my new old Winchester 52

[69daytona]

Here is a pic of my new to me Winchester 52B heavy target rifle.
Has an old Baush and Lomb Balvar 6-24x44 scope that was top of the line back in the early 60s.
The guy I got it from went to the Nationals in 62 with it and placed 2nd, couldnt talk hem out of any of his medals.
Came with a set of Refield olympic iron sights also and shoots nice one hole groups at 25 yards, thats all I have been able to try so far.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

69daytona,

Don't have a Winchester 52, but have salivated over them more then once. Back a number of years, I saw a 52, made in Japan version that I should have bought.

Just bit the bullet and bought. Such a thing of beauty!!!!!! with wood to die for. WOW!

Shoulda woulda coulda ---------------

Be that as it may, if your rifle was mine, I'd probably stop in about every ammo retailer I got close to and buy up a box or two of every ammo they had that was different then what I already had.

Then I'd buy up some of the Eley, The Rem/Eley, Lapua - both dia. "L" & "M" of the top end ammos -, the old Fed. Gold medal ultra match like used in the Olympics (good luck finding some and sorry I'll hang on to the little I have [smilie=l: ) Wolf match & match extra etc. etc.

Then I'd take the package to the range - 50 yds - and commence to mak'in tiny little groups.

As said, I don't have a Winnie, but have done the above with my Clark Custom 77/22 and it is sure a ball seeing those tiny groups form up on the targets.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[LAH]

Congrats on the rifle. Looking forward to your shooting reports.

[405]

52s! I know you will enjoy it-- if it is accurate as most of them are.

They are an iconic firearm. I did bite the bullet in a moment of weakness back in about 1994 and bought a new Win Miroku 52 Sporter. Never regretted it even though at that time I didn't really have the $425 it cost. They are a classic sporter but have the match/target chamber and they do shoot!

Have looked for and dreamed about getting a good target 52 since I learned what they were back in the mid 60s. Finally, last year found an unmolested 52D for a reasonable amount locally and set up with the standard Redfield Olympic sights. It is still very competitive at 50 yards, capable of shooting consistent low .2"s and seems to like the second rung Eley Black Box ammo.

While out-of-the-box new Coopers, Anschutz and some custom guns are the current leaders in the 22rf target field, there is just something about a Win 52.

[Bret4207]

Good on you! I have an early 52 I outfitted with a 6x Lyman Jr Targetspot. Just can't find time to go shoot it much.

[carbine]

Just found a Win 52 in the back of the gunsafe. Going out Sunday to get re-acquainted

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Another positive likely to be present with your winny 52 is the fact that due to barrel quality, it could very well give you MANY more choices of ammo which will shoot well through it.

I found it so with the Walther barrell on my Clark Custom, when a friend and I had a couple "shoot offs". The first go round, his rifle, a SAVAGE Mark I (?) single shot target style rifle, shot right with mine while shooting target/match ammos of a number of different brands & types.

The second go round with typical "off the shelf" ammo showed me the value of my much more expensive rifle/scope. A quality barrel will show it's worth!!!!!!!!!!

ENJOY A GREAT RIFLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you have a big wall to show off all those tiny groups you'll be shooting!

CDOC

[skeettx]

This came with my OLD Model 52
http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j452/skeettx/MVC-041S.jpg

[Longwood]

I got one for a fill-up of gas from a guy that had a new job at Lockheed and was moving South.
I can't recall the cost of the gas but it sold at about 35 cents then.
Boring to shoot,,, samehole, samehole, samehole.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Good one Longwood! :bigsmyl2:

CDOC

[Bret4207]

I got one for a fill-up of gas from a guy that had a new job at Lockheed and was moving South.
I can't recall the cost of the gas but it sold at about 35 cents then.
Boring to shoot,,, samehole, samehole, samehole.

Paid $5.00 for mine. Long story about being in the right place at the right time- for once.

[gnoahhh]

I paid $35 for mine , an early 52A, 40 years ago.

