Smith & Wesson Competition Pistols Part II: The Model 952

Smith & Wesson has billed the Model 952 as the most accurate 9mm in the world. That’s a pretty bold statement and it might be true, but not when the pistol is in my hands. This baby sings but a better producer than me could undoubted get it to sing tighter.

Let’s start with the specs:

Model: 952

Caliber: 9mm

Capacity: 9+1 Rounds

Barrel Length: 5"

Front Sight: Black Post Sight

Rear Sight: Adjustable

Grip: Wood Grips

External Safety: Slide Mounted

Frame: Large

Finish: Satin Stainless with Matte Accents

Overall Length: 8 3/4"

Material: Stainless Steel

Weight Empty: 41 oz.

Before we forge ahead with the 952 let’s examine its pedigree. Anyone who knows me knows that I like history; so sit back and relax while I bore you with some S&W trivia.
Smith & Wesson began its foray into center fire semi-automatic pistol in 1913 with the model 35 which was produced from 1913 to 1921. There was a very strange grip safety located on the front strap and she fired the now obsolete .35 S&W cartridge. People did not rush to purchase the model 35 and Smith & Wesson dropped it from their catalogue after 8 years. Just about every handgun manufacturer produced a small .32 caliber pistol and the factory must have felt left out because 3 years later they debuted their own .32 ACP offering. This is an extremely handsome pistol but from what I can tell, this pistol did not even merit a name or model number designation. Supica/Nahas’ superb book, Standard Catalogue of Smith & Wesson 3rd Edition just refers to it as the Smith & Wesson .32 Semi-automatic Pistol. There are some excellent photos on collectorsfirearms.com (where I lifted the photo used here) and nowhere on this pistol is there a model designation. While this pistol remained in the S&W catalogue for 12 years only 957 were ever made. Compare this with the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless in .32 ACP in which was manufactured in boat loads and actually saw service in WWII (and probably WWI unofficially).

19 years after the demise of their .32 ACP Smith & Wesson found center fire success with the introduction of the model 39. The 39 was a four inch barreled service pistol with fixed sights which fired in double action (what has now become known as Traditional Double Action where the first round is fired with the long double action trigger pull; after that the slide retraction cocked the pistol and the remaining shots were fired in the single action mode). The 39 was engineered in hopes of winning a military contract as the Pentagon was looking to replace the venerable Colt Model 1911 .45 ACP with a 9mm pistol. The military eventually decided to refurbish their stock of 1911s and did not purchase the S&W 39 although there is some evidence that a few of them wound up in specialized units in Southeast Asia, some fitted with silencers. While the military did not choose the model 39 police departments did. The 39 was also a handsome pistol that had a distinctive business-like appearance and an appealing arched back strap. A feature that hit it off with many police departments was the fact that they pistol held 8+1 rounds of ammo. A patrol officer carrying the 39 with two spare magazines had 25 rounds at their disposal instead of the 18 rounds that revolver carrying cop had. For a highway patrolman (I am referring to the late 1950’s so the use of the politically incorrect gender reference is historically accurate) who encountered an armed suspect and was far away from a back up unit kept in the fight a little longer with the model 39, hopefully until the cavalry arrived. As the 39 was a magazine fed pistol it was easier to reload than a revolver in these pre-speed loader days. The model 39 was produced from 1954 to 1982 and has become a sought after “classic” (hmmm, I wonder when Smith & Wesson will add it to their “Classic” line of reintroduced handguns?) While first manufactured with an alloy frame the 39 was eventually produced in an all blued carbon steel format and later generations came out in stainless steel.

In 1961 Smith & Wesson came out with new pistol just aimed at competition shooting, the model 52, chambered for.38 Special wadcutter ammunition. This was basically a model 39 rechambered for the .38 Special wadcutter, given a five inch barrel and slide, and configured to fire in Single Action only. About the only other thing that was a noticeable change was the sights which went from fixed on the model 39 to adjustable on the model 52. In those days there was no such thing as PPC, IPSC, or IDPA competition; the only game in town was Bullseye matches and the focus was on accuracy. The model 52 was a big hit until the other competitive matches were developed which stressed combat techniques over pinpoint accuracy. Bullseye targets gave way to targets featuring human silhouettes and sales of the model 52 sales lost steam until it was finally dropped from the catalogue in 1993.

