I have been a model 52 shooter for 3 decades or more. They are utterly fantastic pistols but do take a little getting used to.

When the 952 was announced I was thrilled. A model 52 chambered in 9mm would be a GREAT gun. I bought one and went to the range with my 115JHP handloads that shoot a ragged hole out of my Walther P88. I was seriously dissapointed in the 952.

Do not get me wrong, the 952 is more accurate than S&Ws production 9MM pistols. It is a target gun in it's own right. It just is not a model 52 except in name and appearance.


I tried four or five different factory loads, all of my hand loads and those the magazines said worked best in it. None of them really thrilled me.

I kept my 952 because it is a beautiful piece and I hoped that one day I would stumble on a load that would make it group like it's namesake, the Model 52.

When the X-5 family first went into production, I hesitated spending the kind of money that the X-5 L1 was going for. After about I year, I broke down and bought one. It was the biggest mistake of my life.

The X-5 is one of the finest shooting 9MM pistols that I have ever held. I truly believe that the way an X-5 shoots can not properly be put into words, it needs to be experienced.

I have taken many perspective target pistol owners to the range to shoot my X-5 and if you lived closer, I would make the same offer to you. Most people are just blown away at haow natural the X-5 is to shoot and how good it makes them look on paper.

I have found that the X-5s shoot fantastic groups with almost any ammunitioon. It is hard to make then shoot bad.

The X-Family of pistols is so good that I now own 8 of them. I have my original X-5 L1 and a P220 X-6 L1 to go with it.


I have X-5 Competitions in 9MM and 40 S&W. I picked up an X-5 Tactical TB that I shoot suppressed.



Then there are two of the X-5 Allrounds. One in 9MM and a second in 357SIG.


And most recenty, I added a P226 X-6 Scandic Blue but I do not have photographs of that one.

I am sure as other variants are released, I will expand the number of X-Family pistols that I have.

Extra magazines are a non-isseue. While the 19 rould aluminium base plate magazine that ships with the X-5 L1 does bring almost $80 from a dealer, the X-5s use all the same magazines as the standard model 226.