[69daytona]

I lucked out with ammo as the guy I got it from still had a a dozen old boxes of Remington match rifle rounds that he used to place 2nd in his last international match, old green and red boxes from the 60s.
Now to find something that is equal to them and I will be good.
I have about 30 different types of ammo from blazers to eley ready just have to find time.
Playing around in the house at 10 yards its boring, one hole groups. Someday these old car wont need so much attention and I will be able to get out.

[Longwood]

I lucked out with ammo as the guy I got it from still had a a dozen old boxes of Remington match rifle rounds that he used to place 2nd in his last international match, old green and red boxes from the 60s.
Now to find something that is equal to them and I will be good.
I have about 30 different types of ammo from blazers to eley ready just have to find time.
Playing around in the house at 10 yards its boring, one hole groups. Someday these old car wont need so much attention and I will be able to get out.

Mine liked several different ammo choices.
Even the cheaper Green tag and Winchester match was very accurate and fun to shoot.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Longwood, Sure sorry that your rifle is so boring, but I can see that happening. Samehole, samehole, samehole could really get to be a drag!

Now, 69Daytona --------------- Sure wish you lived in the real world up here in Ideeeeeho. Would love to share some bench time with ya, trying to cheer ya up a bit from the drugery of :veryconfu of consistant tiny groups. Maybe if ya look hard, ya can find a really bad ammo that your winny just doesn't like and there by spice things up a pit.

Besides, would like to put my Clark Custom up against a "real target rifle" to see just how good it really is.

I know it's good, but just how good?

CDOC

[Longwood]

Longwood, Sure sorry that your rifle is so boring, but I can see that happening. Samehole, samehole, samehole could really get to be a drag!

Now, 69Daytona --------------- Sure wish you lived in the real world up here in Ideeeeeho. Would love to share some bench time with ya, trying to cheer ya up a bit from the drugery of :veryconfu of consistant tiny groups. Maybe if ya look hard, ya can find a really bad ammo that your winny just doesn't like and there by spice things up a pit.

Besides, would like to put my Clark Custom up against a "real target rifle" to see just how good it really is.

I know it's good, but just how good?

CDOC

I wish I still had it,,,
Well maybe I don't I am not sure I could still shoot it as well as I once did.
Competing with you would be fun. Competing with people with stuff that is not capable is when it gets boring.
That gun spoiled me for life. I never liked a gun after owning that one unless it was accurate.
I paid dearly for a lot of nice toys and never got into inaccurate junk like the military stuff.
One fun, yet surprisingly inexpensuve, (yeah, they were then they got all popular and stuff,) gun that I had was a Thompson Contender with a number of barrels.
Believe it or not, my two 22 rimfire barrels were very accurate, with the ten inch being the most accurate.
I still have a Fienwerkbau pellet pistol that is super accurate to the point of being boring.

PS,
I would love to visit Ideeeeeho some time to do some varmint hunting.
Unfortunately, that would mean another toy that I don't really need.
I love this country and some parts a lot better than others.
I grew up in a town (Holden) in Washington that required a 50 mile boat trip to get to, then Southwest Oregon.

[Doc Highwall]

69daytona, congrats on the rifle. I have a Winchester 52C along with two of the Miroku 52 Sporters, one by Winchester and one by Browning. They all shoot great.

Just a reminder for everyone, none of the match ammo is copper plated and just like our cast bullet guns you have to get the copper out for them to shoot their best.

[phonejack]

I used to compete with a 52b, the barrel tensioning screw in the fore-end will help shrink groups. It adjusts pressure at the fore-end. Lucky you.

[sffar]

That's a great find–congratulations!
Sam

[Lance Boyle]

Reminds me, I need to spend the afternoon with the 52C. I got mine from CMP a couple years ago and had to refinish the stock. Shoots much better than I do.

[hemiallen]

Nice gun neighbor just to the north.

I picked up a 52C after helping a guy price a huge arsenal from a friends collection and got first choice on several nice guns, a couple of 45's that looked just out of an arsenal and a SA 308 NM I should have snagged, but they mostly were going to friends of the deceased and I knew the others held emotional value to the buyers.


Got one of the Viani mounts and an old Lyman bumped to 16x, shoots very small groups with old blue box CCI Mini-mags. Also had the trigger adjusted to sub 1# doing the trigger mod.


Cool old guns.


Allen