In 2000 the 52 was reborn as the 952 with the significant changes being all stainless steel construction and chambered in 9mm. The first run of pistol was a special production for Bangers Distributors and Smith & Wesson moved it into their standard line-up in 2003. This is another handsome pistol with graceful lines and a two toned finish; the frame and rear portion of the slide are given a high polish satin finish while the forward portion of the slide has a matte-bead blasted finish.

The 952 comes from the S&W Performance Center and features a match barrel, hand fitted slide and frame, and all parts are highly polished for smooth functioning. This pistol is like a piece of functional jewelry; it is a beauty to behold and shoot. The downside to this pistol is the reassembly after cleaning. There is an internal barrel bushing at the front of the slide and, although it looks round it is actually spherical. The bushing rotates freely and will invariably rotate during cleaning. If you don’t have it lined up with the barrel precisely in the position it was in when you removed the barrel you cannot slip the barrel back inside the slide. After the last outing the pistol sat field stripped on my cleaning bench for 4 days until I could get it lined up correctly. And such is the price of accuracy, along with about 2400 dollars. This is not a pistol for the Average Joe unless, like this average Joe, you care to trade five lesser pistols in on it.

Let’s see the targets (all targets were fired on with standard 115 grain FMJ ammunition):

Here’s the 21 foot target with a nice tight grouping on the center bulls eye and the lower right aim point. The wide group on the left aim point is obviously operator error.

31 Feet
40 Feet
50 Feet
75 Feet
The 952 is a jewel to shoot. The action is buttery smooth and recoil is almost non-existent due to the 41 ounces of stainless steel you are holding. The trigger pull on my specimen measured a sweet 3.6 pounds. I don’t know if it is the most accurate 9mm in the world but I do know that the accuracy potential is much greater than I can wring out of it. I am just not that good of a shot at longer ranges and my shooting style is more along the lines of combat (shoot as fast as you can get the sights on the target) rather than the patience driven style needed for bulls eye shooting. If you need one super accurate and rather expensive pistol in your safe, the 952 is certainly a very good candidate.

Smith & Wesson Competition Pistols

In this two part series we look at two 9mm pistols built by Smith & Wesson specifically for competition: the M&P Pro 9 and the model 952. While both are built for competition the M&P is seems more adept at combat competition while the 952 is more destined for bulls eye type matches.

This week we look at the polymer framed M&P Pro 9.

The M&P semi-automatic series of pistols was introduced in 2005 in caliber .40 S&W and seemed a somewhat risky a venture for Smith & Wesson at the time. First of all they christened it with the M&P (for Military and Police) moniker which came to fame as the name for their .38 caliber revolver when the last century was in its infancy. The medium or K frame .38 M&P was eventually renamed the Model 10 and is still in Smith & Wesson’s online catalogue today. They must have produced millions of them in the popular four inch barrel configuration while it was also offered with barrel lengths of 2, 3, 5, and 6 inches. The M&P or model 10 was a mainstay in police holsters until the wondernines began to usurp them in the late 1980’s. So any semi-automatic pistol bearing the proud and storied name of M&P has a lot of history to live up to.

The second reason that this new series looked risky is that Smith & Wesson tried polymer framed pistols before with the Sigma series and the SW40 and SW99 line which never really took off with the public. The Sigma series prompted a lawsuit by Glock while the SW40 and SW99 pistols were too similar to the Walther 40 and 99 models to earn the Smith & Wesson branded pistols any distinction of their own.

With the third period of polymers Smith & Wesson found acceptance. The M&P is a striker fired pistol with a very ergonomic grip shape that has three changeable backstraps. The grip frame is Zytel polymer with a stainless steel barrel and slide. The hardened slide is finished with Black Melonite; this is one tough pistol with the slide attaining a rating of 68 on the Rockwell hardness scale. Since I know Mike D. will ask, the Rockwell hardness scale is a measurement of the pressure it takes to dent or cause deformation in materials, usually steel. As a comparison axes and chisels have a hardness range of about 45 while fine tempered and heat treated knives generally rate in the low 60s. Therefore, again, this is one tough pistol.

With all of that, let’s look at the specs for this pistol:

S&W M&P Pro 9
Model: M&P

Caliber: 9mm

Capacity: 17+1 Rounds

Action: Striker Fire Action

Barrel Length: 5" Front

Sight: Fixed

Rear Sight: Drift Adjustable for Windage

Weight: 26 oz.

