Need help fixing 5906

[Pistolgrip pump]

Just took my newly acquired 5906 to the range today and experienced several FTEs. Mag used was a mec gar 10/15rd (California) and ammo used was WWB 115gr. Previous owner said he changed out "internal trigger springs" only. Working to figure out what exactly he changed and to what brand, but I don't know if that would play a part in extraction. I also noticed there was a small gap between the slide and barrel when the slide was fully forward and wanted to confirm if this was some sort of loaded chamber indicator. I have no experience with these guns to be honest and would greatly appreciate any help.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

Here is a pic of the FTE

 

[comtedeloach]

Look to see if there is a chip in the extractor. Or the extractor spring is in incorrectly, or has the wrong spring. It looks raised in the back end to me.



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[Pistolgrip pump]

Extractor looks ok. Tension is good on it, but no way for me to know if it is in properly or not unless I take it apart..and learn which way is the right way. Previous owner said springs he swapped out were S&W oem springs. He didn't touch the recoil or extractor spring at all so maybe one of those is the culprit.

 

[gnappi]

FTE's on ALL of my smiths has been the spring 99.9 % of the time, VERY rarely I have had hi pressure ammo cause it.

 

[ltee]

As has been stated, inspect the extractor. If sat replace extractor spring and brush out the chamber with a brass brush and solvent

 

[ltee]

One more thing. Check rim of the cartridge to see if extractor got on it. Maybe a mag/feed problem.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

Tested extraction by hand and it worked just fine and held the round all the way to ejection. Is WWB notorious for causing failures in these guns? I was getting a failure every other shot if not every shot

 

[ltee]

WWB works for me. Make sure extractor is getting on the rim, clean the chamber and try a known good factory mag.

 

[Bruce51]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...gs-produced-small-numbers.html?highlight=5906

Go to post #47 to see the barrel slide gap photo.

BLM

BTW are you new to shooting autos? A firm grip is important for reliable ejection.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...gs-produced-small-numbers.html?highlight=5906

Go to post #47 to see the barrel slide gap photo.

BLM

BTW are you new to shooting autos? A firm grip is important for reliable ejection.

Thanks! That was the confirmation I was looking for. I am fairly new to shooting. I have shot maybe 10-15 different pistols and maybe the same for long guns. I have a pretty strong grip from wrenching all day, but that doesn't mean I can't limp wrist it unknowingly so I will most certainly look for that next time.

 

[Bruce51]

I thought that might help. Nice sights on that one too.

There's some good advice above on chamber cleaning.

I had that happen once. Dirty chamber lead to sticky extraction.

A little grey scotch brite or something similar run in the chamber will smooth things out.

BLM

 

[Bruce51]

I see that the former owner changed some springs.

Without knowing exactly what those were there is the possibility that

the wrong weight springs were used. That definitely could be a problem or even the cause of the FTE.

Might want to start over with factory stock weight springs.

BLM

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

I thought that might help. Nice sights on that one too.

There's some good advice above on chamber cleaning.

I had that happen once. Dirty chamber lead to sticky extraction.

A little grey scotch brite or something similar run in the chamber will smooth things out.

BLM

Thanks. I believe the white sleeve is missing around the vial in the front. I think I saw the same sight on numrich. The sights kind of remind me of Vtac sights on an m&p, not the arrangement but the dual sight picture with white dot/night sights.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

I see that the former owner changed some springs.

Without knowing exactly what those were there is the possibility that

the wrong weight springs were used. That definitely could be a problem or even the cause of the FTE.

Might want to start over with factory stock weight springs.

BLM

I just talked with the previous owner. He said he replaced the main spring, plunger spring, and firing pin spring. All S&W oem and I'm assuming the stock weight too.

 

[armorer951]

Along with the other points made above, my advice would include replacing the recoil spring with a new OEM spring, if you haven't already done so.
Much of the reliability of this pistol depends on the proper strength and integrity of the recoil spring.

 

[03Fatboy]

I second the recoil spring. I had the same issue with a 4006 that has been 100% since replacing the recoil spring.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

Great points thank you. I will definitely be grabbing a few.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

UPDATE: I took my 5906 to the range again. Unfortunately I wasn't able to snag any other ammo besides 115 gr. It was a different brand though(Federal). I cleaned it again even though it wasn't that dirty.

I'm so embarrassed to admit this, but the problem was me. I really focused on how tight my grip was and that fixed the problem. I never thought this was a contributing factor because it has never happened to me before with any gun. I didn't even change my ammo either because I still had some leftover WWB 115gr and it still worked great. I had 2 of the same malfunctions with about 150 rounds but both times I knew it was me. I'm so happy the "problem" was fixed and I can enjoy this piece of craftsmanship for what it was designed. I plan to shoot the snot out of this thing. I'm very happy with the trigger as well. The reset is pretty unbelievable for a stock pistol.

Thank you for everyone who tried to help me. It helped me understand my gun a lot better. I will post a pic of my shooting later this evening, however bad it may be.

 

[Pistolgrip pump]

All groups were shot at 7-10 yards. This was every round I fired, even the "practice" shots, but I don't really slow fire for groups so they're kind of all over. Not exactly a professional but there it is. I'm so happy it functions now and I can start to have a lot of fun at the range.