952-2, 5906 Target Champion, or who knows?

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Shutthefrontdoor

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Hello,

Could anyone who owns or has owned a 952-2 or 5906 Target Champion/ PPC gun please extol their virtue(s) and vices for me? I have started my hunt and really need to spend gun money wisely. I'm letting go of a Marlin 1894 SBL plus a few revolvers to make it all happen. Hopefully with funds generated - I'll be able to buy more than one! (The wife felt that;).

Seriously though, it's going to cost me either way, and the value I see in this forum in a word is - YOU.

So please chime in; sway me, educate me, and mostly - help me make an informed decision as to which direction to go.

I'll end this with the thought that I really don't shoot that much, and I tend to baby my firearms as if parts are all made of unobtanium. My collection thus far consists of (mostly) SS revolvers between 1980-1992, but I so appreciate great design, great materials along with intuitive ergonomics.

Thank you in advance, and I'm really looking forward to learning about the once vaulted, no gone Performance Center of yore.

Thank you all again, Christopher.
 
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Well my background is that I have owned 3 5 inch PPC9s a 6 inch PPC9, a 6 inch 952 Masterpiece and a 5 inch 952. Hands down I think the 6inch PPC9 was the most accurate and coolest design. Second was the 6 inch 952 Masterpiece. Both were beautiful and both will be expensive. The 5 inch guns are much easier to come by and cheaper. The 5 inch PPC guns tend to be rode hard. So if you find a well preserved one at a good price then buy it. There is a forum member here who had/has every model/generation of the 952. New in box! So there are definitely members here who have seen them all. There actually are quite a few variations on the 952 and only 3 on the PPC9 that I know of. Good luck on your search.
 
I'VE OWNED AND SHOT ALL PPC9 VERSIONS( INCLUDING A LONE 845 WITH ARISTOCRAT 3 POSITION SIGHTS). AND A COUPLE OF THE 952's. THE PPC9's WERE MORE ACCURATE AT 50 YDS THAN THE 952's. THEY WERE ALL TESTED IN A RANSOM REST. MANY OF MY FRIENDS SHOT THE 5 INCH PPC's BETTER THAN THEIR 6 INCH VERSIONS. EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD THE SAME ACCURACY AT 50YDS FROM THE RANSOM REST. THEY FOUND THE 5 INCH WAS MORE "FORGIVING". WE WERE ALL HIGH MASTER AND MASTER CLASS PPC SHOOTERS. DOUBLE ,TRIPLE AND QUAD DISTINGUISHED SHOOTERS. JUST MY 2 CENTS WORTH. JP
 
I don’t have much to contribute other than my PPC9 is the finest gun I’ve ever shot and would be one of the last in my collection to be sold if something ever came up.

Also, we like pics around here so hopefully this one will help things move along in your quest to find one of these gems.

SVT28

be8b648a21dc357b27270bd7e99f0207.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Super short answer is that if accuracy is the ultimate determining factor on the true S&W Performance Center Limited guns, you won’t take top honors if only the 9mm guns are on your list. You’ll smoke any of them with an 845 or 945.

If it’s only about the 9mm guns and it’s only about accuracy, I believe anyone and everyone who can choose either a 952 or a PPC-9 over the other can realistically only be choosing on an example by example basis, because the top ends of these pistols are (basically) exactly the same and the slide to frame fit is as close to same as humanly possible with a hand-fitted pistol.

I’ll put it another way: it’s a false conclusion to say that all PPC’s are more accurate than all 952’s across the board. And vice versa.

It should come down to any and all other factors aside from pure mechanical accuracy if you are forced to choose between these two models.

If what you seek is an exclusive S&W grail gun chambered in 9mm, you will not fail with either model.

Keep in mind that if you want to go with the 6-inch long slide in either model, you are not talking about a small bump in price. It will be a massive bump in price.
 