Overall Length: 8.5"

Grip: (3) Interchangeable Palmswell Grip Sizes

Material: Polymer Frame/Stainless Steel Barrel and Slide

Finish: Black Melonite®, 68 HRc

The differences between the Pro 9 and the regular M&P pistol are simple. The standard M&P has a 4 inch barrel while the Pro 9 sports a 5 inch barrel giving it a longer sight radius. The extra inch of barrel helps accuracy by offering more stabilization and slightly more accuracy to the bullet and also improves the sight radius.

The trigger pull on the Pro 9 has been smoothed out and lessen from a 6.5 pound pull to a 4.5 pound pull. The trigger pull sold me on the weapon when I handled it in the gun shop. I think many people do not understand the importance that trigger control contributes to accurate shooting. The reset on the trigger is also short which makes follow-up shots easier.

The last feature that distinguishes the Pro 9 from the standard M&P are the sights. The Pro 9 has Novak Reduced Glare Rear Sights that are adjustable for windage and a Novak Green Fiber Optic Front Sight.

The advantages for combat competition are simple yet advantageous to the shooter; a longer barrel for more velocity and bullet stabilization, coupled with a longer sight radius and a smoother, lighter trigger for enhanced accuracy. A faster trigger reset along with easier to see reduced glare rear sights with a green fiber optic dot up front which make target acquisition and follow-up shots quicker. The green fiber optic front sight is sharp, clear and very bright in outdoor light where many of the combat competitions take place.

I am currently taking the advanced handgun course at the range where I shoot and I can’t wait for my Blackhawk Serpa holster to come in so I can use it in class.

Trigger Time

As I mentioned earlier this is a very ergonomic pistol and the medium grip felt great in my hand and the five inch barrel gave it a perfect balance.

All shots were fired using 115 grain FMJ ammo.

Here is the 21 foot target and you can’t ask for much more accuracy at this range.
31 Foot Target
45 Foot Target
50 Foot Target
75 Foot Target
While this is billed as a competition pistol, the 17 round magazine and other handling attributes make it a comforting tool for self-protection. Lastly, it is important to distinguish the difference between a combat and bull eye competition piece. The bull’s eye pistol requires the most accuracy that you can possibly squeeze from the pistol. This usually means target sights which are adjustable (and therefore more fragile than sturdier combat sights), ultra light trigger pulls, and very tight tolerances in the fit of the pistol's components which may play havoc with reliability in some ammunition. The combat competition firearm needs to be accurate but also needs to be designed with features that make it utterly reliable, allow for fast target acquisition, and conducive to being fired quickly. In many instances the price for complete reliability, fast target acquisition, and fast shooting comes as a compromise in accuracy. The S&W M&P Pro 9 is a great blending of all of these components without sacrificing much in the way of accuracy.

SIG SAUER P6 (Military/Police Version of the P225)

The SIG P225 is one of my favorite SIG pistols but SIG dropped them from their US catalogue many years ago (we’ll get into that later). Well, the gun buyers should rejoice as the military and police version, the P6, has hit the secondary market and I can’t hit a gun shop or sporting goods store without running into 3, 4, 5, or 6 of them and when those are gone another half dozen pop up in short order. For the Average Joe who has always wanted a SIG but could not justify the price, these surplus bargains are going for between $250 and $300 which is well below the value of such a high quality 9mm pistol. Let’s look at the specs and then we’ll talk about the pedigree of these fine firearms.

SpecificationsOperation Semiautomatic, mechanically locked, recoil operated
Trigger Traditional Double Action (Double-action/single-action)
Safety Patented automatic firing-pin lock
Caliber 9mm Luger
Length, overall 7.1"
Height, overall 5.2"
Width, overall 1.3"
Barrel length 3.9"
Sight radius 5.7"
Weight, w/o magazine 26.1 oz.
Weight, empty magazine 2.8 oz.
Trigger pull DA 12 lbs., SA 4.5 lbs.
Magazine capacity 8 rounds

Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) got into the pistol business with the .45 ACP Model 220 which was marketed in the US in the late 1970’s as the Browning BDA. I had one offered to me in 1977 but turned it down since it did not look like a Colt Model 1911…ah, the mistakes of youth. When the West German police went looking to replace their Walther .32 caliber pistols with something a little more potent (global terrorism raising its nasty head and the Soviet Union just a stone’s throw away) they put out the word that they were looking for a single stack 9mm pistol. They chose three: the Walther P5, the Sig P6 (or 225 in its civilian designation), and the Heckler & Koch P7. All were fine quality pistols (sadly none are still in production) but the SIG P6 was the least expensive of the trio and as the German States were authorized to select from these three the SIG got the lion’s share of the business.
The SIG P6 is a scaled down version of the SIG P220 .45 ACP. It is slimmer and maintains the graceful lines and classic profile of the P220 with a slightly more pronounced curvature of the backstrap that most people find very accommodating.

