Anyone owns a S&W 4506 or 6906

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Viper99

New member
Hello all,

Okay so I just purchased the SD mod 2 .45 and wasn't thinking about another purchase this quickly but my lgs has these 2 in very good condition with original box and papers.

Like both but can't have both at this time. What's a better all around gun out of these 2 and what's a better buy?

4506, box, papers 2 mags doesn't look like its been fired much. Great condition. $599

6906 box, papers NO MAGS BECAUSE OF CT LAWS that say it cannot be more than 10 rounds. Great condition as well. $479

These 2 are on consigment from someone who came in to sell his collection so there is no negotiating the prices.

Regards,
 
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Whirlwind06

New member
IMO the 4506 is less common then the 6906, price seems a bit high. But not living in your area it's hard for me to judge price. You can check gun broker completed auctions and get an idea of what they are going for.
 
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11mm

New member
Whirlwind is right on. the 4506 is less common and of the 2 the more appropriately priced. My dad has a 6906 and its a great gun but I've seen clean ones for $400 and police trade ins for $350
 
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Bart Noir

New member
I sympathize with your situation, living in a 10-or-less state. Since you cannot buy a 12-round magazine for the 6906, offer much less. It is too much for a single shot pistol.

Wait, you would have to remove the magazine disconnect just to get it to be a single shot :eek:

Then, if you buy it, stash it away for the day you move to another state or sell it out of the state.

I like mine, even with the non-Novak sights which mine came with.

Bart Noir
 
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Sevens

New member
In raw numbers the 4506 may be somewhat less produced but niether of these pistols should be considered "scarce" in most any way we would define it.

The magazine problem likely does already make your decision, but I think it's best to decide on what it is you might need from a handgun. If it were to be concealed carry, you'd have to be Shaq to want to conceal the largest semi-auto pistol that S&W ever made in the 4506, lol.

Me? I'd choose the 4506 all day long. I am a huge fan of all 1-2-3rd Generation S&W pistols but my LEAST favorite are the alloy frame pistols of which the 6906 absolutely is.
 
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CWKahrFan

New member
$600 is a fair price for an excellent condition 4506 around here (NC)... and an even better VALUE. I love my low-round count 4506... If somebody offered me $1,000, it wouldn't be enough to persuade me to part with it... VERY accurate!
 
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DanTSX

New member
First off, numerically speaking, it would be crazy to think of one of these guns being more numerically scarce than the other. Thats like saying the Browning Auto 5 or the S&W Model 10 is rare. They made a ton of these guns. Don't buy based on scarcity. Based on what meets your needs or whims the best.

4506. I just missed out on buying one, and ended up buying Sig P220 because I had to get that burning "haven't bought a gun in a while" feeling out of my gut. I also have a 4586 (Double action only variant), and it's a beautiful gun. Very accurate and I just love to shoot it. They make Sigs and even most 1911's look like amateur hour.


If you want a 6906 sized gun, wait for a 3913, it's the single stack version, and what I carry 90% of the time these days now that we have joined the ban states with our new 10 round limit. (the other 10% of the time I just carry what I used to carry:p)


The prices depend on condition. The guy quoting $350 for a 6906 is talking about prices from before the LE trade-ins of these guns dried up a few years back. Every once in a while a batch comes in from some podunk department or foreign nation that has a batch to sell, but they are usually very beat up and go quickly, and that $350 becomes closer to what your dealer is asking once you factor in shipping, insurance, and FFL fees. A clean 6906 will go for $500 these days in most states, and the $4506 has always commanded a much higher price and $600 is very fair. Of course, condition is everything.... Also, Third gen prices are heating up. You can't go by the priced they used to sell for a few years back when LE Depts were dumping them by the thousands for cheap plastic guns.

If you don't buy, would you please Private Msg me the name of the dealer?

Also, there are 10 round mags for the 6906 out there, but now you're in another $40-$50 per mag and the gun's value fades. Again, I recommend the more concealable 3913 (9 shot single stack variant of the 6906).
 
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11mm

New member
The guy quoting $350 for a 6906 is talking about prices from before the LE trade-ins of these guns dried up a few years back. Every once in a while a batch comes in from some podunk department or foreign nation that has a batch to sell
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I think Raleigh changed in 2012, maybe that skewed prices down here in NC.But It seems like buds got some of the .40s last year for that.
 
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Viper99

New member
These guns are in great shape. No rust, pitting or holster wear. I would say the owner shot it very little. All of them are on my wish list.
4506, 5906 and a 6906. The 5906 and 6906 without mags due to CT law.

