...At least not in person. This is a quick range review of a fairly rare pistol. The Smith and Wesson PPC9. It is essentially a modified, hand built, 5906 S&W 9mm. This pistol was made by the Performance Center for Police Pistol Competition, hence the name PPC. My understanding is that you needed a letter from your PD, on letterhead, stating you were LE to purchase. The PPC match rules specifically call out the SW PPC9 as being allowed in the Distinguished Semi-Auto Pistol class. They came in 5" or 6" barrel versions, and mine is the 5". The 5906 is normally a DA/SA pistol, but the internals have been modified so it is SAO. The safety lever is safety only, and does not prevent the hammer falling when the trigger is pulled, it just blocks the firing pin. Since it is SAO, there is no de-cock feature.
Another difference from the std. 5906 is the Briley spherical bushing that holds the barrel for increased accuracy. It's a little tricky lining up the bushing and barrel when replacing the barrel.
You can see that the barrel is engraved, and the slide is stamped with a portion of the serial number as the gun is hand fit. The pin protruding from the recoil guide is actually spring loaded. I am not sure if this is meant as an additional recoil buffer, or just a detente for slide stop/take down pin
The barrel shows polishing from the midway point to the crown as part of the fitting process. Another interesting feature is the Aristocrat sight. The PPC matches shot at multiple distances out to 50 yards. The sight has 3 allen adjustments on the top, to set zero's at three separate distances, so you could sight it in at 7, 25, and 50 yards, then the screw on the side clicks between the 3 different zero's for easy adjustment during a match. I'm tempted to set up #3 as 100yds as this pistol has the accuracy for it. They are supposed to shoot sub 2" diameter groups at 50 yards.
Some more typical features that you would see on competition pistols come from the factory with the PPC9. Checkering on the front strap, over-sized mag release button, and blended magwell.
This gun certainly stands up to the craftsmanship of the 952 series, and as it is a double stack, with a mag well, is a little more practical / tactical. The shooting experience was wonderful. Very crisp, clear sights and a hair trigger that cannot be more than 2.5 lbs. As it is all steel, it is a heavy gun, and the rubber hogue grips absorb the 9mm recoil nicely. All told, a very nice range pistol on par with a Sig X5 or SW 952.
Another difference from the std. 5906 is the Briley spherical bushing that holds the barrel for increased accuracy. It's a little tricky lining up the bushing and barrel when replacing the barrel.
You can see that the barrel is engraved, and the slide is stamped with a portion of the serial number as the gun is hand fit. The pin protruding from the recoil guide is actually spring loaded. I am not sure if this is meant as an additional recoil buffer, or just a detente for slide stop/take down pin
The barrel shows polishing from the midway point to the crown as part of the fitting process. Another interesting feature is the Aristocrat sight. The PPC matches shot at multiple distances out to 50 yards. The sight has 3 allen adjustments on the top, to set zero's at three separate distances, so you could sight it in at 7, 25, and 50 yards, then the screw on the side clicks between the 3 different zero's for easy adjustment during a match. I'm tempted to set up #3 as 100yds as this pistol has the accuracy for it. They are supposed to shoot sub 2" diameter groups at 50 yards.
Some more typical features that you would see on competition pistols come from the factory with the PPC9. Checkering on the front strap, over-sized mag release button, and blended magwell.
This gun certainly stands up to the craftsmanship of the 952 series, and as it is a double stack, with a mag well, is a little more practical / tactical. The shooting experience was wonderful. Very crisp, clear sights and a hair trigger that cannot be more than 2.5 lbs. As it is all steel, it is a heavy gun, and the rubber hogue grips absorb the 9mm recoil nicely. All told, a very nice range pistol on par with a Sig X5 or SW 952.
