S&W 5906 - Best 9mm Ever Made?

[graysmoke]

I have read in different Gun Magazines, and told by experienced Gunsmiths that the Smith & Wesson model 5906 is the Best 9mm Handgun ever made.

The 5906 model their refering to is the all Stainless Steel with the Rounded Trigger Guard, Stainless Trigger and Hammer.

Hard to find these days.

Now, those that own that model or know of it. How many of you feel that way?
Because I had that 5906 in very good condition, that I sold 2 years ago. And today considering on buying another.

 

[AustinTX]

It's a ways down my list, but I still think it's a very good gun.

 

[overkill0084]

There are some really good 9 mms out there. "Best ever made" is is a pretty bold statement. I'm sure any number of other makers would have issues with it.

 

[Uncle Malice]

I would certainly disagree to it being the best 9mm ever made. With that said, it's a solid gun.

 

[scottycoyote]

you will find a lot of smith auto fans out there, especially 3rd gen smiths. Ive got a 5906 and a 6906, great guns, solid, metal, go bang every time. Before the plastic pistols came to be they probably were the best, but my problem with them is weight for ccw...its just too much.

 

[roman3]

Best ever hmmm

They are great guns that have actually grown in popularity (all the 3rd gen smiths too) as time has gone by.

At the time they were introduced I don't recall that they were great sellers or that there was a huge clamor for them. I recall a general apathy toward Smith autos but a vast love affair for smith revolvers.

Seems like if they were the best they would have been so recognized when they were new.

And most I see are available for under $400, if they were the best wouldn't they garner bigger payouts to own?

Still a solid great all steel gun in a world that has gone away from such steel products.

 

[DBLAction454]

I would put the 92FS above the SW but it is a very nice 9mm

 

[yustinus1973]

I dont know about best ever, but for me its close, at least S&W 3rd gens are some of my favorite pistols ever, have owned four over the years.

 

[pgdion]

Personally, I don't think it's the best, but it's certainly in the top 10 (maybe the top 5 for me). I picked mine up about a year back (police trade-in) and it is definitely a gun that will never be sold. Love my 5906 and it's a blast to shoot but there are still 2 or 3 others that I like better. The down side is probably it's heavy. The upsides are it's heavy, reliable, shoots straight, has mild recoil, a good grip, and is all SS. This thing is like a tank and I'm pretty sure it's impossible to wear one out. Those who shoot it are always impressed by the 5906 too. I like it a lot but I think it's about #3 on my list.

 

[18DAI]

In its Performance Center variant with match grade barrel and Briley bushing, maybe...

I'd rate the 5906 right up there in the top three or so.

Personally I feel the 3913/3914/3953/3954 are the best 9mm pistols out there. Regards 18DAI

 

[Single Six]

I am, first and foremost, a Ruger guy. But, my PD issued the 5906 for a while back in the early 1990s, and I had no complaints. If I had to stake my continued well-being on a 9, I would have no qualms about using the 5906...very solid, very reliable.

 

[10mm4ever]

"The best ever made" might be a stretch. To claim that title, it would have to best the Beretta 92FS, CZ75, SIG226, BHP and one or two others. I will say it's in the top 5-6 and that says ALOT in and of itself. Considering how many excellent, modern pistols have been designed around that cartridge alot of it comes down to things that are more subjective in nature.

 

[carguychris]

I'm wary of any claim that any particular product is the "best ever" because it always depends on what criteria you're using.

That said, the M5906 is very good if you want a heavy, thick, full-sized, complex, all-metal DA/SA automatic with a decocker/safety and a mag disconnect. That said, the 92FS and the SIG P226 are also good choices, although their manual of arms are somewhat different.

Personally I feel the 3913/3914/3953/3954 are the best 9mm pistols out there.

I have to agree to some extent because they're much lighter and more concealable. I also have a soft spot for the full-size and sadly short-lived alloy-frame single-stack M3903/3904/909.

