I know the 52 is considered a mid-range load pistol but why? Does anyone shoot hotter? I hand loaded (meaning I put the round in the chamber) some regular 38 rounds, I think they were 130 plated and it shot fine. I know you can't go hot if you are shooting hollow based lead but it sure seems like the pistol is just as strong as my 952. So, aside from making it a single shot pistol would you try some traditional 158 rounds? How about a stronger load with a 148 plated wadcutter? It just seems the "traditional" loads for this gun are really anemic. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those "how hot can I go" shooters but I would like a little more oomph from my 52.

Well consider that it was designed around the 148gr HBWC mid range load . Consideribly lower pressure than SAAMI 38 special max . It's also a target pistol . If you want hotter get a revolver . Parts are drying up . Extractors & barrels are practically non existant . Which are the 2 parts you're going to have problems with if you hot rod . I've seen an extractor blown clean out of a LNIB dash 2 using Berry's plated HBWC's & 3.5gr Bullseye powder . If you insist I'd stick with a lead solid base wadcutter & limit loads to 800fps , I'd also go with a stronger recoil spring . Personally I think it's crazy , but it's your gun / body parts to do with as you please .

Absolutely agree with these comments!
If you blow it up - it'll ONLY cost about $800-1100 to get an excellent replacement.

Great idea! I totally agree.

This is like shooting CCI stingers in a Mod 41, or putting a nitros kit in a Model T Ford. It's your property, and you can do with it as you please (but you are just asking for a worn out pile of junk when you are finished). The 52 is a purpose designed and built gun. What you CAN do with it and what you SHOULD do with it may not be the same.

Don't ruin that fine gun. Please.

I shoot 2.7g Bullseye under a 148g DEWC. This load runs 703 fps from a Model 14 6". I haven't clocked it out of the 52, but it's might accurate out of either one.

Hi Jag,
I shoot 3.5 of 231 and Remington 148 grain wadcutters out of mine.
It bothered me for a while, but it shoots unbelievably good with that load.
Folks would make fun of me, and doubt me, if I told you what it does with this load.
It made a really good shooting gun into a great shooting gun.
If it breaks, it will be fun while it last.
You wont blow the skirts off at 3.5 and you will notice the difference in recoil and report over a standard target load.
Personally, if I did not see an improvement in accuracy I would not recommend shooting the hotter loads.
Good luck and enjoy your 52.
Mike

Mike, I did in fact make up that exact load earlier this evening. I'll shoot some thru a revolver first and see how they feel. If the accuracy is good I may stick with that load or maybe just a tad lighter. Sometimes the traditional load just barely cycles the action and they feel so light that if I had a squib I might not even know it. A little stronger load should solve both of those problems.

Berrys plated 148 gr hbwc bullets are hard on the barrel & build more pressure. The plated bullet is long & the lands dig .oo4 to .oo5 into the plated surface. The 52 was made to shoot lead. You can get a hard 148 gr dewc or a 141-148 bnwc & turn backwards--& sized to .356 with 3 gr of bullseye--clays--titegroup--or the new E3 If you wont it a little faster. You can test these loads out of a revolver before using them in your 52. They shoot fine. I shoot 300--450 rounds a week.

I went the opposite direction....I bumped my 3.5 grains of W231 down to 3.2. I use a descent roll crimp. Still cycles & feeds reliably. 600fps, 900fps...doesn't seem to make any difference to my paper targets. Somewhere around 35 feet I lose my ability to make all my shots touching anyway (that will be me, and my squinting eyes)...

The 3.5 of W231 worked fine but I think I will try what wheelman did and bring it down a tad. If everything cycles okay then it would be saving some wear and tear on the gun.

2.7 gr. Bulseye behind a 148 gr. Remington LHBWC chronographed 703 fps in a Colt OM and 745 fps in a Model 52. The 2.7 gr. Bullseye and 3.2 gr. W-231 gave pratically identical velocities and accuracy in my Model 52.

+ 1 for 3.1 - 3.2 W231 . Best load in mine . Followed very closely by 3.6 VVN340 all with 148 HBWC either Star , Zero or Remington . For target work any load that'll consistently hold 3" or less ( 38 special 148 HBWC ) ( 10 round group ) @ 50yds is usable . Many powders will work ie BE , W231 , WST , AA#2 , Reddot , VV n320 & n340 etc . Bullet is what really makes the difference . Did a bunch of Ransom Rest testing when I first got a 52 . That's really the way to see what's the best load for YOUR gun . When you find a load that'll put 30 shots consistently in the 10 ring @ 50yds that's about as good as it gets . When shooting offhand @ 50yds quite often a faster less accurate load will be more shootable than a slower more accurate load . Why ? Well bunch of theories on this I think a hotter load spends less time before it leaves the barrel & give a shooter less time to screw it up . Hold , grip & follow thru are very critical when shooting a 52 . Least little error is magnified tenfold @ the target .

Why would you even want to? If you want more power get a 9mm.

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Have Canon, Will Travel

It seems the readers are focusing on my desire for a hotter load and missing the point that the gun wasn't functioning properly with the lighter loads. If I didn't word it properly, my bad. Fortunately some did get it and gave me some very useful advice.
I wasn't looking for opinions but actual working experience. And, I don't need any more 9mm. I have two 952s and a BHP, they handle the majority of my weekly visits to the range but I also like to take some others to enjoy a little variety.

jag, just as an aside to this discssion, an older gentleman I ran into at a public range years ago took a different tack with his Model 52. He was shooting .38 Super from his. He showed me that the loaded Super round fit in the 52's wadcutter magazines. I don't recall that he mentioned any modifications to his 52. His gun seemed to function just fine. Now that's something you don't see every day, at least I hadn't seen it before, or since...

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Rock, please don't tempt me. I already load nine different calibers and I've resisted buying a 1911 in 38 super. I don't want to add any unless absolutely necessary, which certainly could happen. Based on some of the other comments I would think that would be kind of hot, but I'm honestly not real familiar with the round. But I think I disagree with some of their conclusions, the 52 is not a light weight. It seems almost identical to the 952 which is built like a tank compared to most of 9mms out there today. No evidence of that, just my opinion.

Please don't do this. While it is your gun and your body, you also have to be responsible for your actions. This is putting stress on the gun it was not designed to take. This puts people in danger. Anybody doing this at any Range I know of would get thrown out. If this happened at a club, the member would be expelled. Imagine teaching your son or daughter about gun handling safety while the guy in the next lane is doing this!?!