Smith @ Wesson autos.....

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Jake

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Had a friend at work today ask me about S@W autos. A friend of his has a S@W 9mm for sale and he asked my opinion on it. Here's the deal.

Model 5906 9mm
3 factory 10 rounders
1 aftermarket hi-cap
and "a bunch of 9mm ammo"

Guys asking $350. Private sale. Said that he's never had any problems with it. My friend said that it's in excellent shape finish wise. I don't know about the internals.

I told him that price seemed pretty darned good to me from what little I know about S@W autos. He also asked me if I knew of any commonly known problems with them. I told him that my interest and knowledge of S@W autos was slim to none but that I'd ask around, which is were you guys hopefully come in. Other than the much maligned Sigma's I can't recall any horror stories that I've heard. Any info on them would be much appreciated. Also any opinions on the price. Thanks in advance.
 
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Other than the much maligned Sigma's I can't recall any horror stories that I've heard. Any info on them would be much appreciated. Also any opinions on the price.
Click to expand...

Much to the contrary, S&W 3rd gen. autoloaders are among the best in the business. All of the S&W's I have owned have been excellent performers and are worthy of checking when in the market for a high quality pistol. You will hear some folks take their shots at S&W, but much of that is politics and not necessarily based on the product itself.

By 4906 I believe you may mean 5906. The 5906 is S&W's all SS hi-cap auto loader that was introduced back in the early 1980's. Prices are good due to police trade-ins, and the price you are getting for what you are getting seems VERY GOOD assuming the gun is in good shape. For $350, I think you should jump at it.

Good Shooting and God Bless!
 
Thanks for pointing out my typo. You are right, I ment 5906 not 4906. Long day, I fixed it in the post. Thanks again for the info and the spellchecking.
 
I've had my 5906 for about 15 years and love it. One of the most underrated pistols out there. I would snatch it up for $350 if it is in excellent condition.
 
That's a fair price for just the pistol, but it edges into the very good category when you include the magazines.

I too love the 3rd Gen S&Ws. They are a very well kept secret that is slowly getting out. :) Mine (with Gold Dots) wiill run with any SIG ever made. IMHO, the Georgia Arms 124 grain loads seem to work very well with a variety of 9mms.
 
I bought my 5906 right when S&W was transitioning to the TSW guns. I paid $500 new for it. It has been great. I have 7 3rd generation guns - three of them are 5900 series (5906,5946,5943). My favorite is the my 5946. The aftermarket standard cap is worthless (probably useful as a range mag). However, factory pre-bans are all over the place. I'd say $350 is a snatch it up price for a pristine gun.
 
The 5906 and 6906 are excellent autos. I prefer the lighter blued versions but the stainless are hard to beat. The only thing I dislike are the Lexan grips because of the sharp checkering. That's an easy fix with a Dremel or with Hogue grips.:D
 
I think one of the biggest mistakes S&W ever made (and there have been plenty) was to discontinue the 59 & 69 series pistols.

I think they should have kept ALL of the 3rd generation pistols in production. But then nobody asked me.
 
The only S&W I own is a 1006 10mm, and I'll just say that it is probably the last gun I would ever sell. If the "06" means the same thing in the 9mm line as it does the 10mm line (full size, all stainless) I wouldn't hesitate at $350 if it is in good shape.
 
If you don't want it, I'll take it; I'm serious.

I've had my 5906 for 15 years...I love it; *never* a problem.

Sawdust (you don't want it, you contact me...'kay?)
 
ttbadboy, the 1006 is a full-size which the 5906 is really more of a mid-size. People consider it a full-size until you compare it to the 1006 and see that the 1006 is about an inch bigger.

If I get a chance, I'll post a photo over the week-end of my 1006 next to my 5906 so you can see the difference.
 
In S&W terminology the digits 59 = 9mm staggered column magazine
In S&W terminology the 3rd digit 0 = full size
In S&W terminology the 4th digit 6 = stainless steel frame and slide

The 5906 IS a full sized 9mm. It is not a "mid-size" pistol.
It is, in fact, the largest 9mm pistol S&W makes.
 
Like Glock S&W has 2 different frame sizes (I'm not talking about cut-down versions of the same frame such as G26, G19 etc.). For Glocks, .45/10mm uses one frame size, while 9mm and .40s use a smaller frame. The same thing applies to S&W. The 1006 and 4506 used the same frame (although there were other differences between guns chambered for the two calibers besides the obvious). 9mm and .40S&W were built on the same (smaller) frame size. Hence, S&W has two full-size frame sizes for autos. Smith has never named small, medium, or whatever. However, 1006 series and 4500 series guns are so frequently called large frame that the term seems to have stuck.
 
... The 5906 IS a full sized 9mm. It is not a "mid-size" pistol.
It is, in fact, the largest 9mm pistol S&W makes ...
Click to expand...
You are correct that the 5906 is the LARGEST 9mm that S&W makes but ...

... it is roughly the same size as the 4566. The 4566 is smaller than the 4506 by about an inch. If the 4506 is a full-size, then the 4566 (which is smaller) can not also be a full-size. If the 4566 is not a full-size, then how can the 5906 be a full-size?

Here's a photo of both my 5906 next to my 1006 ...

f124.jpg


... they are obviously different in size. To call both full-size is misleading. Either one is a full-size and the other one is a mid-size or one is a full-size and the other one an 'extra-large' :rolleyes:
 
Never mind.

SouthpawShootr posted while I was posting ... so S&W has two full-size frames -- a large and a small. :rolleyes:

I guess it comes down to how you define your terms ... full-size & mid-size VS small full-size & large full-size.
 
A picture is worth a thousand words while the terminoligy is quite vague. Thanks.

Is the finish on your 1006 factory original?
 
Say, Jake,

Grab that baby N run. "you snooze, you lose". At that price, it won't be around long. Another nice aspect to consider, is the ammo is cheap, and plentiful. As my friend Ala Dan stated, "jump on it," you can't go wrong. If you don't like it, you could always send it to me. I'll more than gladly take it off your hands:D

good luck, and be safe,

SILENT ONE
 
Much to the contrary, S&W 3rd gen. autoloaders are among the best in the business.
Click to expand...

Not being a S&W expert, could someone clarify for me what makes a gun "3rd generation" gun vs. some other S&W auto.
 
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