It just so happens that yesterday I had paid off my xd mod 2 .45 that I have not even picked up yet so I was not expecting to find one from my wish list at my local gun shop let alone 3 of them. This is part of a collection of 23 guns and 4 rifles that I had posted before.

Was trying to trade one of my Service Six towards the 4506 but won't take what he is offering.

DANTSK,
If I cannot work anything out with them, I will email you the information. I am leaning towards the 4506 because the 6906 will cost me about the same once I purchase the mags for it.

Regards
 
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agtman

Moderator
While I agree with most of the above comments on S&W's 3rd Gen autos, and the price being asked on the 4506 seems reasonable, the real issue isn't scarcity of the particular model (they're not), but rather lack of company support should a critical part break.

My understanding is that S&W has discontinued supporting the 3rd Gen pistols with spare parts. I've long had a few extras stocked for the trigger unit & decocker on my 10XX-series pistols, but wouldn't know where to look if I needed more of those parts.

So, unless the 4506 is meant to be an occasional range toy and mostly a safe queen, just be aware of that issue. Good luck.
 
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Viper99

New member
I would be a range toy. Have much lighter guns for carry. Honestly it is the condition of these guns that makes me want to buy it.

If it was the typical condition that you find them on gunbroker, I wouldn't bother because I know I can always find another when I am ready. But these are in almost new condition. No scratches, nothing.
 
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agtman

Moderator
It would be a range toy. Have much lighter guns for carry. Honestly it is the condition of these guns that makes me want to buy it.
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Then I'd grab the 4506. :cool:
 
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JDBerg

New member
I honestly think $479 is way high for that 6906 without mags. Midway has new 10 round mags for that gun for $33.99 each plus the shipping, you need at least 2 & then a third mag is always better. I see these guns locally for under &400 with at least 2 mags. I would offer $375 and I might go to $400 but that's as high ad I'd go.

BTW, if you do get a 3rd Gen S&W , you would do well to have it armored soon after you get it. These guns have been out of production for at least 10 years and any gun you get is probably older than that and it was probably sitting in a safe or a drawer for long time, the grease & oil on the insides could be dried up.
 
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mavracer

New member
I have a 1076 and a 6926 and love them some of the best duty weapons ever.
I'll put in another vote for the 4506 the 6906 is a bit steep with no mags.
 
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DanTSX

New member
JDBerg,

Third gen S&W autos have been out of cataloged production for about 7 or 8 years.

They have been out of Law Enforcement catalog production for about 5-6 years.

They were made as late as 2012-2013 for large department orders in custom configurations. (CHP, WVSP, NYPD, and ongoing contracts with the RCMP being most notable.

Certain models were made right into early 2014 for NYPD.


There is also a greatly blown out of proportion rumormill bulletin out there that S&W has completely abandoned servicing these guns. That is false and based entirely on a literal game of telephone with first level customer service reps who were taking great liberties with paraphrasing interoffice memos.

S&W has not abandoned supporting the third gen guns. They will not be able to make ALL repairs ALL of the time. In most cases, they will be able to service the guns, but there may be delays involved or replacement offers made with comparable currently cataloged guns for the original owners. They made a million of these guns, and a lot of parts transfer from one gun to another. Just like many other discontinued guns are kept in service, these guns will prove viable moving forward. But Smith cannot make the assurance that ongoing service for repairs will be able to live up to the standards they supposedly keep for their other products. If you have a standard vanilla 4506, I'm pretty sure they will be able to keep you shooting for a long time to come. But if you have some oddball Performance Center variant or send in a .356TSW you might have to discuss other options with S&W.

Honestly, we're talking about a line of guns that doesn't break with the exception of the trigger return spring and the spring under the left side grip. Both of which are easily reproducable by the aftermarket if the need ever arose. Outside of that, the occasional extractor or firing pin, and there are no worries. These guns are tanks.
 
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agtman

Moderator
Honestly, we're talking about a line of guns that doesn't break with the exception of the trigger return spring and the spring under the left side grip. Both of which are easily reproducable by the aftermarket if the need ever arose. Outside of that, the occasional extractor or firing pin, and there are no worries. These guns are tanks.
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Good to know that S&W hasn't abandoned all service on the standard, non-PC 3rd Gen models. It's also true that, generally, the 3rd Gen models have acquired the "tank" reputation for durability under hard use.

FWIW, Brownell's used to have stocked some of the more common and interchangeable parts for the 3rd Gen guns, including the 45XX models. You might want to check and see if they still do.

Many (though not all) of the 45XX-series parts will interchange with the 10XX-series, which I always found comforting since pounding hot 10mm loads thru my Smith 1006 will likely wear out some particular part faster than hard-ball loads would thru its .45-counterpart (the 4506).

S&W 1006.
 
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