Smith & Wesson Model 52-2

I read that the 52-2 is most accurate / effective at only up to 25 yards ? Reasons ?
Is this gun collectible today?
Why not make a magazine that can hold 10 ammo instead of 5 ? Won't that be easy enough to make?
Why is the manufacture date so difficult to find even with the serial numbers?

The reason for the “other than stellar” performance is partly at the feet of the ammo.  The 38 Special WC is only marginally stable (and I really don’t care what twist rate is used) due to the weight distribution of the projectile and it’s shape.  So it does a LOT better at 25.

The 52 and 52-1 are collectibles, but there were a good number of 52-2 produced and therefore isn’t really collectible unless it’s ANIB.  

The magazine capacity is because it is only a requirement to hold 5 rounds.  There are some resources online for dating a particular pistol.  But the most accurate dating is tipi request a factory letter which costs a fee.

Pm me your email address and I'll send you a photo of the serial number guide out of my S&W book. Get a 52-2, it has an improved extractor.

No. Get a 52 and shoot it a lot. Or a 1 or 2. The important part was shooting. These things are fun. 

Fyi. I gave up trying to get pictures right side up. Computers hate me.

I like a lot shoot my 52-2. I need to rebarrel, possibly refit slide to frame because have a lot movement between slide and frame. The only aftermarket barrel available right now is from Clark Custom.

Wobbley wrote:The reason for the “other than stellar” performance is partly at the feet of the ammo.  The 38 Special WC is only marginally stable (and I really don’t care what twist rate is used) due to the weight distribution of the projectile and it’s shape.  So it does a LOT better at 25.

The 52 and 52-1 are collectibles, but there were a good number of 52-2 produced and therefore isn’t really collectible unless it’s ANIB.  

The magazine capacity is because it is only a requirement to hold 5 rounds.  There are some resources online for dating a particular pistol.  But the most accurate dating is tipi request a factory letter which costs a fee.

In the old days I never saw HBWC tipping at 50y from the OMM.  Tightest 50y groups I ever had were from the 38 OMM.  I wont repeat my 50y story of 8 straight solid Xs before my head went astray on the last two shots.  97-8x, just because I scoped after shot 8.  Nope.  Not gonna repeat it.

OMM?

Colt, Officers Model Match

Thanks for the clarification. Colts seem to shoot HBWC’s better than Smiths because of a faster twist. The old fix was to put a Colt barrel on a Smith frame.

Deleted. Duplicate post.

There was never a "need" for more than 5 rounds in the magazine of a Model 52 as the course of fire for a given stage was 5 rounds.  There is also the issue with the shape of a .38 Special case (the rim) that limited magazine capacity in a handgun.  It would be quite a feat to develop a magazine for a Model 52 that held 10 rounds and was reliable.  Reliable is the key word in this instance.  We can't get magazine manufacturers to even think about recreating 5 round magazines for a Model 52 let alone 10 round magazines.  With the going rates for 5 round Model 52 magazines today I am still surprised the big magazine manufacturers haven't picked up on making magazines for this pistol.  Or may be they just don't want to put up with the sure to come headaches associated with a project like this.  Oh well, it is what it is.  Glad I have a few extras on hand.

Rick H.

Rick H. wrote:There was never a "need" for more than 5 rounds in the magazine of a Model 52 as the course of fire for a given stage was 5 rounds.  There is also the issue with the shape of a .38 Special case (the rim) that limited magazine capacity in a handgun.  It would be quite a feat to develop a magazine for a Model 52 that held 10 rounds and was reliable.  Reliable is the key word in this instance.  We can't get magazine manufacturers to even think about recreating 5 round magazines for a Model 52 let alone 10 round magazines.  With the going rates for 5 round Model 52 magazines today I am still surprised the big magazine manufacturers haven't picked up on making magazines for this pistol.  Or may be they just don't want to put up with the sure to come headaches associated with a project like this.  Oh well, it is what it is.  Glad I have a few extras on hand.

Rick H.