The P6 was an instant hit and became the authorized sidearm for the Swiss and Swedish police forces as well as the Canadian Navy.

In 1995 the German police decided to look for a new pistol and began to take the P6 out of service. This has begun the boon for those in the U.S. who have always wanted one. The trade off of police trade-ins is that they were carried a lot, but fired very little. Expect to see the normal holster wear of a pistol that was in service for 20 years, however, unlike military pistols, the police pistols are not fired frequently and every one that I have examined recently is in great shape internally with bores that are in excellent condition. On most pistols the holster wear is most prominent on the slide and for what you are saving on the pistol you can have it refinished if the character-wear bothers you. The police trade-in pistols have an unusual hammer that has a hooked spur instead of the complete circular spur that most pistols which feature an external hammer (including SIG) employ. There are two stories floating about the internet that offer an explanation for the hooked hammer.

The first one surmises that the hook was cut into the hammer by the police armorer whenever the pistol was dropped on its hammer. This seems unlikely as there would be better ways to keep track of a potentially damaged pistol and, if this were true, then every pistol being imported into the U.S. has been dropped on its hammer leading one to think that there are a lot of butter fingered police officers in Germany and that is certainly not their reputation. The second internet explanation seems more plausible and states that a breakaway safety strap went around the hammer and through the trigger guard. When the police officer returned from his/her shift, if the safety strap was missing it was a visual indication that the pistol had been fired and the officer would thus have to explain and prepare a report on the situation. I am still looking for a more official source of information on the hammer hook and will update this when my curiosity is satisfied.

Most of the trade-in packages I have seen offer just one magazine (in rare instances two are available) and may also include the pistol’s duty holster. Average Joe found a different offering at Gander Mountain. One pistol contained unmarked checkered wooden grips (with the original plastic ones in the box), skate board tape applied to the front strap for a sure hold, and Heine Straight 8 Night Sights. This one was priced almost $50 more that the standard trade-in, but did you see that I said Heine night sights? I snapped it up immediately. Besides the bonus of the wood grips and the Heine night sights, the double action pull of the trigger breaks at 9.5 pounds as opposed to the published specs which put it at 12 pounds. I don’t know if the trigger was intentionally slicked up or eventually wore into the lesser pull but it is indeed a plus.

About eight years ago SIG dropped the P225 from its commercial line-up. They had a couple of newer design which they felt made the P225/P6 obsolete. Sig offered the P239 (reviewed on July 26th) as their new compact, single stack 9mm for those who wanted a smaller pistol (additionally, the 239 can be had in .40 S&W or .357 SIG).

(Top left: SIG Model 229; Top right SIG Model 239, Bottom SIG P6)

In comparing the two, I prefer the P225/P6 for better overall ergonomic feel. The P239 is a little shorter, but seems fatter in my hand. SIG also brought out the models 228 and eventually the 229 (reviewed June 20th) which they consider to be compact (although they seem pretty big to me) and contain double stack magazines for those who feel that they need to carry more ammunition.

Time for the Targets:

115 grain hardball ammo was used on all targets fired for range.

Two from 21 feet:

45 feet:
75 feet:
All targets fired with defensive ammo where fired at a range of 21 feet.

5 rounds of Federal Premium 124 grain Hydra-Shok JHP ammo:

5 rounds of Hornady 124 grain JHP/XTP ammo:
5 rounds of Speer 115 grain Gold Dot Hollow Point ammo:

The P225/P6 is a classic and it seems a pity that they felt the need to discontinue such a fine pistol. The ergonomic fit of the pistol is superb for me and the pistol offers all of the accuracy for which SIG is famous in a slim easily carries piece.

