Back up recommendations for center fire pistol

I have a S&W model 52-2 that I use for center fire competition.  It has a lot of rounds thru it and I am concerned that if something breaks I wont be able to get it fixed quickly.  I am 73 and have not reached my bullseye goals yet, so if something breaks I need to get it fixed or replaced ASAP.  Should I obtain some spare parts (which ones?) or buy a another gun.  I also have arthritis in my shooting hand and have trouble with my 45 in rapid fire.  So I need a soft shooting pistol.  I have some thoughts but I would like to hear from the bullseye community to see what others do before making a decision.  Any suggestions for back up center fire pistols?
Doug

If money isn't too big an option, I'd look at three routes...

1. Have Jon Eulette build you a really soft shooting 45 with a fast twist barrel. He's getting good accuracy at really low charge weights. Then use this for both CF and 45.

2. Have someone (Jon?) Build you a 38 special 1911.

3. Go with a Pardini in 32acp, and shoot factory ammo.

Personally, in terms of achieving your goals, I'd go option 1. This isn't an end-all list, though. I'm sure other will throw out options.

Dave

If you like the 52 and it works for you the easiest thing may be to find another 52. The big downside to a custom build (eg. Jon, KC, AXI, ect.) is that if you ordered today, you probably would not get the build for a fairly significant amount of time. A year or more wait is not uncommon on custom builds.

There's factory 32ACP?? Good enough for this purpose I mean.

straybrit wrote:There's factory 32ACP?? Good enough for this purpose I mean.

Hmm... perhaps not. I do not shoot 32acp, but I thought there was something available...

And yes, what Chris said. Wait time is an issue.

Dave

Dave

Sigh - I expect to be shooting 32ACP this summer and you got me all excited there.

Wait time is what it is - there's very few smiths that work in this space that do the job properly. In my experience your average local smith, assuming you can even find one, has no concept of a handgun that is accurate at 50 yards.  As someone who has projects running with both Jon and KC believe me I know how frustrating it is but I'd much rather have it done right and take some time.

PS Jon and KC - no I am not complaining, yes I am impatient to play with my new toys :-)

If you have Arthritis then, IMHO, a 32ACP Pardini is not the way to go. The only 50 yard accurate ammo in a Pardini OEM barrel is XTP60 or XTP85 bullets at quite high velocity - good factory ammo is currently unobtainable - bullets are back on the market for reloading. Most of the "personal defense" brands with JHP or other bullets are, IMHO, not accurate at 50yds (not great even at 25yds!!!). 

The good ammo makes for quite a snappy recoil impulse and I found that with the factory (or standard Rink) anatomical grips where your wrist is extended forward I got a sharp jolt straight up my forearm every time - bound to give me Tendinitis. I resolved that by switching to Rink "upright" grips (closer to 1911 angle), but even so the recoil can be sharp. OK, many folks are using T&B 64LSWC loaded for the short line with a softer recoil, some have replaced the OEM barrel with a tighter .308 barrel and get good results at 50yds even with lead bullets. But all of that starts to get complicated and probably does not suit the OP's purpose.

If you are happy with your 52 and you have ammo that works, just buy another 52!

The Pardini looks interesting.    I don’t know anything about them. Are they readily available? How about spare parts?   Can I reload for it?  
 I shoot a model 41 in rimfire. Can I get grips for the model 41 similar to the Pardini grips?.

Pardini's are readily available - either direct from Pardini USA or from Champions Choice (their stocking dealer). It is also possible to buy an SP22 and also a conversion kit for 32ACP or even 32SWL. Or two complete guns. Take a look at the Pardini website.

As I mentioned in my previous post - even though I am a Pardini fan - think carefully about recoil impulse and your Arthritis before making a decision.

RoyDean wrote:If you have Arthritis then, IMHO, a 32ACP Pardini is not the way to go. The only 50 yard accurate ammo in a Pardini OEM barrel is XTP60 or XTP85 bullets at quite high velocity - good factory ammo is currently unobtainable - bullets are back on the market for reloading. Most of the "personal defense" brands with JHP or other bullets are, IMHO, not accurate at 50yds (not great even at 25yds!!!). 

The good ammo makes for quite a snappy recoil impulse and I found that with the factory (or standard Rink) anatomical grips where your wrist is extended forward I got a sharp jolt straight up my forearm every time - bound to give me Tendinitis. I resolved that by switching to Rink "upright" grips (closer to 1911 angle), but even so the recoil can be sharp. OK, many folks are using T&B 64LSWC loaded for the short line with a softer recoil, some have replaced the OEM barrel with a tighter .308 barrel and get good results at 50yds even with lead bullets. But all of that starts to get complicated and probably does not suit the OP's purpose.

If you are happy with your 52 and you have ammo that works, just buy another 52!

I didn't think about the grip angle.  I have a tough time when changing grips, not to mention grip angles.  At this time I am leaning toward another model 52.  I have fattened the grips and put on a trigger shoe so the feel is very close to my model 41. 
Thanks,
Doug

Greetings,

I agree with the comments regarding the 32 ACP or 32 LONG. It is a blow back pistol and the recoil is a sharp feeling in the hand.

After years of shooting the 32, I have an Arthritic swollen trigger finger joint.

Personally? I would seek out another M52 in the same configuration that you currently shoot.

Cheers,

Dave

Though I can't comment on the 32 ACP (yet) the MG4 with compensator in 32 SWL has, for me, a lot less recoil than a soft shooting 1911 in 38sp (148g HBWC, 2.9g WST). It should be noted that I use one of Dick Horton's excellent 1911 angle grips on the MG4.

Modify your goals.
Match Directors and the NRA will accept 22 scores only.  Knowing that you are always at risk of a shaky hand ruining your dreams might weigh on you at the wrong time.
Adapt and conquer.  I think you will still be very proud of a (         ) classification with the 22. Shoot one or two nine hundreds with the twenty-two and give arthritis a big middle finger friend.