip.

It does have the dimple. Thanks for mentioning!

 

[tep]

It looks like the gunsmith you brought it to did a sub-par job on that rear sight, it should be centered. All of the 3rd Gens I've ever sighted in have shot to POA with the sights centered on the slide.

You could contact him about it and see if he'll fix it for you, assuming you paid him for the service. If you didn't want to bother, fixing it yourself will require removing the safety body from the slide, so that you can put it in a padded vice and tap the sight to center.

So, does the safety body have to be removed for some reason? Looks like I can get a good vice clamp with the safety hanging out(without clamping the safety at all).
It shot ok I think. I'm no marksman so it's hard to tell. I talked to the Gunsmith and he said it's zeroed to around 1/1000. So, he thinks the sight groove may be off from when it was manufactured but I'm skeptical of that. Anyway, I might tap it to center if I get the urge. As long as I can hit the inside of a pie pan at 7 yards I think I'm good! Thanks.

 

[TercGen]

So, does the safety body have to be removed for some reason? Looks like I can get a good vice clamp with the safety hanging out(without clamping the safety at all).
It shot ok I think. I'm no marksman so it's hard to tell. I talked to the Gunsmith and he said it's zeroed to around 1/1000. So, he thinks the sight groove may be off from when it was manufactured but I'm skeptical of that. Anyway, I might tap it to center if I get the urge. As long as I can hit the inside of a pie pan at 7 yards I think I'm good! Thanks.

To check the POI, take it to a range that has the option to sit down and sandbag your 6906. Take your time with each shot and shoot a few groups, it should tell you if your sights are off.

When I'm installing rear sights, I take the safety body off so that I can put the slide in a vice (w/ 2oz leather on either side), with the rear sight just above the top of the vice. I don't have to tighten the vice very hard this way and risk damaging the slide at all, as the pressure is on the solid part of the slide. I try to avoid putting pressure or stress on the lower part where the rails are, and I don't want to have the sights higher than the vice, which may torque the slide.

Now, I am a cautious amateur, and with your minor sight adjustment you could probably get away with not removing the safety body. Just give it very gentle taps, start with a brass or plastic punch and maybe a small piece of wood as a hammer.

 

[Fastbolt]

If it were me, I'd not "center" the rear sight just to make it look pretty. No way to know if the rear sight base wasn't made a little 'off center', and the rear sight base notch is actually aligned just the way it ought to be. Try it as the smith installed it.

Also, more often than not it's not a sight problem, but a shooter problem, that makes some people think they need their sights drifted and adjusted.

I've drifted many a rear sight base at the request of someone, only to have to go back later and move it back the way it was originally ... once we'd finally "adjusted" the shooter factor (trigger control and grip stability).

BTW, it sort of looks like the left side manual safety is of a different (newer) vintage than the right side ambi lever. The "flatter" lever profile is original to the older (early) guns, which is what appears to be on your gun as the ambi lever, and the "taller" lever profile is a later revision. It was supposedly revised (made a little taller) to make it easier for a user to engage the lever's raised pad.

I'd leave it alone, if it were me, as long as the levers weren't loose and fit properly, but thought I'd mention it against the chance that you would see it at some future point and wonder about it.

FWIW, there was a change in the ambi lever plunger which required a corresponding different machining of the later levers, where the head of the plungers fit in the back of the levers. The ambi lever plunger and ambi lever 'production vintage' should match, to make for the proper fit and function. I won't post some pics about the info online (copyright rules and concerns), but if you're interested, and willing to send me an email address (to [email protected]) I can attach a couple pics to show the difference.

Congrats on the 6906. I carried and used 2-3 issued early production 6906's for a few years, and tried my best to wear one of them out.

 

[TercGen]

After looking at your pic again, it does seem that the rear sight cutout is off centered a bit, making the sight look off from that perspective. And if your gunsmith measured accuracy to that degree, he obviously didn't just slap this together, so I do apologize for assuming that he did. A bit hasty on my part.

