The contender: Smith & Wesson 952
Caliber: 9mm
In your hand: This 9mm is heavy and so there was little recoil. The wooden handgrips added a nice feel. The magazine holds 9 rounds, and with one in the chamber a total of 10. The design is reminded me of a 1911, but aesthetically, this handgun is gorgeous.
On the range: Sighting was great. Myopic me was able to put all 10 rounds within a 5 inch circle at 10 yards. This is the best shooting I've done yet.
Overall: Smith & Wesson is a venerable American handgun company located in Springfield, MA. The S&W is a close runner-up to the Kimber Target II 9mm I raved about back here.
When it comes to selecting a handgun, so much goes into the ergonomics of the individual. I'm not a big fan of the later S & W Automatics. Though the model you shot is a good handgun, S & W autos suffered over the last decade from shoddy craftsmanship. They relied on sales to Law Enforcement/institutional buyers to make up for low consumer demand and LE didn't respond well no matter what sort of discount they offered. I've heard that with the 952, they are trying to gain the ground that they lost. Having said that, their revolvers have always been well made.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what happened to them. Possibly somebody's idiot nephew was put in charge of the production of autos.
Though the model you shot is a good handgun, S & W autos suffered over the last decade from shoddy craftsmanship.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's like what happened to Harley-Davidson when AMF bought them?