Description
You don’t stumble across something like this every day—and that’s not just a figure of speech. The Smith & Wesson Model 3566 Performance Center, serial XPX0020, is more than rare. It’s a bold experiment carved in steel—a one-off glimpse into what might’ve been if the rulebooks had stayed shut just a little longer.
Built by the visionaries at the Smith & Wesson Performance Center, this semi-auto was purpose-designed around the .356 TSW cartridge. At the time, it wasn’t just a technical curiosity—it was a genuine contender. Less recoil than .45 ACP, enough juice for major power factor scoring. It had legs. Until, suddenly, it didn’t.
IPSC changed the game. With a new minimum bore requirement of .40 for major classification, the .356 TSW became obsolete almost overnight. And just like that, this pistol, crafted for a world that no longer existed, was left standing. But not forgotten. What emerged wasn’t a relic. It was a landmark.
Look closer and you’ll see it’s brimming with all the telltale signs of Performance Center magic. The slide? Lightened and tuned, fitted with a custom muzzle brake, and stripped of its rear sight for a low-drag profile. The safety hole’s been cleanly plugged. The checkered front and backstraps help lock your grip in place. There’s a flared magwell for blister-fast reloads, a custom beavertail, a frame-mounted safety, and yes—a gas pedal-style thumb rest that just screams, “Drive me hard.”
And that Tasco ProPoint red dot perched on the side-mounted optics bracket? That’s not decoration. That’s the intent. This wasn’t built for the shelf—it was built for speed, control, and trophies.
Sure, the .356 TSW didn’t survive the politics of competitive shooting. But the pistol was born into? That part’s still here—and it tells a hell of a story. For collectors chasing the rare and remarkable, or for shooters who appreciate the raw beauty of purpose-built engineering, the Model 3566 XPX0020 stands as a moment frozen in time.
Because sometimes, the most interesting chapters are the ones the rulebook didn’t plan for.