The 52's mags are scarce and pricey, big manufacturers dont have in mind the 52's because they think is a True obsolete piece, and smith and wesson don't produce factory mags. I think 52's are nicest pistols, not are the most accurate at 50 yards, but in 25 yards the groups are very nicest. The parts are very scarce, the only grips available for 52's are factory, pachmayr, herretts, hope to see a Sharkskin grips for model 52. The only aftermarket barrel and bushing available is from Clark, dont know is the best or comparable with Kart or KKM Barrels. My 52-2 not a safe queen, need a rebarrel, need to fit slide and frame because lot of movement, but like a lot to shoot this pistol.

I will have to take everyone's word for it that the M52 kind of falls short at 50 yards as I don't shoot mine out that far anymore.  I can't recall if back in the day we used D/E wadcutters at 50 yards, or H/B wadcutters, but I seem to remember they did relatively well.  Of course one must remember that the pistols themselves were much newer at the time and B/E shooting was much more the rage.  I do recall that guys shooting PPC revolvers in .38 Special with wadcutters did pretty well with them, but they had the option of Semi-wadcutters too and different barrel twist rates.  One of my M52's now has a new Clark barrel and bushing in it and it seems to perform really well, but I haven't tried it at 50 yards yet.  The new Clark barrel also cleans up much better than the old S&W barrel if that means anything.  After the holidays I am going to send another one of my M52's to Clark and have a new barrel and bushing installed.  It isn't a cheap date, but I think it's worth it.  And yes, parts are getting more difficult to find for these great old guns, but if you keep a sharp eye out you can usually find what you need.  Rarely if you take care of a M52 do you need much for them.  Sometimes owners get carried away with making hotter reloads than they should, or sometimes over charge a case which can cause a major problem, so due care is required.

Rick H.

Rick H. wrote:I will have to take everyone's word for it that the M52 kind of falls short at 50 yards as I don't shoot mine out that far anymore.  I can't recall if back in the day we used D/E wadcutters at 50 yards, or H/B wadcutters, but I seem to remember they did relatively well.  Of course one must remember that the pistols themselves were much newer at the time and B/E shooting was much more the rage.  I do recall that guys shooting PPC revolvers in .38 Special with wadcutters did pretty well with them, but they had the option of Semi-wadcutters too and different barrel twist rates.  One of my M52's now has a new Clark barrel and bushing in it and it seems to perform really well, but I haven't tried it at 50 yards yet.  The new Clark barrel also cleans up much better than the old S&W barrel if that means anything.  After the holidays I am going to send another one of my M52's to Clark and have a new barrel and bushing installed.  It isn't a cheap date, but I think it's worth it.  And yes, parts are getting more difficult to find for these great old guns, but if you keep a sharp eye out you can usually find what you need.  Rarely if you take care of a M52 do you need much for them.  Sometimes owners get carried away with making hotter reloads than they should, or sometimes over charge a case which can cause a major problem, so due care is required.

Rick H.

Nice details, additional to fit the barrel and bushing, what other work did clark Gunsmith in the 52? How about the slide to frame fit and horizontal or vertical movement?

I can't recall for sure, but I think having the Clark barrel and bushing installed and their "reliability" package and it was about $500.00.  Not cheap, but I really wanted to try their barrel out.  Clark is a very well known custom gunsmithing business and I am sure they can assist you with fitting services on your M52.  I have had other work done by Clark and it was always top notch.  I did send them a NOS slide stop lever with my M52 so they could fit it to the new barrel.  That way if I ever wanted to go back to my old S&W barrel it would be an easy swap.  Truth is there are very few places that work on M52's today and fewer yet that are able to supply a barrel and bushing.   I have heard of Kart or one other place "possibly" offering a barrel for a M52 but this has never materialized.  If you call Clark they will be more than happy to assist you and answer your questions.

Rick H.

