The video opens in the Classic Firearms bunker on a wet, rainy day as Clint introduces a mini unboxing of surplus Smith & Wesson 5906 pistols. He describes the 5906 as a classic, "cool" double-stack 9mm semi-auto with a 4-inch barrel, stainless frame and slide, and a slightly bulged barrel profile. Clint notes that the 5906 has appeared all over Hollywood in shows like The X-Files, CSI: Miami, and other older police-themed series, as well as various films. These are surplus law-enforcement trade-ins, so individual pistols may feature different grips and sight configurations. The sample on camera has Novak-style three-dot white sights, clearly marked "Novak," and a clear chamber indicator. One barrel has what appears to be an officer’s badge or identification number stenciled on it and darkened with marker so it stands out, a detail Clint finds interesting on surplus duty guns. He points out the 15-round magazine with a bright orange follower and encourages whoever ends up with that particular pistol to shoot it and see how the markings hold up over time.
Clint explains that the surplus Smith & Wesson 5906 pistols are available in several condition grades: good, very good, and excellent. A pistol graded as good shows some cosmetic wear and minor blemishes but remains mechanically solid. A very good example has fewer scratches and appears to have been carried more than it was fired. He points out that these pistols are semi-automatic, operating in both single-action and double-action modes. The safety lever also functions as a decocker, dropping the hammer safely and deactivating the trigger. The single-action trigger pull is demonstrated with a short take-up and a relatively light break, estimated around 5 pounds. The double-action pull is heavier, roughly 8 to 9 pounds, but described as smooth. All examples use stainless 15-round magazines with bright orange followers that drop free cleanly when released.
As more pistols are unboxed, Clint compares additional good and very good condition 5906s. Some frames display numbers taped or written near the trigger guard and on the grips, likely rack or officer numbers from their service life. One very good pistol features Pachmayr wraparound grips instead of the standard hard plastic Smith & Wesson panels. The Pachmayr grips are thicker, rubberized, and cover more of the frame, providing a softer, more textured surface that fills the hand and allows a firmer grasp. Clint contrasts these with the slimmer factory grips to show how grip choice changes the feel in the hand. He notes that the pistols are full-metal, somewhat hefty duty guns that many law-enforcement agencies favored for reliability, common 9mm ammunition, and a manageable 4-inch barrel length suitable for daily carry.
When the first excellent-grade Smith & Wesson 5906 is unboxed, Clint compares it to the lower grades. The excellent example shows very minimal cosmetic wear, with only light marks that appear mostly cleanable. Its Novak-style white sights stand out as noticeably brighter and crisper than those on the good and very good pistols, making them easier to pick up visually. Another excellent-grade pistol is then shown, with similarly bright, clean sights and very minor blemishes. Clint remarks that even the good-grade pistols have looked impressive, but the excellent-grade guns clearly justify their higher rating through sharper overall finish and a cleaner sight picture. Across all grades, the 5906s maintain consistent mechanical features, including the double-action/single-action system, decocking safety, and 15-round stainless magazines.
Digging further into the box, Clint finds a good-grade 5906 with a noticeably different, high-polish, chrome-like finish that is more reflective than the standard matte stainless appearance. This pistol also has a small piece of Velcro attached where the middle finger rests on the front of the grip area. Clint speculates that the Velcro may have been used to secure a pressure pad for a laser, allowing activation by squeezing that spot. The frame and slide bear officer-related information written upside down, possibly to be readable from a particular angle. Despite these non-standard cosmetic changes and markings, the pistol remains mechanically a 5906, with the same 9mm chambering, 4-inch barrel, and double-action/single-action operation. Clint suggests that its customized finish and markings may have influenced its grading as good rather than excellent.
Another good-grade 5906 with Pachmayr grips appears, this time with markings in Spanish on the frame, suggesting prior use by a Spanish-speaking law-enforcement agency. This pistol also features a ported barrel, with cuts near the muzzle intended to vent gas upward. Clint mentions that he would like to shoot this ported example alongside a standard 5906 to see whether the porting reduces muzzle rise and allows flatter shooting. Additional officer information is visible on the frame and slide, adding to its surplus character. After examining multiple examples across good, very good, and excellent grades, Clint concludes that all of the pistols look solid for potential daily carry, acknowledging their heavier weight due to the full-metal frame and slide. Both standard grips and Pachmayr grips are presented as viable options, each offering a different feel in the hand.
Near the end, Clint briefly shifts from the Smith & Wesson 5906 surplus pistols to mention a separate giveaway rifle positioned behind him. The rifle is identified as an LWRC REPR Mark 2 chambered in 7.62 NATO. It is equipped with an EOTech HHS III optic package, which includes an EOTech holographic sight paired with a 3x magnifier. Clint notes that the day of filming is the last day to enter the giveaway for this rifle and optic combination. This mention serves as a short aside from the main focus on the surplus 9mm 5906 pistols and their various conditions, grips, finishes, and law-enforcement markings.
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