Looking down the slide from the hammer would be a good way to see if the sight seems centered on the slide. I even use my digital calipers when installing night sights.

 

[tep]

safety/de-cocker

...BTW, it sort of looks like the left side manual safety is of a different (newer) vintage than the right side ambi lever. The "flatter" lever profile is original to the older (early) guns, which is what appears to be on your gun as the ambi lever, and the "taller" lever profile is a later revision. It was supposedly revised (made a little taller) to make it easier for a user to engage the lever's raised pad.

I'd leave it alone, if it were me, as long as the levers weren't loose and fit properly, but thought I'd mention it against the chance that you would see it at some future point and wonder about it.

FWIW, there was a change in the ambi lever plunger which required a corresponding different machining of the later levers, where the head of the plungers fit in the back of the levers. The ambi lever plunger and ambi lever 'production vintage' should match, to make for the proper fit and function. I won't post some pics about the info online (copyright rules and concerns), but if you're interested, and willing to send me an email address (to [email protected]) I can attach a couple pics to show the difference.

Congrats on the 6906. I carried and used 2-3 issued early production 6906's for a few years, and tried my best to wear one of them out.

I posted another pic of the rear sight top view with the safety off. But, I'm moving on from the sight question for now. Best I can tell with my eyes it's lined up from the hammer through the pin to the front sight when I aim it.
I also posted pics of the safety/de-cocker levers. Does it still look like this mechanism might not be as the gun would have been when new out of the box? It functions fine but I'm just curious. Not a huge deal. Still an extremely fine gun regardless. I think my woman is starting to get jealous. Thanks

 

[jdh]

In my days working in the back room of the local gun shop when a customer brought in a pistol for a sight change I asked them is the current sights shot to POA. If so I marked the location of the center front post and notch in the rear of the existing sights. When the new sights went it those reference points were matched up. Seldom did customer come back and ask for an adjustment.

SO, instead of doing sloppy work it is quite possible his gunsmith knew what he was doing.

 

[tep]

Thanks for the input everyone! I see some law enforcement and military professionals here. Thank you for your service to our country!!!

 

[rcbz71]

If it were me, I'd not "center" the rear sight just to make it look pretty. No way to know if the rear sight base wasn't made a little 'off center', and the rear sight base notch is actually aligned just the way it ought to be. Try it as the smith installed it.

Also, more often than not it's not a sight problem, but a shooter problem, that makes some people think they need their sights drifted and adjusted.

I've drifted many a rear sight base at the request of someone, only to have to go back later and move it back the way it was originally ... once we'd finally "adjusted" the shooter factor (trigger control and grip stability).

BTW, it sort of looks like the left side manual safety is of a different (newer) vintage than the right side ambi lever. The "flatter" lever profile is original to the older (early) guns, which is what appears to be on your gun as the ambi lever, and the "taller" lever profile is a later revision. It was supposedly revised (made a little taller) to make it easier for a user to engage the lever's raised pad.

I'd leave it alone, if it were me, as long as the levers weren't loose and fit properly, but thought I'd mention it against the chance that you would see it at some future point and wonder about it.

FWIW, there was a change in the ambi lever plunger which required a corresponding different machining of the later levers, where the head of the plungers fit in the back of the levers. The ambi lever plunger and ambi lever 'production vintage' should match, to make for the proper fit and function. I won't post some pics about the info online (copyright rules and concerns), but if you're interested, and willing to send me an email address (to [email protected]) I can attach a couple pics to show the difference.

Congrats on the 6906. I carried and used 2-3 issued early production 6906's for a few years, and tried my best to wear one of them out.

Hi fastbolt,
You sparked my interest with the different ambi lever observation, so I went to check my 6906, and mine is the same way. I also have the earlier model with the square trigger guard and same sights.(not Novaks).Maybe just using up some spare parts