I received a much-anticipated S&W 952-1 today. It is in mint condition and doesn't appear to have ever been fired although the previous owner thinks the original owner may have put a hundred rounds through it. It's been sitting in his safe waiting to be sold to me.
I've been looking for a 952-1 for a short while in my quest to assemble a collection of the greatest 9mm production models in existance. I consider the 952-(1 or 2) to be one of the Holy Trinity of 9mm, the other 2 being the Sig P210 and the HK P7M8. I need a P210-(5 or 6) to complete the trinity.
I'll start by saying this gun is as beautiful as I have heard and as it appeared in all of the pictures I have seen. I hadn't handled one before taking my own out of it's PC case. The blued finish and wood grips are beautiful! You can sense the superior craftsmanship and quality when you pick it up. The slide action is the smoothest I've encountered, it's as if it's on rollers. The closest in comparison that I know is that of the P210.
I has just finished shooting my Ed Brown Kobra Carry (also arrived new today-- glorious day I know) and a P7M8 when I took out the 952. The controls are similiar to that of the 1911 with a backstrap and thumb safety, although the thumb safety isn't as intuitive or ergonomic as that of the Kobra Carry. This isn't intended as a CCW so that is an irrelevant point for me. It points extremely well. The trigger take up is very short and it breaks like glass, very similiar to that of a finely-tuned 1911. The recoil is minimal with even less muzzle flip. It is extremely comfortable to shoot although not quite as smooth as the P7M8. This impression may change as I've put many more rounds through my P7 and I was unfortunately shooting the 952 at the end of a long day of shooting.
My first group was a bit disappointing as I got used to the feel, after putting down the P7M8. The second magazine produced 1 ragged hole at 7 yards with minimal effort. It only got better from there as I moved out to, my current range maximum distance, 15 yards. This gun can outshoot me by a mile but I look forward to practicing to put it to the test.
Of note I had 3 FTE out of 200 rounds of CCI Blazer and WWB. I've gone through thousands of rounds of Blazer and fewer of WWB with no ammo-related malfunctions in my other guns so I don't care to debate the pros and cons of any certain ammo. All three were stovepipes and cleared easily. It never went to slidelock at the end of any magazine and I don't know whether this is peculiar to the 952 function or if there is a problem. Other than this it performed magnificently. Any input here appreciated.
Disassembly was pretty easy for a field strip cleaning but reassembly was a little difficult when getting the barrel into the bushing, lining up the recoil spring and then reinserting the slidelock pin. It should get better with practice.
Overall this is an amazing gun and I recommend it for anyone with a taste for superior 9mm firearms. I think the 952 is underappreciated as compared to the Sig P210. I've heard from many who have both that the 952 shoots as well or better than the P210. One day I will have to make that judgement for myself.
I've been looking for a 952-1 for a short while in my quest to assemble a collection of the greatest 9mm production models in existance. I consider the 952-(1 or 2) to be one of the Holy Trinity of 9mm, the other 2 being the Sig P210 and the HK P7M8. I need a P210-(5 or 6) to complete the trinity.
I'll start by saying this gun is as beautiful as I have heard and as it appeared in all of the pictures I have seen. I hadn't handled one before taking my own out of it's PC case. The blued finish and wood grips are beautiful! You can sense the superior craftsmanship and quality when you pick it up. The slide action is the smoothest I've encountered, it's as if it's on rollers. The closest in comparison that I know is that of the P210.
I has just finished shooting my Ed Brown Kobra Carry (also arrived new today-- glorious day I know) and a P7M8 when I took out the 952. The controls are similiar to that of the 1911 with a backstrap and thumb safety, although the thumb safety isn't as intuitive or ergonomic as that of the Kobra Carry. This isn't intended as a CCW so that is an irrelevant point for me. It points extremely well. The trigger take up is very short and it breaks like glass, very similiar to that of a finely-tuned 1911. The recoil is minimal with even less muzzle flip. It is extremely comfortable to shoot although not quite as smooth as the P7M8. This impression may change as I've put many more rounds through my P7 and I was unfortunately shooting the 952 at the end of a long day of shooting.
My first group was a bit disappointing as I got used to the feel, after putting down the P7M8. The second magazine produced 1 ragged hole at 7 yards with minimal effort. It only got better from there as I moved out to, my current range maximum distance, 15 yards. This gun can outshoot me by a mile but I look forward to practicing to put it to the test.
Of note I had 3 FTE out of 200 rounds of CCI Blazer and WWB. I've gone through thousands of rounds of Blazer and fewer of WWB with no ammo-related malfunctions in my other guns so I don't care to debate the pros and cons of any certain ammo. All three were stovepipes and cleared easily. It never went to slidelock at the end of any magazine and I don't know whether this is peculiar to the 952 function or if there is a problem. Other than this it performed magnificently. Any input here appreciated.
Disassembly was pretty easy for a field strip cleaning but reassembly was a little difficult when getting the barrel into the bushing, lining up the recoil spring and then reinserting the slidelock pin. It should get better with practice.
Overall this is an amazing gun and I recommend it for anyone with a taste for superior 9mm firearms. I think the 952 is underappreciated as compared to the Sig P210. I've heard from many who have both that the 952 shoots as well or better than the P210. One day I will have to make that judgement for myself.
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