s&w 6906 replaces my p239

Welcome to and cogratulations on beginning your love affair with third gen S&Ws.

Flamers will be along in a minute but I think they're the best in their time period and a lot better in terms of quality than some of the stuff being sold now as new. I see em and I buy em. Certainly there's a price point but I've got 3 in 9mm variants and one in a .40 tsw and love them all the same. No 06s yet. While heavier than the 03s and 04s, your grandkids may wear it out someday....

Rock solid reliable. Great choice for carry or range time. Most of these I've seen came with a spur less hammer. Not trying to be nosey but why did you give this the nod over the P239? Those are supposed to be really sweet pistols in their own right. Did it come down to capacity(single vs double stack) or were there other factors for your preference?

I had a lovely 696, and could use the Model 59 mags in it.

That said, I suspect you can might be able to use a 15 round mag as a backup mag for this gun, from the 5906 series. (That's 'suspect' not 'I'm sure'.)

Congrats. It looks to be in very nice condition. Lately, there seems to have been a flood of the 3rd gen Smiths hitting the market. Mostly former LE firearms. And the conditions I've seen reflect the years of use. If yours was one of those, it's the best I've seen.

Tuckerdog1

My 6906 is an early, square triggerguard version with the spurless hammer.
I love it. It was a detectives gunthat doesn't appear to have had much use.
My 5946 was an unissued LE trade in.
My 5906 was an LE trade in, also. Used, but not abused.
Then, there's my 4566. .45 caliber 3rd gen goodness.

Reliable doesn't even begin to accurately describe these guns.

I carried a 5906 as a duty weapon close to 10 years. It was a well made, reliable gun. I bought mine from my employer complete with the box and 3 mags for 180 bucks. I kept it a short while and got rid of it. I don't miss it at all.

I got a nice in the box 6904 2-3 years ago and had about 150 bucks in it. I swapped it for a nice revolver.

^ BLASPHEME!!!! How DARE you interrupt the 3rd gen love? Just kidding, of course.

Not everyone loves them. Those of us who do, love them enough to make up for it.
Besides, if everyone loved them, we wouldn't be able to get them for good prices.

The steel framed 3rd gens are heavy compared to a Glock.
However, I was carrying a 4566, a Model 36, an SR9 (full size) AND a .45 Colt single action revolver this past Sunday.
Even with all that weight on my belt (Bullhide Belts CC belt) my back only hurt a little bit by the time I returned home and put them up.

No, I wasn't being paranoid. The SR9 is a regular carry piece for me and the J frame is a backup.
The other two were just along for the ride. I was going shooting with friends and didn't want to carry my range bag in the woods.
Why not? Dunno. Just didn't.

Next time, I'll carry 4566, 5906, 5946, 6906, and Daewoo DP51.
That way, I only have to carry 59 series mags.

3rd generation S&W Fan here!

Great guns suffering from minor flaws, keeping them from being the best.

1. Slide mounted safety is not ideal.
2. Magazine disconnect safety is quite problematic.
3. The odd design choice to make the trigger well so darn small/narrow at the front for no apparent beneficial reason. Unlike the generous trigger wells of other guns, which allow for a gloved shooter to use it more easily.

None of these are deal breakers, and I like the 3rd Gens a lot. But it keeps them from the top tier in my view. But for their price they are great values.

I always thought they had a pretty high bore axis too.

I had three of the compact S&W 9mm. autos: a Model 469, a Model 669, and a Model 6906. While they were all reliable and had decent accuracy none of them felt very ergonomic in my hand. There was a bit of a reach to the trigger, the slide mounted safety was difficult to use, and the overall grip shape wasn't comfortable. Good guns, just not for me.

Those of you who are enthused about the 3rd Gen S&W also ought to check out the DaeWoo DP-51 (which is now updated and sold as the Lionheart.) These guns look and feel a lot like the S&Ws, use some shared design features (but with a safety on the frame, not slide), and have an interesting tri-action trigger that allows you to carry cocked and locked (or hammer down, but with the hammer spring cocked -- with a very distinctly "stageable" SA trigger).

I've had a couple and actually like them as much (or maybe more) than the S&W -- and the 9mm models can use S&W mags! (The S&W mags just stick out a fraction of an inch farther than the DaeWoo mags. Beats paying the higher prices for the DaeWoo mags, which can be hard to find.)

These guns are perfectly "safe" to carry with the decocker lever up.

I have an early 6906 with squared trigger guard I bought new. I had a spurred hammer put on it, like the one illustrated, as I like them because if I want to cock it with a hammer, no problem, and did a trigger job, as well as removed the finger rests on the short mags. More compact that way. I also have several mags for the 5906 that have matching extensions so they fit the 6906 well and look good on the gun. Now its more versatile, a great shooter, and very strong.

My 6906 was my off-duty/plain clothes carry piece for quite some time. I picked up a Glock 26 and the 6906 became my wife's bedside gun.

The 6906 is a great gun.

ColtPythonElite said:

These guns are perfectly "safe" to carry with the decocker lever up.

Click to expand...

Everyone I knew that carried one did that. Safety off aka decocker up.

I prefer the DAO ones like the 6946 in my 4th picture down...no doo-dads to mess with.

My father in law has a nice almost new 6906 and really likes it. I had a 915 9mm that I sold, and now It would be nice to have back. It also used 5906 magazines and shot really well.

I've had many third gens over the years. I am down to three 39xx-series (single-stack versions of your 6906). The 5906 mags WILL work in your 6906. There is also a 'collar' available that smooths the transition between the bottom of the grip and the part of the mag that sticks out.

Jim PHL said:

I've had many third gens over the years. I am down to three 39xx-series (single-stack versions of your 6906). The 5906 mags WILL work in your 6906. There is also a 'collar' available that smooths the transition between the bottom of the grip and the part of the mag that sticks out.

Click to expand...

Yep...here is a picture of a 5900 series magazine in my 6946. That "collar" does makes a smooth transition in the grip area when changing 6900 series pistols from 12-round mags to 15-round ones.

I think they feel great and look good.

Congrats and welcome to the 3rd Gen Smith "club"! If S&W still made 'em for the commercial market, I would not be surprised if it garnered $1K or more each.