Smith 952

[David LaPell]

I read an article recently on the Smith 952, and then I looked the price up on them. Wow! Ok, so enlighten me more, the article didn't go into a whole lot of details other than they came from the performance center. Other than that, why are they so special? And pricey!

 

[wlp624]

"...they came from the performance center. Other than that, why are they so special? And pricey!"

Well, let's see. Beautiful, accurate, Briley barrel bushing system, hand built, smooth as silk operation, incredibly fine craftsmanship, impeccable bloodlines, no longer in production, limited number available. Did I mention super accurate and stunningly graceful?

 

[Sevens]

All that he said. However, for a tangible insight on WHY they trade as high as they do these days... look no further than the original MSRP from Smith & Wesson. I wanna say they were made as late as... hmmm, 2006 or 2008? And MSRP at that time was over $2,100.

Today, out of production. IMO, "snowball's chance" they ever offer them again. And over $2k to buy one when they WERE available...?

That's where the crazy price comes from.

 

[jag22]

They have a built in radar so that if you just aim in the general direction of the bullseye the bullet will find it. They are that good, I swear.
I was talking to a fellow at the range, about how the 952 was at least twice as much as his pistol. He was shooting about a 6" spread. I handed him my 952, he put 7 of the 9 rounds in the red. I asked him if he now thought it was worth twice as much, he said he'll have to think about it as he left with a smile on his face.

 

[Jaymo]

I'd love to get my hands on a 952, to keep my 52-1 company.

Too bad they didn't make a stainless, 3rd gen iteration of the 52.
Then again, the factory blue on a 52 -1 is a sight to behold.

 

[gmborkovic]

I have an early 52-2 LNIB that is fantastic. This darn 952 is calling me.
I believe they made less than a thousand of them. Price is self-explanatory.
Dont you want one also?

 

[Decker]

952's are great (I've shot a friends), but I think that their being discontinued has added a lot more to their mystique than they really deserve.
The thing is, there hasn't been much out there that is as good or better in 9mm than the 952 so there isn't much to choose from new, so whatever 952 shows up is going to command "collectable" prices way beyond it's utility value of being a great target pistol.
Like Mike2796 said, they only made a thousand give or take, so if you want one, you're not paying for just a good pistol, you're paying for exclusivity and rarety and all the bragging rights that come with it.

I say that with some chagrin, because I only recently decided that my reloading hobby demanded of me to have an exceptionally accurate 9mm pistol, and there is no way I was going to drop the big bucks for a 952 safe queen that I'd be afraid to shoot.
I did, however, want a 9mm pistol that would match or beat the 952 for accuracy.

So not to denigrate S&W other than to note that they are a bunch of dufuses for discontinuing arguably their best 9mm target pistol, I'll just say that after doing a ton of research, I have bought a 9mm target pistol that can be argued to be at least as accurate, if not more accurate, than the 952, and it cost "only" a little over $1000.
The best part is that you can buy your own brand new and not have to pay collectable pricing for it since it's a current model in production right now.

Being a S&W forum, I'll leave it at that, but for people who really do want a 9mm that will knock the nuts off a gnat as well or better than the 952, there are still some examples available brand new that will do just that.

 

[muzzleblast]

David,

Please don't let these guys mislead you. The REAL reason prices are so high is 952s are being hoarded... by several of the members here...

MB

 

[muzzleblast]

... I did, however, want a 9mm pistol that would match or beat the 952 for accuracy. ... I'll just say that after doing a ton of research, I have bought a 9mm target pistol that can be argued to be at least as accurate, if not more accurate, than the 952, and it cost "only" a little over $1000. The best part is that you can buy your own brand new and not have to pay collectable pricing for it since it's a current model in production right now.

Being a S&W forum, I'll leave it at that, but for people who really do want a 9mm that will knock the nuts off a gnat as well or better than the 952, there are still some examples available brand new that will do just that.

Please don't leave us in suspense. I think most of the members here appreciate other quality handguns and would appreciate you sharing your findings. I would.

MB

 

[Decker]

Please don't leave us in suspense. I think most of the members here appreciate other quality handguns and would appreciate you sharing your findings. I would.

MB

I didn't think it would be good etiquette to name another brand on the S&W forums.
PM me and I'll tell you about my quest to find a seriously accurate 9mm pistol as good or better than the 952 (and yes, I would have liked to have one and would have bought one brand new at the time they were being made... if I wanted it "at the time". There's lots of pistols I've lamented not buying when they were available, and the 952 is just one of them).

But I'm happy now because I've got something just as good.

 

[Smithpride]

Decker, are you talking about a brand that also starts with S, has three letters and is named like a famous captain on the Deadliest Catch? Or something else from an Eastern European country?

 

[sodacan]

I didn't think it would be good etiquette to name another brand on the S&W forums.
PM me and I'll tell you about my quest to find a seriously accurate 9mm pistol as good or better than the 952 (and yes, I would have liked to have one and would have bought one brand new at the time they were being made... if I wanted it "at the time". There's lots of pistols I've lamented not buying when they were available, and the 952 is just one of them).

But I'm happy now because I've got something just as good.

None of us knew that there were brands other than S&W. Thank you for enlightening us. BTW, there's a whole section on this forum for other brands, and we do name names. DUH!!!