At the time they were introduced I don't recall that they were great sellers or that there was a huge clamor for them. I recall a general apathy toward Smith autos...

They were expensive. They were big and heavy, with the possible exception of the alloy-frame single-stacks, although those weren't featherweights either. The DA triggers were never as good as the DA trigger on a K frame revolver, perhaps an unfair comparison, but an inevitable one. The earlier-generation pistols were flawed in some respects- the absence of a positive firing pin block forced 1st-gen users to rely on the clumsy slide-mounted safety, the frame finish on the 1st-gen pistols wears off if you breathe on it wrong, and some users found the blocky straight-backstrap 59-series grip frame to be very non-ergonomic. The optional adjustable rear sight, although great at the range, is oversized and (let's face it) looks hideous when you're not aiming. Some buyers never did, and never will, get over an aversion to mag disconnects. (I like them, and I frankly wish my M&P had one, but I'm in the minority.) The list goes on.

Don't get me wrong- I like S&W TDAs, but I understand why many others don't.

 

[chadio]

Disclaimer - never owned or operated or even held the 5906.

However, considering the faithful testimony of the SIG Sauer P226, Beretta 92FS, and Browning HiPower shooters, the S&W - Best 9mm ever made is a bit of a bold statement.

I wish I had extended ownership of 'one of each' and could choose for myself.

 

[StrikeFire83]

Glock 17/19, CZ-75B, Sig 226 are all superior in my humble opinion.

Putting my money where my mouth is, as I've shot all three and own two of them.

 

[graysmoke]

I do realize that saying the 5906 is "The Best Ever" 9mm is a Bold Statement.

But it's not me saying that....It's what I have read from articles in many published Gun Magazines, and talkiing to a few Gunsmiths about it in my travels.

The 5906 model previewed by writers as being the Best 9mm is the one thats all Stainless Steel with the Rounded Trigger Guard, Stainless Trigger and Hammer.

Today not an easy one to find....That's the model I regret selling a few years back.

 

[C0untZer0]

Guns are like cars - someone can say the Shelby Mustang was the best car ever invented or built.

Ok... really? If you're coaching little league, you get your team to the pizza parlor how? You're a mom who needs to go grocery shopping, drop your oldest off at the hockey rink with all his gear, you're youngest at soccer practice, and take your middle daughter to cello practice... No problem - you've got the best car ever made - the Shelby Mustang.

You're an average guy communting to work every morning and just trying save on gas...


I never liked safeties that flipped up, I never liked slide mounted safeties. There are people who will flat out tell you that any pistol that has a magazine disconnect safety cannot be the "Best" - magazine disconnects suck.

Other people will tell you that the DA/SA trigger system takes it out of the running for "best".

It may be the "best" pistol for people who love variable tigger pull and really like slide mounted safeties on really heavy 9mm pistols with magazine disconnects.

 

[roman3]

Is it even the best among the all steel 9mm's? Questionable. It certainly is a challenger and is often quite a bit less expensive than other steel guns.


Sig P210 (not a high cap I know but among the elite)

Walther P88

Walther P5 (another non high cap)

Browning High-Power

HK P9

HK P7

CZ 75

 

[C0untZer0]

I really wish all of the gun magazines were digitized going back to 1979. I'd love to search them not only to see how many times gun writers said this that or the other firearm was "the best", but just to see how many times those gun writers contradicted themselves when they stuck the "BEST" label on whatever they were reviewing that week.

I think I'd find that there was a "best" du jour... And you could probably tell what brand it was going to be without looking at the actual write up - but just by counting the advertisements in the magazine.

Seven ads by Sig-Sauer? Wow - it must be this months "best" combat pistol!

 

[BarryLee]

I own a 5903 which has the alloy frame, but otherwise I believe it is the same as the 5906. I also own a Beretta 92FS and SIG 229 not sure I would say the 5903/5906 is the best ever, but it is a very good platform. I would definitely say the 5903 is a gun I never intend to get rid of and still enjoy shooting.