Anybody shoot a Model 52?

Any opinions one way or the other on S&W Model 52s? I've been thinking about getting one, but not sure if it's worth it or not. Would appreciate any user inputs. Thanks.

To me it depends why you want it. If you think its an interesting gun and you want one get it. If you want it for bullseye I'd say pass. That also goes for .32's, .38's and 9mm's. I think shooting anything besides your .45 for CF just complicates things needlessly. I have a 9mm 1911 that I shoot for fun but I leave it home on match day.

A close friend shoots one, they are accurate but somewhat problematic and hard to get parts for. He shoots it for awhile then switches back to his 45. I never saw any advantage to it as he shoots better scores with the 45.

I've owned a S&W 52-2 for about a year and a half. I've used it quite a bit for bullseye competitions both with the Elks pistol team I am on and the San Bernardino Pistol Club. Here is my take on using this gun.

The good:
1. It is a unique and beautiful gun designed for one thing, shooting perfectly round holes through the black part of paper targets, which it does very nicely if in the hand of a skilled bullseye shooter.
2. It has less recoil than the .45.
3. It can be equipped with a red dot scope mount from BME (mine is) that requires no drilling, does not effect slide movement, and is not a grip mount. It is a very unique and solid scope mount.
4. The gun has the smoothest trigger pull of any gun that I have pulled the trigger on, smooth as glass with a crisp break. I don't know what the trigger pull is but I would estimate about 2.5-3 pounds.

The Bad:
1. It only shoots HBWC seated to the top rim of the case that must be precisely crimped (roll crimp) in order to feed reliably. This requires a bit of experimenting to get it right.
2. If you don't reload buying Winchester or Remington match ammunition for this gun is expensive. I've only shot the Winchester Match .38 and it feeds flawlessly.
3. Magazines for this gun cost nearly $80 each. I have three.
4. Parts are available out there somewhere and I have been able to find springs, bushings, extractors, and ejectors without a problem for this gun but you will have to hunt for them or find a gunsmith with a source.

There is my opinion. If you have questions ask me. My 52-2 is up for sale as we speak. Why? Switching over to only shooting .45 to simplify reloading, cleaning, parts, etc.

R.C. Morton
Riverside, CA

I recently bought a 52-2. It was a very good deal. I do not plan on using it for matches. The trigger is great and it shoots accurately. But I still believe the bigger hole a .45 punches is more beneficial than the lighter recoil of the .38. Every time you make a shot that barely touches the next higher scoring ring, know that if you shot the .38 that day, you would have gotten the lower value. I plan to use it for training new shooters and since it is in pristine condition, keeping it for collector value.

Thanks for the insight. Guess I'll keep shooting my .45 for CF.

I still have my 52-2 that I shot iron sights in my earlier Bullseye stint.
I plan on putting back into the mix when I can get the red dot mounted.

I agree with Phylo on everything with a couple of adders.

I can say that I shot more clean targets at the short line with the 52 than with my 45. It is a pleasure to shoot.

I shot more bad targets at the 50 yard line with my 52 than with my 45. It is unforgiving at 50yd.

my experience was when I was on, it was my best gun, when I was off it penalized me severely at 50yd.

It all comes down to this. Do you enjoy shooting the 32 or 38 or 9MM?

Then shoot it! Remember it is only a game that we shoot for fun!

gulliver62 wrote:<snip>

I can say that I shot more clean targets at the short line with the 52 than with my 45. It is a pleasure to shoot.

I shot more bad targets at the 50 yard line with my 52 than with my 45. It is unforgiving at 50yd.

my experience was when I was on, it was my best gun, when I was off it penalized me severely at 50yd.

I feel the same way about my 1911/38Spl. fun to shoot, but you'll not get better with the .45 by shooting a mid-range pistol.