I recently acquired a 5-inch Target Champion, and am very happy with it. The trigger and build quality are easily as good as my German SIG Mastershop pistols. If you are looking for a superb target pistol for inexpensive practice, I'd highly recommend a vintage Hi Standard .22 pistol made in Hampden, CT. The triggers are even better than the S&W PC target pistols, and lightly used models are available at a fraction of the price.

S-W-9mm-PC-Target-Champion.jpg
 
Be sure you understand the difference in the grip frames and sights in varies models, double stack and single stack and your intended use!

Smiles,
 
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I have to agree with Sevens . I have a PPC9 and also 945's and an 845 , which I know he has also . You just can't beat a 945 or an 845 .I let my range buddy shoot them both and he looked at me and smiled . They are truly something you have to shoot to appreciate . See if someone near you has one or both and shoot them . There's only one problem , it's a slippery slope . I don't know anyone that has one or both and are happy with just one . Once you buy a 945 and shoot it , the hunt for the next one begins . As for an 845 , there were a lot fewer made so good luck owning more than one .
 
Well here we go. Of course it all depends on what you want to do,type of shooting or just fun plinking. Im a 9mm guy,thats what I competed with and know the best. I have .45 pistols and have shot 945s while they are accurate pistols. They are not as easy to get used to as the 9mms. Now if you reload that changes somewhat. I have shot some 45 custom loads that are super accurate and light recoiling, if you can do that or afford to buy custom go for it. The 9mm P/Cs on the other hand shoot anything well especially out to 25 yards . WW white box 147 or 115 in my older guns shoots just over 1" at 25 yards. Does open up at 50 yards 3" or so occasional flyer. Also lots easier to find magazines for a 5906 than the 45 guns. And the higher capacity if you need or want it. The target champions are nice, I like the look of the rear sight better than the Aristocrat, BUT the PPC guns sight are really good sights and you can preset them for any 3 distances you want . I did one of mine for 25 ( or closer) 50 yards and 100 yards. Fun to ring the gong at 100 and just aiming dead on target. I just think you would enjoy the 9mm better first. Then as the bug hits you chase down a 945 or 845 and you can have both... Good luck.
 
Good Morning, and thank you everyone for chiming in to help me better understand the universe I chose to dive into. These guns are amazing; truly objects of precision and beauty. Unfortunately, they have climbed out of my reach as of late. I am so determined to find the right one (at the right price;) and am willing to wait. I've started going over my collection of S&W revolvers trying to chose what to cull to get to 952/5906TC/845 funds level. In between getting frustrated on GB bidding - I took a step slightly down (more sideways, I guess) and bought a LNIB 4506-1.

Good Lord! I love my 639, and it's a (little) tack driver in it's own right, but... The 4506-1 looks and feels so amazing and stout - and it looks almost unfired with no wear that I can see. Here's the embarrassing part. So, when I get a new firearm - I like to disassemble, clean/lube, look and learn, and then reassemble. I couldn't figure out how to remove the barrel from the slide!!! My buddy (the gentleman who introduced me to this amazing universe of S&W) couldn't stop laughing while on the phone with me during this initial teardown as I shot the recoil spring across the room (twice) - refused to tell me! As much as he detests "teaching" - He has a gift to those who take "it" seriously. There is occasional yelling/laughing/and even occasional praise, but through it all - He's the friend/unpaid sophist who (rightly) believes that you have to "do it" to learn it. A patient gentleman who has also taught me how to fish (using the same approach;) left it to me to figure out. I enjoy occasionally running down the YouTube rabbit hole, but still, in life - time seems to be the enemy with a wife and family in need. This all leads me to ask those reading: How... Do I remove the 4506-1 barrel?

Again I say: Thank you to everyone who has helped/guided me and saved me from making costly mistakes and lead me to building a collection that I can be proud of.

(I still really want a 952/5906 TC and now more than ever - an 845TC).
 
To remove the barrel of your 4506 (after removing the slide from the pistol and removing the recoil spring and guide from the slide) turn the slide/barrel right side up (as it would be as installed on the pistol), and push lightly down on the top of the barrel through the ejection port.

Do this over a padded surface as the barrel will fall right out.

John
 
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