PC 5906 IDPA barrel play in full lock-up

[9mMan]

Hello all,

So I am completely stumped and would appreciate some insight on my pistol.

I recently purchased performance center 5906 IDPA and, upon inspecting, realized the barrel has a fair amount of play in the breech under full lock up. By pushing on the breech you can tilt the barrel slightly, and, when tilting the pistol side to side, you can hear it changing position.

It seems to me that this can't be normal. Why have a meticulously hand fit slide and bushing with zero play and then have play in the breech? How would that maintain any kind of accuracy?

Any thoughts are welcome

Thanks!

 

[Big Shrek]

Stop right there, call the Performance Center.
Talk to 'em.

I'd bet that is why someone sold it in the first place...

 

[9mMan]

Thanks for the response, Big shrek,

I spoke the performance center and the parts are out of production and stock. They told me if I could find a barrel that they would fit it...for a price.

The seller has been great and has agreed to accept a return if necissary. He did say that he had other PC 5906 pistols and that they exhibited the same degree of movement. Im hoping that some other PC 5906 IDPA owners will see this and chime in.

 

[OKFC05]

Personally, I would accuracy check it before freaking out just looking at it. The most important things are does it lock up at the same place each time, and does it move the same for the first 0.050", because after that the bullet is gone out of the barrel. It might surprise you.

 

[9mMan]

It may surprise me but without a ransom rest it's going to be very hard for me to determine its accuracy. I'm sure it's plenty combat accurate but you don't put a Briley bushing on a pistol for that. I also don't see how it is possible for it to lock up in the same way every time as the lock up changes depending on what angel I'm holding the pistol at. The barrel moves side to side with the slide fully engaged. Maybe this is normal, but if it is I am very surprised.

 

[catcus-jack]

I have a PC 5906 and a regular 5906 and neither bbl moves.Are you saying that you can tilt the pistol to one side or the other and the barrel follows?

 

[Jeffytune]

Just a thought, have you popped a snap cap in the chamber and tested the barrel fit?
Also, have you removed the barrel to check for foreign objects in the barrel lug area?

 

[RedCardinal]

I checked mine and they are tight. I suggest that you have it examined by a competent gunsmith.

 

[Rock185]

That is not right. I've have 4" and 5" DPA 5906s,have had other PC and standard ptroduction 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Gen guns. The PC guns have very precisely fitting barrels. No PC or standard guns have a barrel as loose as you describe. I would take the opportunity to obtain a refund.....ymmv

 

[Dukesamson]

Does the number stamped or engraved on the barrel match the one on the slide/frame? I suspect someone has switched the barrels out.

 

[Sevens]

Ugh, I see a lot of issues here in the problem and in some of the replies. I hope this can be resolved because we're talking about a very special and very RARE pistol that, these days, is darn near IRREPLACEABLE.

Getting the refund from the seller is an option, but I would seriously want to know what kind of money you have in to it. I say this simply because there is no "set" price or "value" for these, and if you got (what I would consider) to be a great deal, I would be more inclined to keep it and hope/plan to fix it. However, if you paid a heaping pile of cash, then yes -- I would take the refund and use that cash on a new search for one of the amazing true PC pistols.

Next-- Smith & Wesson -MAY- be an option, but it seems to me that it's not a great option. The real Performance Center is LONG dead and frankly, you are almost unlikely to even get a hold of someone on the phone that knows the pistol you are talking about. Call up S&W today and ask about an early-2000's PC pistol and you might have just as much calling up Mossberg with the same question. This is horribly sad... but it is where we are today.

Pretty sure these barrels do NOT have full serial numbers on them. However, there is a stamped number on the underside of the slide that will match a hand-etched number on the underside of the barrel. In my PC pistols, this is a 2-digit number that may or MAY NOT match the last two digits of the pistol's actual serial number. On four of my PC pistols, this two digit number only matches the last two digits of the pistol's SN on one pistol.

Heck yes there is something wrong here. NO! I would NOT SHOOT THIS PISTOL. Barrels do exist, there is a guy on GB who has recently offered a Bar-Sto aftermarket 9mm PC barrel that is the correct barrel you need. Will this fix your problem? I am sorry to say that I have no idea. It will take a skilled 'smith to figure this out.

At this point, I am firmly in the camp that the person you NEED to address this is quite unlikely to be found by calling S&W. There are probably pictures of those gentlemen on a wall somewhere in the plant, but I doubt any of them work there. Apologies to anyone who doesn't care for my opinion in this regard.

I would absolutely LOVE to be proven wrong. Totally.

Please do report back!

 

[Sevens]

Forgot to add:

About the two digit number you are looking for...
Stamped in a crude fashion on the underside of the slide, right on the oblong block that serves to pick up the top round in the magazine.

The same two digit number appears on the underside of the barrel-- you need only remove the recoil spring and guide rod, not the barrel itself to see this number. It looks like electro-pencil.

These two numbers need to match. I would suspect that you also need a new Briley titanium bushing ring to go with a replacement barrel.

I genuinely wish that I had more technical prowess here. I simply do not. I'm just very passionate about these pistols. I believe they are an absolute highlight in handgun history... far too few made, gone LONG too soon, and will never return.