Smith & Wesson Model 952: Smith's newest is a blend of 9mm power and classic accuracy

American Handgunner, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Charles E. Petty

Long before we had IPSC, IDPA or speed shooting there was just one competitive pistol event. And way before S&W had Third, or even Second Generation pistols they had a target pistol that was a real player. The sport was NRA Bullseye pistol and the gun was the Model 52 Master.

The Model 52 evolved from the 9mm Model 39, but it was a true target pistol and compliment to S&W's superb Model 41. In bullseye pistol, there are three matches: .22, centerfire and .45 caliber handguns. Originally, bullseye events were shot with revolvers, but following World War II the use of automatic pistols grew -- primarily as gunsmiths learned how to accurize the Government Model .45. The improvements in .22 autoloaders came from High Standard and Colt. But the centerfire match was a different story. Long after autoloaders ruled the other phases, you saw a lot of Colt or Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolvers in the centerfire matches.

Custom gunsmiths began to convert Colt .38 Super pistols to shoot .38 Special wadcutter ammunition, but there was a very real demand for a .38 Special pistol from a major maker. Smith's involvement began with a project that adapted their Model 39 to shoot the short-lived .38 AMU for Army and Air Force pistol teams, but the cartridge really didn't gain much acceptance. Demand for the more easily found .38 Special wadcutter ammo continued to rise. The result was, in 1961, a modified Model 39 with the double-action trigger locked out. It became the Model 52.

The Model 52 is a joy to shoot. It is also the hardest target pistol there is to shoot well. The light recoil and modest slide pace lull the shooter into a false sense of security. The gentle recoil which makes it so attractive is also the curse. The leisurely pace at which the bullet goes down the barrel means that a shooter who fails to properly follow-through can actually begin to relax before the bullet has left the barrel and turn a shot that would have been a ten into a nine -- or worse.

As the popularity of bullseye competition waned, sales of the Model 52, never large, dropped too and the gun disappeared from the catalog. It has been in and out of the catalog and right now it's out, but a gun can be specially ordered through the Performance Center, if you just have to have one.

And Why Not?

One of the things that made the Model 52 so much fun was the shape of the grip which just plain feels good, and an almost-always great trigger pull. So now, with the rise of IDPA and changes in IPSC rules that don't always penalize the 9mm, once more there is a need for a real target pistol from a major manufacturer. What could be more logical than to update the basic Model 52 design, chamber it for the 9mm Luger -- which is now competitively cool -- and have the whole thing put together by the Performance Center. Voila. We have the Model 952.

A cursory glance won't show many differences. The rear sight is different and the weird bushing of the original 52 is replaced with the spherical style seen on most Performance Center pistols. At first glance it looks as if the 952 is now equipped with a grip safety, for the back-strap is movable, where the 52's is not.

But it isn't a grip safety, it's a firing pin safety that depends on the grip rather than some connection with the trigger. This is a descendent of the 1930s Swartz firing pin safety once found on Colt Government Models and now seen on Kimber's Series II pistols, or S&W's latest 945. It is a better design and has no harmful effect on the trigger pull, which is a creep-free 4 pounds.

The thingy that looked like a safety on the Model 52 really is one now. Before, it blocked the firing pin for dry firing, as this one does, but this version has no decocking function, like we're used to with double-action S&W designs. The single-column magazine has a nine round capacity and the ubiquitous magazine safety is present.

The grip shape is very comfortable, which is a big factor in the shootability department, but the mechanical stuff is good too. As we're used to now from Performance Center pistols, the slide to frame fit is slick with no vertical or horizontal movement. You can also feel the thing lock up with a "snick" in that last little bit of movement before the slide goes completely into battery. That feel is the result of the match barrel's bottom lug mating nicely with the slide stop pin. This is how it's supposed to be.

One thing that hasn't changed is how much fun it is to shoot. At 40 ounces, the 952 isn't exactly dainty so it absorbs quite a bit of recoil with weight alone. Recoil is not exactly brutal for the 9mm anyhow, so it's possible to shoot the 952 fast with a minimum of muzzle flip. The 952 does not have the problem of slow bullets so -- while you still have to follow through just as with any gun -- it is not going to jump up and bite you either.

The 952 is utterly reliable and joyously accurate. Throughout my customary three step test there have been no stoppages of any kind. First was about 100 rounds for break-in and familiarization. The second part was testing in the Ransom Rest as shown in the table, and the third step included shooting with a wide variety of ammo with bullets of every weight and shape. That part went on longer than usual just because the thing was so much fun to shoot.