S&W 5906 accuracy

[neviander]

I'm getting more paranoid about my upcoming pistol purchase, mostly just reliability/accuracy issues. I like most everything I read about the glock, but am wondering if I'm going to like the trigger; I also read that it can be glitchy concerning accuracy. I know there are Glocks out there that are surgical, again, I speak of paranoia.

The gun I qualified for my CHL for was my father-in-law's S&W 5906, beauty gun, very accurate. My question is, does the 5906 have any sort of proprietary firing system that might make it more accurate than say a Glock? such as; I know the Beretta Cheetah has a direct blow back system (I'm not really well versed with this stuff, that's why I ask) Does the 5906 have anything like that that would make it more accurate? If not I'll just take my chances with the Glock, but if it does I'd like to get something similar. I impressed myself with my silhouette holes

 

[isp2605]

As long as the 5906 is mechanically sound then it will shoot more accurately than you can probably hold it. I've seen quite a few of them go sub 2" at 25 yds with the right guys shooting them. If you are capable of doing it then the 5906 won't be a problem for you.
As an example, the COP here carries a 5906. He couldn't hit a bull in the butt with it. I was at the range with him when he was complaining about how inaccurate it was and opined there was a problem with it and he was going to sell it. 4 of us each tried it and were shooting great groups with it. Showed it wasn't the gun but him.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

Well, the 5906 and the Glocks (save for the .380acp one, which is not imported) have pretty much the same linkless Browning locking system, except that the barrel-assembly thingy of the Glock locks up with the ejection port, instead of by means of lugs around the barrel. There can be tons of variation within the accuracy of any given lockup system, though, with accuracy ranging from the sloppiness of, say, some Hi-Powers to the tightness of accurized versions of such pistols--the Bar-Sto customized XDs will have the same locking system, but be considerably tighter than their factory counterparts, though the latter are themselves nothing to sneeze at.

You might want to look at the XD, by the way. It has the features of the Glock, but with a grip-angle much more in tune with what you'd be used to from the 5906 or a 1911. Unlike the Glock, it has steel sights, a grip safety, a manual safety (on the new runs), and a stand-off device to keep pressure on the muzzle end from pushing the slide out of battery.

 

[wristtwister]

Your 5906 probably looks a lot like my 5903 and 4006 Smiths... and they're both quite accurate. It sometimes takes a few clicks on the adjustable sights to zero them (which is a bit important), but once they're zeroed, they go where they're pointed.

Most guns are a lot more accurate than the people shooting them, and I've found a lot of things that affect shooting aren't "gun related". Stance, forward leaning vs. backward leaning, how you hold the piece, which foot you have forward... whether you're kneeling or standing... types of ammo you're using... grip on the weapon... trigger pull weight you apply... and, believe it or not... how far you "roll your grip" inside or outside.

Once you get past all those things, and make your first shot, you need to re-establish your target and sight line coincidence for your next shot... which isn't always all that easy. It takes a little time to get used to any new gun, and once you learn it's quirks, you'll find you shoot it more comfortably... but I wouldn't get all jittery about shooting any pistol until after I'd shot it and gained a bit of experience with it.

One of the guys I took my CWP class with was just back from Iraq, and had a new Kimber that he used for his shooting qualification. My 4006 outperformed his gun at all distances, but probably more because his was new out of the box and hadn't been shot before he tried to use it for the class. He had several jams, and the usual "sticking" problems of any piece of machinery that hasn't been broken in. We stayed after the class and shot more rounds, and the performance picked up as he both broke the gun in, and gained a bit of experience with it... so "chill" on being nervous, and just run some rounds through your new gun before you decide to question it's accuracy. Make sure the sights are zeroed, or figure out what you need to do to adjust your sight line, and you'll get the best out of it.

You can't shoot too many rounds in practice... you can only shoot too few.

WT

 

[rocinante]

I have a 915 which is the economy version of the 5906. It was my first handgun and I thought it was terrible so I got one of the guys at the range to shoot it. Bang Bang right smack dab in the center.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Third generation S&W pistols are generally very accurate, especially for TDA service auto's. I have six of 'em, and they all shoot very well.

 

[Omaney]

My 5904 shoots better than I do...and every time.

 

[chubbmann]

I love my S&W 915

I am scary accurate with it and love all the nifty safety features.

 

[19-3Ben]

5906 is one of the most accurate guns I've ever shot.

 

[MAKster]

Unless you're using a really low quality handgun, the skill of the shooter has a far greater impact on accuracy than the handgun itself.

 

[rocinante]

center fire has used 5906 on sale for 339
http://www.centerfiresystems.com/SW5906.aspx

 

[Kindrox]

Is there any quality firearm out there that does not exceed the capability of about 95% of the shooters? I have never been very accurate with an Uzi but last time out to the range my wife picked up the 9MM uzi and proceeded to shoot the bulls eye out of her target (her first time really shooting that gun). I have shot that gun many times and never put them all right in the middle.

 

[Adenn1]

Called CDNN yesterday and they are selling the 5906 NIB with one mag for $399. I think shipping is $20.

 

[Confederate]

If that's true, then $420 is a bargain. Compared to a Glock, I'd take the 5906 every time, but then, I don't have to carry it day in and day out. I've never found any of the Smith pistols to be inaccurate in any way. They're combat accurate, and that's the way they were designed. The S&W is the last of the old school guns. Stainless steel frame, beautiful, good actions. If I had the money, I'd certainly buy the 5906 in a heartbeat.




The 5906 was almost the last guns Smith made that lived up to
its old days of combining strength, beauty and reliability. They
represented, I think, the end of an era.