Smith & Wesson Prototype PC Model 356TSW – Judy Woolley

Description

The Smith & Wesson Prototype PC Model 356TSW reflects the company’s early 1990s effort to develop a competition-focused pistol for IPSC shooting. Developed in 1992 by Smith & Wesson’s Pistol Team in collaboration with the Performance Center, the platform was built around the .356 TSW cartridge, a purpose-designed round created to meet IPSC major power factor requirements while retaining the advantages of a high-capacity format.

According to Smith & Wesson historical records, this example was specially built in July 1992 for champion shooter Judy Woolley. As a prototype Performance Center build from the model’s early development, it represents a notable example of Smith & Wesson’s competition-driven design work from the period.

Features include a 5-inch barrel with an integrated compensator, a frame-mounted optic system, an Aimpoint ProPoint electronic sight, black-finished steel construction, and checkered wood grips. The frame-mounted optic arrangement keeps the sight fixed to the frame rather than the slide, a period competition configuration associated with early IPSC race guns.

With its compensator, extended dust cover profile, and distinctive optic mount, the Model 356TSW carries the unmistakable look of a purpose-built competition handgun from the early Performance Center era. For collectors interested in documented Smith & Wesson competition pistols, prototype Performance Center builds, and firearms associated with notable practical shooting competitors, this is a compelling example of that development period.