Poor accuracy on 6906

[rogo123]

Any ideas? I can use Fiocchi, Fed 9bp, NATO, Fed plus p plus and can't hit a pizza pie at 25 yards. My 3914 is match gun accurate. So was my old 39 (which I wish still had) my 5906 was also inaccurate, which I sold. Really like the 6906, but if it won't shoot, it can't stay here, no matter WHAT it is. It is a law enforcement surplus gun. Do I need a gunsmith?
Thanks

 

[murphydog]

Does it seem mechanically tight? Has anyone else shot it and confirmed it doesn't group well? If so, sounds like a gunsmith or factory trip is in order.

 

[rogo123]

Seems to be tight. No one else has shot it yet.

 

[Smoke]

can you shoot it from a rest t see where POI is V. POA?

 

[K-framer]

Besides the load(s) used, probably the most critical factors for accuracy with a semi-auto pistol are barrel lockup and slide to frame fit. You say that your 6906 is "tight". Can the barrel be moved about, inside the slide bushing, with your finger ? Does the barrel or slide show poor fit or excess wear around the barrel shroud & ejection port (in the slide) ? Can the slide be moved about on the guide rails, when the gun is in battery ?

If not, then mechanical lockup (or lack thereof) is NOT the problem.

The next item to consider is the barrel itself, i.e., the condition of the bore. Damaged or excessively worn rifling (rounded edges, pitting, etc.) ? A damaged crown ? A damaged crown is possibly the most likely culprit, IF the barrel is to blame.

Another possibility, however, would be that the barrel is oversized (or worn severely).....and that there is poor bullet to barrel fit. I believe that the ammo you spec'd in your post are all jacketed, commercial loads, yes ? If so, then the bullet diameters are probably somewhere around 0.355". If your barrel's groove diameter is much larger than that, it could certainly lead to poor accuracy. Ideally, the barrel groove diameter should be 0.355".....and the dia. of any jacketed or plated bullets you fire through it should be the same.

Take a close look at the barrel crown and, if possible, slug the barrel to determine the actual groove diameter. It may be so that the previous owner cleaned the gun from the muzzle and damaged the crown while doing so. Or, the barrel simply may be oversized (not uncommon with 9mm barrels in general, but not common with S&W barrels).

The final aspect to consider would be the loads used. Your 6906 may simply be "finicky"....and not like the commercial loads you are feeding it. It would be quite unusual for a particular pistol to not "like" every load tried - but possible. If so, then hand loads would probably have to be used (with careful experimentation to find the right load), in order to get really good accuracy.

I am betting on either a damaged crown, or oversized barrel, or both. I think that those are the most plausible possibilities.

Finally, you talked about poor accuracy - but did not specify HOW poor it is (other than the imprecise "pizza pie" reference). What kind of groups are you actually getting with your 6906 ?

I have a beat up, well used 6904 (a police trade-in and re-import from Canada)....and it is very accurate. Going just by it's appearance, you'd think it wouldn't be worth a darn - but it is.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

maybe it is me, but you indicate you shoot well with single stacks and poorly with double stacks. . . . coincidence?

 

[o3rugby1]

 

[James&theGiant1911]

This was my problem with the 6906 as well, I eventually sold it.

 

[Forsmithers]

The upper (slide and barrel) for the 3914 and 6906 are interchangeable. Try swapping the slide and barrel and shoot on the opposite frames and see if your results are the same. How is the trigger on the 6906 compared to the 3914? These actions get smoother with dry firing and shooting. If your pistol was an L.E. gun it might not have much wear on it and the trigger could be in need of some TLC.

Report back after trying the upper swap and good luck! Definitely get someone else to shoot it too. If the gun is the problem they wl have problems shooting it too. Personally, the only 3rd generation Smith I ever shot that wasn't accurate was a 6906 that had a burr near the barrel crown. A gunsmith recrowned the barrel and the pistol was back into shooting 3" groups at 25 yards. Which I think is impressive for a compact pistol with a 3 1/2" barrel!

 

[Denver Dick]

I currently own and shoot 19 3rd Gens, including a 6906 and a 6904. I also use to own an additional 6906. They all shot pretty well. But, they took some getting use to. They're not only double stacked, but have short grips, too. However, once I stopped blaming the pistol and concentrated on overcoming the difficulty, things worked out. Note in the photo below, I still let a couple of rounds sneak out of that group.

Good luck.

 

[rogo123]

Barrel to slide at muzzle, tight. Barrel hood tight at breech. Slide to frame, somewhat loose. 3914 is tighter, it is a mint gun. Can't foresee spending money, I have other 9mms to shoot. However will try more ammo. If I can get decent 15 yd groups I will say ok as a HD gun.

