Will My S&W 6906 Use 5906 Mags?

I just acquired a S&W 6906 9mm and I find it to be one of the most underrated guns I've seen. It's not that anyone has spoken I'll of it, it's just that I've heard so little about it. But then, I think all second and third generation Smiths are underrated. My question about the 6906 is, will my 5906 magazines work in it, and has anyone had any problems with theirs?



The 6906 has a bobbed hammer which I'm not overly find of, but I can live with it. It also has a bit of a heavy trigger, but I can live with it. I have a 5906, a 659 (my favorite) and a 3906. All are outstanding guns, so I was happy to land another Smith I didn't need; but the price was right, and if the other guns are any indication, the 6906 is going to be great. I especially like the compact size.

The aluminum frame seems well made and I like the overall weight of the gun. And if it functions as well as the others, I think the gun will not disappoint. (I'd love to have one of the early 459s, which did very well in some of the early military trials. In the results I saw, the Beretta 92 malfunctioned on an average of once ever 2,000 rounds. The S&W malfunctioned on an adverage of once every 952 rounds. Both were exceptional guns, and I subsequently got a 559 before the stainless model became available. Then in a gun store one day, a S&W rep loaded one of the company's Model 645s with empty shells and then proceeded to cycle them into the gun. Very impressive! I'd wanted a hi-cap Smith ever since the nickel plated Model 59 became available. It's just that many of them came from the factory with jamming problems. (I'd still like a nickel auto if it worked as I like nickel plated anything, but that's another story).



I just wanted to make sure my new 6906 would take the same mags as my 5906.

Thanks!

When you say "spacer," what do you mean? Is such a spacer needed for the magazine to function or is it for appearance only? My other gun is in another state or I'd just go try it.

I've got some 20-round mags for my 5906 and of course they hang down below the butt of the gun. I assume the spacer takes up that space and is there for cosmetic reasons only.

I've also seen 32-round magazines, but since they're not Mec-Gar, I don't know whether they're reliable. Has anyone tried a 32-round mag?

That's what I'd like to hear. I've found that any magazine made by Mec-Gar tends to work well. Their 20-rounders seem to work fine. Since it doesn't make 32-rounders, I assume Mec-Gar most likely considered it then rejected it when its designers ran into trouble. Of course such magazines would be difficult to load, so it's difficult to say. I've seen some magazines work on YouTube.

The 6906 mags take 12 rounds, but if the other mags work, it might be nice to load a spare. I've found 20-rounders for my 5906 and my Taurus PT92 AR. The only 32-round mag I've found is made only for the Taurus, and since there's no port to catch on, it might work.


S&W 659 with MG 20-round magazine, which works fine.

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I rather like these guns, but I have a friend who loves only Glocks, and he makes every other gun sound as though they're junk and don't hold up. I haven't the heart to tell him that these guns are just as reliable as his under virtually every defensive situation I can imagine except hand to hand combat in a frozen wasteland or a jungle setting in which the gun is tossed from a helicopter or boiled and then frozen in a block of ice. In some cases, a hammer is what one needs and that's it. The truth is, I respect what Glocks are and what they do. It's just like that story Mini Pearl tells of her brother walking into a blacksmith shop and picking up a hot horseshoe. Her brother screams and immediately throws the horseshoe away.

“Ha!" the blacksmith shouts. “Burned you, didn't it!"

"Naw," says her brother. “It just don't take me long to look at a horseshoe!"

Well, with me, it doesn't take long to look at a Glock. They're great at what they do; I just get no enjoyment out of looking at one or in handling it. It's a matter of cosmetics, craftsmanship and the feel in one's hands. Plus, I don't like having a chambered Glock in my holster. I know I wouldn't shoot myself with it; I just feel like I've got a cocked gun on me and don't particularly feel comfortable with them. I've been trained in shooting them, do very well with them accuracy wise, but I just don't like striker-fired pistols.

I've always liked, and have felt comfortable handling, second- and third-generation Smiths. And at my age, I'm no longer as concerned with 30-year warranties on my mattresses as I once was!

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