Sweet Carryin’ 9s Part IV – The Smith & Wesson CS9 (Chief’s Special 9mm)

The CS9 was introduced in 1998 in a matte blue finish with an aluminum alloy framed model with a Stainless Steel slide following early in 1999. This is obviously marketed toward those with a carry permit as a slick little concealed pistol. To further hammer this home Smith & Wesson gave it the moniker of Chief’s Special 9 to mirror the J-framed revolvers that first sprang to life in the mid 1950’s under the name of Chief’s Special. These little J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers have been and continue to be considered one of the best choices available for a concealed carry handgun.
I was not looking for this pistol when the opportunity to purchase was presented. I have never been much of a fan of Smith & Wesson’s semi-auto pistols. However this one was sitting used, but unfired, in a local gun shop’s case and the $349.00 price tag called out to me. That was in the early Spring and I have not looked back since.
Let’s look at the published specs:
Model: CS9 Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 7+1 Rounds
Barrel Length: 3"
Front Sight: Dot Front
Sight Rear Sight: Novak Lo Mount Carry
Grip: Rubber Grips
External Safety: Standard Smith & Wesson Decocker and Safety
Frame: Small
Finish: Matte Overall
Length: 6 1/4"
Material: Alloy
Weight Empty: 20 oz.

This grip frame almost feels too short in my hands, although once you start shooting this concern is alleviated. Surprisingly the CS9 is the lightest of the pistols reviewed in this series at 20 ounces coming in at a scant 2.3 ounces less than the polymer Walther PPS. It also was the only one of the series where I noticed appreciably more recoil when firing, but not enough to affect shot placement (this pistol was remarkably accurate—more on that later). While the slide is the second thinnest of the pistols we have looked at the last three weeks (.93 inches versus the .91 inches of the Walther PPS) the grip the fairly wide at 1.27” compared to PPS at .91” which was the thinnest and the SIG P239 which was the widest at 1.4 inches. The Hogue rubber wrap around grips add the extra width to the frame but despite it being a little wider than I would prefer, I think the rubber grips are best left on the pistol. When a pistol works this well it is best not to monkey around with it. I would prefer some checkering on the front strap, but I have to realize that due to the width and the secure grasp provided by the Hogue grips the pistol really does not move during recoil.
The CS9 is a Traditional Double Action pistol (TDA) meaning that the first round is fired with a longer heavier double action pull and subsequent shots are fired in the single action mode once the first double action pull retracted the slide, cocks the hammer and chambers the next round. That first double action pull was the heaviest of the quartet examined in this series coming in at 7.6 pounds, however that first DA pull landed the shots with the same accuracy as the single action follow-up shots. The subsequent single action shots have an average trigger pull of 4 pounds. In keeping with the concealed carry purpose of the CS9 the hammer has been bobbed meaning that the hammer spur was left off of the design so that the hammer rests flush with the rear of the slide.
On both sides of the slide is the standard Smith & Wesson decocker and safety that Smith designed in the mid 1950’s for their first modern semi-automatic pistol, the model 39. Having cut my semi-automatic teeth on the Colt Model 1911, having this lever on the slide rather than the frame seems a little awkward to me. When I grab the slide to retract it and chamber the first round I am expecting to just grasp the slide grooves but then I run into the decocking/safety lever. Up to today I have seen this as a hindrance however during this morning’s range session I realized that as my thumb and fore finger hit the lever it actually provided a pretty secure grasp and gave me a little more leverage to pull the slide to the rear. I’m sure that this will become second nature the more I shoot the pistol and I will cease to even notice it. I have seen warnings written by another gun writer that when retracting the slide some people have reported that they inadvertently engaged the decocker/safety without realizing it causing the pistol not to fire when they attempted to pull the trigger. I have not encountered this in the 1000 rounds I have put through this pistol but it is better to be aware so that it does not happen to you.
The Novak low mount rear sight comes with the standard two dots along with corresponding dot on the front sight. They provide a very good sight picture however, at the risk of sounding like a broken record; I feel that every defensive pistol would be best served with a set of night sights.
Let’s see how she shoots:
All targets fired for distance were shot with Remington UMC 115 grain JHP ammo:
21 Feet:
31 Feet:
40 and 50 Feet:
75 Feet:
All defensive ammo fired at a range of 21 feet:
5 rounds of Buffalo Bore 115 grain JHP +P
5 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124 grain Hollow Point
I really like this pistol quite a bit. This has been a tough assignment to pick one of these pistols as the “best of breed”. Of the four I prefer the SIG P239 the least for the intended purpose of concealed carry as it is the largest and bulkiest. The other three tie all are within a hair’s breadth in terms of size and all are surprisingly good shooters with the CS9 and PDA probably taking top honors in terms of accuracy. For concealment you can’t go wrong with either of the three.