Certainly is an interesting question with a host of "possibles". I own several 52's, but owning the 952 was never in the cards for me. While it is no doubt a fine pistol S&W priced it way out of my reach and most others. I instead opted to purchase a German made Sig P-210 which IMHO is a far better pistol. Now don't shoot the messenger, I said it was MY opinion. I bought a Legend Target P-210 and it is far more accurate than I am and is a real pleasure to shoot with its two-stage trigger. When I bought my P-210 it was much more affordable than a 952.

Ironically and for a host of reasons Sig stopped importing the German made P-210's and after a lengthy hiatus, the P-210 is now being built in the USA for our consumption. While I haven't shot one yet, I have looked at them and they seem every bit as well built as the German made pistols. From what I have read and heard the US built P-210's are quite accurate and hold their own against German and Swiss built models.

Now for the kicker, the Sig US built pistols cost less than the ones made in Europe, quite a bit less in fact. So it is possible to have your cake and eat it too! Smith and Wesson COULD re-introduce the 952 if they wanted to and perhaps with a little forethought it could even be offered at a "reasonable" price. Reasonable is the key word. If Sig USA can build a Target P-210 for around $1,500.00 I would think Smith and Wesson could build a 952 for close to the same price. How much did the fancy, dancey case that 952's came in add to the overall price of them? Unfortunately Smith and Wesson seems more interested in cranking out plastic pistols, 1911 clones and AR-15's that already proliferate the market place. While the 952 may have been a special pistol, it will never be a great pistol as far too few of them made into the hands of the unwashed masses. S&W missed the mark on that one, by a country mile.


Rick H.