 

[James&theGiant1911]

Barrel to slide at muzzle, tight. Barrel hood tight at breech. Slide to frame, somewhat loose. 3914 is tighter, it is a mint gun. Can't foresee spending money, I have other 9mms to shoot. However will try more ammo. If I can get decent 15 yd groups I will say ok as a HD gun.

the tighter the 3rd gen, the more accurate they are. The 6906 was no comparison to the 3913tsw I have and I thought that tactical tolerance thing was BS but the fitment is obvious better on the TSW guns. Of course the 6906 I had was a CA dept of correction gun so the more used they are the less accurate they tend to be. However, I did replace the springs on it before testing it.

 

[rogo123]

I'm pretty sure mine is Calif. DOC surplus. I guess a steel slide and an aluminum frame, plus a lot of shooting you will eventually wear down the slide rails.

 

[James&theGiant1911]

I'm pretty sure mine is Calif. DOC surplus. I guess a steel slide and an aluminum frame, plus a lot of shooting you will eventually wear down the slide rails.

I could never get it to shot right, it would group funny and low. The 3913 did not have that problem plus I like the thinner grip better it being a single stack and the 6906 a double stack.

 

[grif684]

You should keep in mind that the 6906 was not designed for accuracy at that distance, they were designed to be "combat" accurate, which is basically a man-sized target at no more than fifty feet. Like any mass produced pistol, accuracy can vary greatly from pistol to pistol, even when new....

 

[tom-tom]

You should keep in mind that the 6906 was not designed for accuracy at that distance, they were designed to be "combat" accurate, which is basically a man-sized target at no more than fifty feet. Like any mass produced pistol, accuracy can vary greatly from pistol to pistol, even when new....

Not to be disputatious but if I do my part - shoot slowly, squint right eye, hold my breath, pray - my 6906 will put most of a magazine in the "chest" of the target at 25 yards. I can't do that with some other short guns.
The gun itself is a police trade-in, round count unknown, but in great shape. I should be as lucky.

 

[K-framer]

Just to follow up, in the spirit of what others have described about the accuracy of their 69xx pistols.....

My beat up (lots of holster wear), not very good looking, slightly rust pitted (on one side of the slide), Canadian police trade-in (re-import) 6904 will do honest 4" (or smaller) groups at 25 yards. That is off-hand, shooting slowly and carefully and using my hand loads. The actual best I've ever gotten is 2.5".

I don't honestly know what the pistol will do bench rested, but I intend to try it sometime. I have a feeling that it will do a lot better than 4" with consistency (though I may not be the best shooter to prove it).

The point is that the 69xx guns are usually quite good right out of the box. So, me thinks it would be quite unusual to have one that will only do "minute of pizza pie" as a best performance. Something else MUST be going on there.

 

[M29since14]

The point is that the 69xx guns are usually quite good right out of the box. So, me thinks it would be quite unusual to have one that will only do "minute of pizza pie" as a best performance. Something else MUST be going on there.

Minute-of-pizza might be unusual but not minute-of-paper-plate, in my experience. I have owned and been around a few 6906s (and the earlier model 469/669) that were not great shooters. I am actually surprised when I run into one that shoots as well as you describe. Ditto for the 59-series guns. The last 5906 I had a chance to shoot was just atrocious. It might have been one of those pizza pie guns.

If the 6906 doesn't shoot 9BP, I think you have a problem. That is usually pretty good ammunition. Not sure what a gunsmith can do for it other than drop a different barrel in and hope for the best. Let us know how this works out for you.

 

[ispcapt]

My agency use to issue 469/459/6904/5904. I've seen several thousand of them over the years. As long as the gun wasn't broken in some way they would all do 4" at 25 yds with our duty ammo, some better. The mini guns often shot a bit better than the full size. If it won't hold within a pizza box then it's either broke or it's not the gun. I've seen way too any people blame their sub-par shooting skills on the gun.

 

[James&theGiant1911]

My agency use to issue 469/459/6904/5904. I've seen several thousand of them over the years. As long as the gun wasn't broken in some way they would all do 4" at 25 yds with our duty ammo, some better. The mini guns often shot a bit better than the full size. If it won't hold within a pizza box then it's either broke or it's not the gun. I've seen way too any people blame their sub-par shooting skills on the gun.

I got it to group within 4-5 inches but if I can not reliably put multiple shots within 2 inches of another with the gun in my hand than that gun is not for me. A lot of things control shot placement, and all things being equal (breathing, gun hand placement, and sight alignment) then I want any gun I shoot to hold patterns that I am comfortable with. If ever placed in a situation, I want to be able to shoot a bad guy in a small window cause you never know who might be in the scene or could be around when you have to make a life or death decision. I have to have complete 100 percent confidence that my shot placement is going to go where it is intended. If any gun does not give me that confidence then I do not want or need that gun.