10 shots at 25 yards measuring 3.75“
Pardini GT9
10 shots at 35 feet measuring 2“
10 shots at 35 feet measuring 1.5“
10 shots at 35 feet measuring 2.25“ (another bad flyer)
5 shots at 35 feet measuring 1.25“
10 shots at 25 yards measuring 3.5“
Glock 17L
10 shots at 35 feet measuring 3.25“ (though the pattern is much spread out than the others)
10 shots at 25 yards measuring just under 5“
Korriphila HSP 701
10 rounds at 35 feet measuring 1.5“
5 rounds at 35 feet measuring under 1.5“
As you can see, I had some interesting results. I shot the Glock as slow and controlled as possible trying to keep it in the running. The results weren’t bad. I especially thought it did well at 25 yards. It had the longest sight radius by a good margin, which gave it a slight advantage. Unfortunately for the Glock, the other guns were able to make up that advantage and then some with tighter tolerances, better triggers, and higher quality barrels. That being said, the competition was very tough and I feel the G17L did pretty well overall.
The Pardini also did great, but it somehow feels a bit out of place shooting from a rest. I’d rather shoot it offhand at a faster pace and take advantage of its super low bore axis and slick action. The Pardini is a serious, purpose built race gun, while the over two are more finesse target shooters and feel more at home shooting from a rest. The Pardini feels a bit stifled in that position. In fact, this may be been the first time I ever shot it from a rest (at least for testing purposes) and I've owned the gun since 2008.
The 952 and X-Five could really go either way. I think the X-Five’s average was slightly better, since the 952 had two flyers which really hurt. Both of them really shoot lights out for me. If I had to choose one of the two guns to bet my life on from a sheer accuracy standpoint, I’d take the Sig X-Five. The 952 beat it on occasion today, but the Sig is heavier and feels more stable. It just feels easier to shoot for accuracy when push comes to shove. The results are so close that its hard to tell, but its just a feeling it gives me.
As you can see from the groups, all three of these pistols are stellar performers. If I had to choose one winner today out of the three, it would have to be the Sig. However, the results are so close that its really a stretch to pick a winner. The Sig shoots ever so slightly better from a rest for me than the 952 or Pardini, though the sample size was small. I think the Sig’s heavy weight helped it today. Its considerable heavier than the aluminum-framed GT9 and the much thinner 952.
As a side note, the Korriphila HSP 701 is quite the gun. I was expecting recoil to really be stout. Blowback 45ACP handguns generally aren’t soft shooters. I was so pleasantly surprised by this pistol. Yes, its a bit snappy. However, the bore axis is pretty low and it doesn’t flip much at all. Budischowsky’s system does an awesome job taming the 45ACP and its 230gr projectile. Furthermore, the incredible preciseness of the gun is evident while you’re shooting it. I feel nothing move while its cycling. Its just a quick, sharp jolt backwards and then right back on point. The trigger reset is just outstanding. It was the first time I ever shot the pistol, but the test targets are darn good considering that. Its also giving up considerable sight radius to the others, especially to the Glock, and it held its own. I’m even more impressed with the Korriphila now that I got a chance to put some rounds through it. Its really a masterpiece.
I guess that’s all I have to say. Since I wanted to pick a winner, I did. However, any of those three would be an excellent choice for a top notch target pistol. They are among the best of the best and they are three of my favorite range pistols. If I were forced to pick the five best shooting 9mm pistols in my entire collection, these three would be included (though I would take the longslide 952). That's how good they really are.
Thanks for reading