 

[David LaPell]

I can understand prices of $2K or so, but I was seeing prices over the $5K range for the long slide version of the 952. I haven't even seen a standard version for sale. As much as I hate to say it, I would be able to finely tune my Model 39 for a lot less if I wanted to ruin its originality, but I would think I could get another Model 39 someday that I wouldn't care about and maybe revamp that gun a tad.

 

[Sevens]

Definitely silly and nowhere outside ettiquette to name another brand of pistol that can hang in the same elite circle as the 952.

For my buck, it just so happens that I was fortunate enough to luck in to a semi-auto pistol better than a 952. It is, however, not a 9mm -- it is .45cal. That would be my 845.

My "best" 9mm is not at the elite level of the 952. However, at 25-30% of the price -- my Tanfoglio Elite Match is a phenomenal handgun for the money.

 

[Sevens]

David, if you (truly) possess the kind of raw skill to turn a Model 39 or 39-2 in to a pistol to the level anywhere near a 952, then I suggest you DO IT. There are hundreds of thousands of 39-2 pistols out there and I would pay 2x the going rate for a 39-2 that acts like a 952.

Keep in mind that with a little "give" in the numbers...
Twice the $$$ of a 39-2 is HALF the money of a 952.

You show me and I am a buyer.

 

[Decker]

Definitely silly and nowhere outside ettiquette to name another brand of pistol that can hang in the same elite circle as the 952.

For my buck, it just so happens that I was fortunate enough to luck in to a semi-auto pistol better than a 952. It is, however, not a 9mm -- it is .45cal. That would be my 845.

My "best" 9mm is not at the elite level of the 952. However, at 25-30% of the price -- my Tanfoglio Elite Match is a phenomenal handgun for the money.

I just didn't want to start a pissing match, that's all.

So to put it right out there, what I bought WILL run at the "elite" level of the 952, and the P210 as well.
I settled on the CZ Tactical Sport. Out of the box, it will shoot a one ragged hole group at 15m, and that's at a "cheap" investment of just a little over $1100 for a current production pistol that you don't have to search for and spend collectable prices on.
I considered the Tanfoglio Elite Match myself, but it's actually a CZ copy and I thought I might as well go with the "original".
However, the Tanfoglio Elite Match is still a fine pistol and a person couldn't be wrong going with either it or the CZ/TS.

By the way, production CZ 75B is itself an extremely accurate pistol, I think about one of the best of the basic combat pistols.
I have come to like mine (a 75B in stainless) even more than my 5906 because it has a notably better trigger, and it gives you the option of carrying and shooting in SA just like a 1911, or in DA first shot like the 5906.

So there, I hope I didn't start a pissing match.

 

[wlp624]

David, if you (truly) possess the kind of raw skill to turn a Model 39 or 39-2 in to a pistol to the level anywhere near a 952, then I suggest you DO IT. There are hundreds of thousands of 39-2 pistols out there and I would pay 2x the going rate for a 39-2 that acts like a 952.

Keep in mind that with a little "give" in the numbers...
Twice the $$$ of a 39-2 is HALF the money of a 952.

You show me and I am a buyer.

They tried something similar in the middle ages. It was called Alchemy, and turning lead into gold didn't work out any better than trying to make a 39 shoot like a 952 does.

 

[wlp624]

I have a large collection of semi-auto target pistols, and here's the only 9mm that comes close to the 952 for my money. Its the Briley 'TargetMaster' Longslide on the left, the 5" on the right is a .45 ACP. Unfortunately, it too is no longer in production...

 

[Decker]

I have a large collection of semi-auto target pistols, and here's the only 9mm that comes close to the 952 for my money. Its the Briley 'TargetMaster' Longslide on the left, the 5" on the right is a .45 ACP. Unfortunately, it too is no longer in production...

You prove my point.

A pistol that goes out of production immediately takes on an aura of mystery and excellence far beyond what it earned while it was in production.
I have no doubt that your Briley is a great shooter, but don't kid yourself that there aren't a few others in production RIGHT NOW that couldn't beat it.

By the way Sevens; I misspoke about the Tanfoglio Match Elite.
That is a "good" pistol, but it is not the one I was thinking of when I said that I was considering a Tanfoglio myself.
The Tanfoglio I was comparing to the CZ Tactical Sport was actually the "Elite Limited", and it costs a few hundred MORE than the CZ/TS.
I didn't consider that the difference was worth it since the Tanfoglio is, after all, a copy of the CZ to begin with.
While I liked the adjustable sights and re-drilled for scope" of the Elite Limited, neither of those features was a deal breaker for me, and I very much preferred the longer barrel of the CZ/TS, plus, the CZ came with three magazines and not just one like the Elite Limited.
The 5.4" barrel of the CZ/TS compared to the 4.75" of the Elite Limited WAS a deal breaker for me, so that, along with the better price for the CZ along with a large list of mods and options that can be done easily at a later date (from czcustom.com) make me realize that the CZ was what I wanted.

You watch, if CZ discontinued the Tactical Sport, it would immediately gain mystical properties of accuracy far beyond it's current excellent capability, and you'd hear people say things like "you only have to point it toward a target and it will hit the bullseye every time".
Can't wait for that.

 

[muzzleblast]

39/52/952...

They tried something similar in the middle ages. It was called Alchemy, and turning lead into gold didn't work out any better than trying to make a 39 shoot like a 952 does.

The model 52s and model 952s are based off of the model 39 design.