S&W VS. S&W (Help Me Decide)

[Colorado Luckydog]

I have been carrying a S&W SW9VE for almost 4 years. I have 4 16 round mags and a couple of decent holsters for it. It has never missfired, jammed, or stovepiped. It has been a great gun but it's not much to look at.

I picked up a really nice S&W model 6906 yesterday. The gun is a beauty and in near perfect shape. You can tell it is a better gun by looking. It only came with one 14 round mag and no holster.

Dilema...do I keep the SW9VE or the 6906?? I can't see keeping them both. If I switch to the 6906 I'll have to spend dough on holsters and extra mags. I would like to keep both but I'm so broke, I can't pay attention.

Any of you guys ever owned a 6906, SW9VE, or both?? Thanks for your input.

6906
http://usera.ImageCave.com/COLORADOLUCKYDOG/IMG_0100.JPG
http://usera.ImageCave.com/COLORADOLUCKYDOG/IMG_0143.JPG

[argonstrom]

My initial thought is that if you're limited to one, keep the one you know and trust.

[Not_A_Llama]

You know the marketing line... Sigma Perfection.

[BadShot]

Well I'll hook you up with the holster and mag pouch if you decide to keep the new one. Honestly though, until you're as comfortable with the new one as the old, I'd keep hold of both.

[10x]

I have to go along with the thought that you keep the one that you know and trust.

I have had several 3rd generation S&Ws. All were extremely reliable. Triggers pull was good in SA and DA. Accuracy was average except the 10mm were very accurate. The stainless steel versions were heavy, but gave one confidence of having a solid gun.

I like them more than poly guns.

[cwripinz]

I've had a Stock 9mm S&W 6906 for about 20 years. It is my "office" weapon & "yard" weapon. I have run all kinds of Junk through it... reloads that I recycled 5 & 6 times... Bulk Ammo from "who knows where"... Hot Loads... sub sonics... the gammut of what is out there. I generally practice with 115 gr FMJ loads of one sort or another. I like the 124 Grain Hornady JHP Loads, too. When I carry it, it is packing Remington Golden Saber Brass JHP. 12 in the clip and one up the pipe. The Ambi Thumb- Safety is handy (no pun intended) as I practice for proficiency in both Lefty and Righty and is a very good design. No corrosion. No issues at all after running a couple of thousand rounds through it. Feels good and has a good balance with most of the weight in your hand... not way out front. If I were to stumble across another one of these at a "deal" price, I would not hesitate to add it to the collection. Sturdy, Simple, Dependable & Effective. I have complete faith in it.

[cwripinz]

I've had a Stock 9mm S&W 6906 for about 20 years... If I were to stumble across another one of these at a "deal" price, I would not hesitate to add it to the collection. Sturdy, Simple, Dependable & Effective. I have complete faith in it.

I stumbled across another one at the "deal" price of $450. Yep... I bought it in a heartbeat. [Tooth]

Photos below... notice the different shape on the trigger guard castings? My "early" and rarer 6906 on the right... "newer" more common example on the left... it also has a Hogue Grip on it... is the one I just acquired.

http://i.imgur.com/m9QOT.jpg

[JlazyH]

I would keep the one you know the best. If you don't need the bucks why not keep them both? You know that the one you just got will most likely come up in another post someday on "which one should I keep"? You can and will always find a deal on what you think is a better gun than what you have.
Just my 2 cents worth.[Twist]

[Great-Kazoo]

i will suggest to you what i suggest to my students. carry what ever gun you fell the most confident with.
Or look at it this way. if you had both guns on the table at home and someone kicked in the door which one would you grab? that's the keeper

[Bailey Guns]

I've mentioned before that I really love the S&W 3rd gen autos. The 6906 is a great gun. Then again, the SW9VE is an outstanding defensive gun, too. I think they got a bad rap early on because of bad magazines. Once that was solved (a long time ago) that pretty much solved the issues with the gun. Not the best trigger but certainly functional for a defensive gun.

I'm kinda with the "keep 'em both" crowd unless you just have to recoup some of the cash.

I recently picked up a new S&W SD9...it's the latest from S&W and it's kind of a cross between a SW9 and a MP9. Has the MP-style slide with the SW9-style frame. Better trigger than the SW series, though, and includes a front night sight. It was $339 brand new. I picked up an extra mag for it, too. I haven't fired it yet, though. I just kinda bought it as a hedge against future anti-gun legislation. I'll eventually get a few more mags for it.

I'd say keep both and get more mags for the 6906...you can find 'em pretty cheap.

The only downsides to the 3rd gen guns:

they can be heavy
they have lots of sharp edges...makes doing malfunction drills and repeated loading/reloading drills a little tough on the hands