Rick H. wrote:I can't recall for sure, but I think having the Clark barrel and bushing installed and their "reliability" package and it was about $500.00.  Not cheap, but I really wanted to try their barrel out.  Clark is a very well known custom gunsmithing business and I am sure they can assist you with fitting services on your M52.  I have had other work done by Clark and it was always top notch.  I did send them a NOS slide stop lever with my M52 so they could fit it to the new barrel.  That way if I ever wanted to go back to my old S&W barrel it would be an easy swap.  Truth is there are very few places that work on M52's today and fewer yet that are able to supply a barrel and bushing.   I have heard of Kart or one other place "possibly" offering a barrel for a M52 but this has never materialized.  If you call Clark they will be more than happy to assist you and answer your questions.

Rick H.

Thanks!

LenV wrote:Fyi. I gave up trying to get pictures right side up. Computers hate me.

"Computer hate me"      

I LOVE my Model 52!!   

Val

handcycle wrote:
Why not make a magazine that can hold 10 ammo instead of 5 ? Won't that be easy enough to make?
Why is the manufacture date so difficult to find even with the serial numbers?

Straight cases don't feed worth a hoot, rimless cases are subject to jamming. The old bolt guns had feed lips milled into the receivers,




those feed lips were fixed, and were cartridge specific. Unless they were poorly machined, they did not get out of order. But, for cost cutting purposes, machined feed lips were eliminated

.
That short action FN Model 70 requires a separate magazine that places the round direct in line with the chamber. Something that was not required, as an example, for the Swiss bolt action which has feed lips machined in the receiver. Long rifle cartridges can have a minimum taper (though the more taper, the more reliable the feed) as long as the cartridge can travel a long distance at a shallow feed angle. Reliable rifle feed, however, is not a gimme.




Notice the Beretta pistol magazine is designed so the top round is directly in line with the chamber. Like the M70 rifle magazine. For short stubby pistol cartridges, the extra feed angles pistol cartridges have to take to fee,  becomes a source of unreliability.




you can see if the cartridge angle is just a little off, there are multiple possibilities for a jam. And, these are rimless cartridges.



When you have rimmed cartridges, designers have to create kludges like this to prevent rim lock





I can understand why S&W did not develop a double stack magazine for a pistol that only needed to be with five rounds in the magazine. And given that many single stack pistols went on the ash heap of history, once double stack magazine pistols became available, who is going to spend the time and money now, developing a double stack magazine for a pistol that has been decades out of production?.


This was a well designed, well made pistol.




And it was made for for the Military and Police Market, but in 1982 Glock introduced the G17 with a17 round magazine. I remember that period, and 17 round magazine capacities were a huge game changer. Well, who wants a 9 rounder of the same weight and size as a 17 rounder?

Hi everyone, I'm an italian Smith & Wesson fan and I have an important number of my guns so branded. One of them is a 52-2 and snce I would like to use it for PPC1500 Shooting competition I would need a 6 rounds magazine so my question is if is possible and how to improve the standard capacity ?

Thanks a lot and best regards to everyone....

Alessandro

The 52 has a removable floorplate on the magazine.  You’d have to have a custom floorplate machined (perhaps out of aluminum) like those used to add rounds to 9mm magazines and extend the groove for the magazine follower pins.

Alexj wrote:Hi everyone, I'm an italian Smith & Wesson fan and I have an important number of my guns so branded. One of them is a 52-2 and snce I would like to use it for PPC1500 Shooting competition I would need a 6 rounds magazine so my question is if is possible and how to improve the standard capacity ?

Thanks a lot and best regards to everyone....

Alessandro

Didn't some PPC competitors in the US modify M52 magazines for 6 rounds? I've seen pictures in the past of the modification.

European CF games used the 52. Their laws limit 5 rounds. I think there were a lot of them in Europe

Greetings,

Saw this on GoonBroker. Note how the slot has been extended below the hole to remove the follower pin.

Try this first. Remove the base and follower pin. Now insert six cartridges and push the spring back into the magazine to see if the spring will clear. Do not insert the follower pin at this point. You are merely checking to see if six cartridges can be inserted.

Cheers,

Dave