S&W PC945 Accuracy

[schmeky]

I have been sorta/kinda' eye-ballin' a 945 for about a year. Looks great and seems to exude quality. So I checked some posts on the S&W Forum and found numerous complaints about how inaccurate the 945 was.

3", 25 rested groups were typical. Does anyone else have any experience with the 945, and if so how was the accuracy?

I don't want to pay big bucks for service grade accuracy. If 3" is typical, my Les Baer and CZ-97 will easily out-accurate the 945.

 

[18DAI]

There was a fellow at the range Saturday with a compact black 945. Looked to be about 3.5" barrel. He was EXTREMELY frustrated with his pistols accuracy. I loaned him a sandbag to rest it on. Based on his string of epithets/comments that did not improve matters. I thought that the short sight radius might be affecting the accuracy.

As he was packing up he looked at my targets and asked what I was shooting. "Smith 4516" I replied. He shook his head and said "I shoulda bought three of those instead!"

Those pistols are not cheap either!! TJ

 

[novalty]

I am not a fan of the 3" - 3.5" barrels on guns for target shooting. Prefer the 4"-5". The 3" - 3.5" barrels are good for ccw's, but the short sight radius, I find difficult to keep close groups for target practice--but then again, I am not a great shooter.

 

[JTQ]

3" barrel on a S&W 945?

I'm not an expert on the S&W 945, but I don't think that pistol has ever been offered with anything other than a 5" barrel. I think you may be thinking about some other pistol.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...ING&attributeValueOperator1=EQUAL&isFirearm=Y

The S&W 945 has a very good reputation. It is a Performance Center model, which in general, is the source of S&W's finest offerings.

 

[schmeky]

I have no idea where the 3" thing came from. I am primarily interested in the 5" versions only. They made a few in 4", the shortest I am aware of.

 

[distra]

I went up the the Springfield MA S&W shooting center and rented a 945 because I was REALLY wanting one bad! My wife suggested that instead of spending the money go rent it, shoot it and see if you like it. Well my dreams were crushed after shooting it. My full size S&W 1911 is a much more accurate pistol for half the price. I was not impressed with the PC945. There are a lot better pistols out there for the price. I'm a S&W fan and own several of their autos and revolvers, but the PC945 is not one I'd rush out and buy.

 

[schmeky]

Distra,

You probably just saved me some serious money. I realize for some folks, accuracy is not the ultimate nirvana, but I won't keep a pistol that can't measure up to my definition of accurate, based on it's intended use/design.

I would have thought a PC945 would have the capability of shooting one hole groups at 25 yards, but this seems to be far from the case.

Again, thanx

 

[pippin53]

Barrel sizes for the 945 are : 5" , 4" , 3.75" , and 3.25".
Never heard of anything less than stellar accuracy from them.
They also have a lot going for them in the reliability department, esp. compared to most 1911s

 

[mec]

Last night, I dug out an American Handgunner from 1999 in which Charles E. Petty extolls the virtues of the 945. The only negative factors he mentioned were difficulty in taking the thing apart and getting it back together. He mentioned the Briley Bushing as complicating the reassembly process but, at the same time," contributres to the pistol's outstanding accuracy."
He reported an average group sizes of 1.544 inches for ten different loads x three five shot 25 yard groups each the largest single group was 2.45" with the largest 3 shot average bein 2.05"

This is the only thing I've seen that credits the 945 with anything greater than ordinary accuracy. Possible that he was operation on a different plane of existence.

 

[18DAI]

The only S&W 45 I've seen do under 2" groups at 25 yards was a PC Shorty 45. That pistol shot like a laser.

Too bad they only made around 200 of them.