Full size 9mm handguns are famously easy to shoot well. They kick but little and offer a pleasant shooting experience. When you wish to push the handgun to the Nth degree, as in pistol competition, the game quickly separates winners and losers. The pistol illustrated is possibly the most comfortable 9mm pistol I have fired. Control is good and so is reliability and accuracy. Intelligent human engineering results in a game ready handgun well worth its price. The Spec Series V isn’t inexpensive but compared to a ‘real race gun’ by a competition shop the pistol is affordable and a good place for a start in many forms of competition. When speed accuracy and rapid decision making are stressed a reliable competitive handgun such as the SPEC V is a valuable asset.
The Smith & Wesson SPEC V and Federal Gold Medal Match load proved a good combination.
The Pedigree
A few years ago Smith & Wesson introduced a metal frame version of the Military & Police 9mm. While polymer frame striker fired handguns are popular service and defense handguns offering both durability and affordability some shooters wanted a heavier handgun. Smith & Wesson responded with an aluminum frame 9mm. The line of sight is improved for some shooters. Polymer frame handguns tend to be slide heavy causing some shooters to fire low. You may train around this tendency but the metal frame 9mm is better balanced. The Military & Police Metal Frame 9mm isn’t slide heavy at all but is well balanced. S&W also introduced a SPEC version with a compensator. These handguns offer greater performance and have been well accepted. While the polymer frame handgun is easy enough to carry all day and night heavier frame handguns shoot better no surprises there. The latest S&W is a SPEC pistol from the Performance Center. This handgun features a stainless steel frame and more highly developed Strike Industries compensator. The result is a pistol in the Government Model 1911 weight range, just shy of a CZ Shadow’s weight. The SPEC V weighs over 40 ounces loaded. This makes for a very good shooting handgun.
This is a typical locked breech short recoil design. Function is flawless.
The Spec V (for brevity) is designed for a specific role. The kit in the hard lockable case includes a challenge coin, a neat little folding knife, grip inserts, and three 23 round magazines. Performance Center guns often feature an improved trigger action and certain cosmetic upgrades. The Spec V has these and the result is an attractive high performance handgun. The frame is stainless steel. The pistol is finished in gray and blue, a combination of Armorite and anodizing. The Spec V features three dot tritium night sights. While these wedge type sights are designed for accuracy tritium inserts add a level of efficiency in home defense. The slide features lightening cuts and well designed forward and rear cocking serrations. The pistol is a double action only trigger design. As the slide is racked the striker is prepped against spring pressure. A long pull of the trigger both cocks and drops the striker. Numerous competition oriented handguns such as the SIG P320, Canik, and Walther are single action designs. Most of us are more comfortable with a double action only carry gun. The SPEC V has a well defined defensive role. The M&P 9mm will be at the least competitive in action shooting with this highly tuned DAO trigger. The Spec V features the flat trigger introduced in 2.0 upgrades a few years ago. The S&W trigger is tuned by the Performance Center. This is as good as it gets in a striker fired action breaking at a clean 3.5 pounds. The balance of adhesion and abrasion in the handle is excellent, offering a firm hold in tactical movement. The pistol features an accessory rail for mounting combat lights and a removeable magazine well. The SPEC V features an ambidextrous slide lock and reversible magazine catch. Disassembly is simple enough. Double check to be certain the handgun is unloaded. Remove the magazine, lock the slide to the rear, rotate the take-down lever, and release the slide to allow it to run off the frame. The recoil spring is easily lifted out. The barrel cannot be removed without removing the compensator. The compensator is sealed with loc-tite at the factory. Heat would have to be applied to remove the compensator. It isn’t difficult to clean the barrel without removing it from the slide and the factory loc-tite will prevent barrel rotation as the round count grows.
The S&W 2.0 trigger is a crisp and controllable trigger action.
A Strike Industries compensator offers excellent muzzle flip control.
Optic Ready
An advantage of the S&W Spec V is the Competition Optics Ready Equipment system. Seven mounting plates are included with the CORE system along with a good range of screws for mounting most of the available red dot sights. Most of my range work was accomplished with iron sights, however, I also mounted a Vortex Defender ST at one point. The combination is a good one, and mounting the red dot simple enough.
The grip frame offers a good balance of adhesion and abrasion. A wide mouth magazine well offers real speed in replacing the magazine.
Firing Test
I am nearing 600 rounds of ammunition over the past few months in this handgun. There have been no failures to feed chamber fire or eject. This is unusual in a compensated handgun but it should not be. It is difficult sometimes to mount an aftermarket compensator, even a barreled combination, and expect it to run well. The weight of a compensator hanging on the barrel changes the recoil cycle. S&W has done their R&D with this setup. Lightening cuts are not simply for looks the size and weight combination works as designed. The compensator directs powder gas upward. The result is limiting muzzle flip. The pistol shoots flat. Time between shots is faster than a non compensated pistol. Muzzle flip is subdued as you allow the trigger to reset between shots. Reset is rapid making for fast shooting. The weight of the pistol helps arrest recoil. The combination is a tractable handgun. Fast combat shooting is impressive. I executed several drills, drawing and firing at 7, 10, and 15 yards, and firing at multiple targets. The SPEC V definitely provides a trained shooter an advantage. During the firing test I used a variety of FMJ ammunition. The pistol was abused with steel case ammunition which all pistols do not feed reliably. Much of the ammunition was Remington 115 grain FMJ. Results were good. I also fired a good mix of service loads including the Federal 147 grain HST +P. As may be expected the compensator shows its advantage with +P loads. There was little difference in felt recoil between standard pressure and +P ammunition.
A minority of shooting was done with the Vortex red dot. Results were good.
Absolute Accuracy
Practical accuracy in speed shooting is good. With more time in the shooter and the pistol would perform even better. I also fired for accuracy from a solid benchrest rest firing position. This is an important part of the test for a competition pistol. At 25 yards the pistol compliments a trained shooter. I fired three loads, firing two five shot groups each. The three loads are a mix of practice, defense, and competition loads. Results are listed below.
Load 5 shot groups 25 yards
Blazer 115 grain FMJ 2.45 in.
Speer 124 grain Gold Dot 2.15 in.
Federal 147 grain 1.8 in.
This is a great shooting pistol! I think the SPEC V is a welcome innovation. While the M&P 9mm is a fine defensive handgun and the aluminum frame SPEC pistol has merit, the SPEC V is at the top of the totem pole in performance.
Carrying the SPEC V
During a recent natural emergency I was interested to note that many emergency personnel and civilians alike were carrying their handguns in chest holsters. Chest holsters keep the handgun off the belt line while you are clearing debris and searching and clearing structures yet the pistol is ready for immediate use. The Wasatch chest holster is a solid design with a sturdy Kydex holster attached to webbing to offer a versatile holster combination. Wasatchholsters.com Despite the weight of the SPEC V this combination makes for a viable defensive combination. The SPEC V with good quality defensive loads and a combat light would make a first class home defender.
Wasatch’s chest holster is a viable rig for the SPEC V.
Specs
MSRP $1699
SKU 14284
Caliber 9mm
Width 1.65 in.
Length 9.75 in.
Height 5.8 in.
Weight 39.6 oz.
Barrel Length 4.875 in.
Magazines 3, 23 round.
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