Hi all.

I was cruising my local gun store and saw a Mint Condition 52-2 for sale.
It has two mags but no box.
They are asking 999.99 for it.
It's not my cup of tea, but I know someone here might want it for there collection, so I am letting the group know of it, and if you would like the contact number and such, just e-mail me.

I do not want to run afoul of the rules here, but I know it would make someone a nice target pistol.

Yes they are an FFL and yes they ship to your local FFL.

Having been a Mod-52 fan since the 60s. , that price is spot on.
The ones I have and had have all had the box and stuff. The 52 lives a pampered life. Its not a field or holster gun. They were never abused.
These were expensive back in the day.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

52s come to life when fitted with a Bar-Sto 9mm barrel and fed with model 39 mags. People give huge money for 952s and they aren't close to an original 52 insofar as sights and trigger is concerned. Somebody could snuff this up and spend $250 for a barrel and a few mags and have a wonderful match or self defense weapon.

Who makes a 9mm barrel for the 52s? What mag do you use?

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

S&W did....called the 952.

My 952s shoot as accurately or better than my 52s.

I've never seen an aftermarket 9mm barrel for a 52.


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Dan
SWCA #2789

50 yards like in NRA Bullseye? What was your highest scores with each pistol?

Wow! Did ya'll read my post at all? It says who makes the barrel and what mags to use. Again, model 39 mags and Bar-Sto barrels.

Both shoot better than I do. I usually shoot high sharpshooter, low expert scores.

I've randsom rested my 52....it will shoot 10 ring at 50. The 952 is the same.

I actually prefer the 952 trigger over the 52 trigger but that's a personal preference.


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Dan
SWCA #2789

When did Bar-Sto offer such a barrel, when did you get yours and how much did you spend on it? Exactly how well does a Bar-Sto barrel interact with a fitted part such as the original S&W barrel bushing, or does Bar-Sto also provide a replacement bushing matched to this barrel that you say is an option? Did you make a recoil spring change with this?

The idea that a 52 would "make a good defense gun" is completely ludicrous, words have meaning and perhaps a 52 is better in this role than a rusted and unloaded Nagant revolver but it's an awful choice compared to perhaps 98% of the handguns in circulation.

Also while I agree that a 52 is "not a field gun", I want to add that one of my three 52's is absolutely a field gun and took three prairie dogs last June at distances of 24, 15 and 14 yards ranged. I genuinely cannot wait until my next opportunity to repeat that feat, it truly added a new angle of pure joy to my Model 52 experience.

These are some of my absolute favorite handguns in man's history.

To the subject, that price is not out of line but it's no steal without far more information. A "52-2" with no more info could have been made anywhere from 1970 to 1993 and the market suggests that a price can vary greatly. I do think it's very cool that you bring it to our attention and I thank you for a great subject of conversation... BUT...

Don't be like me, brother! I went way, way, WAY too many prime years of my life just about certain that a Model 52 "meh, it isn't my cup of tea..." Nothing more expensive than regret. My first shooting with a 52 was at the age of 43 and I willingly tossed away 28 years in the prime of life thinking that a 52 was a specialized item that made zero sense for me and I couldn't possibly have been any more wrong.

Happy now, thrilled actually, with very genuine regret. Take another look and ask for advice -- but don't write off this opportunity without considering what I've said.

If you can't use a 9 round 9mm SA pistol that will shoot tighter than most people can hold, you need to hire a body guard. It's just a matter of getting the parts and fitting them up, no big deal. Again, if a 9 round 9mm is no good for protection you must live in a terrible neighborhood. I sold this pistol with a complete top end in 9mm and an armorers kit with all parts but the lower. I miss it..I might just do another one.

Haha, a target 5" barrel with a hair trigger so light that people who attempt to compete with it today struggle to ADD PULL WEIGHT to make it legal for competition, a hammer block safety, target sights that will tear anything they come in to contact with on any manner of a draw and to top it off, a rare conversion where the pistol ends up far from it's design and you can honestly say this is a great choice for defense...

An icicle is also a great choice for defense if you have absolutely nothing else, but there are a million better choices for defense than an icicle... which kinda makes the icicle NOT a great choice for defense.

Can a 52 be used for defense? Or course. So can a baseball. Neither are a "great choice" compared to countless volumes of better options.

You can make a fine case for a neat conversion without this ridiculous angle. I wish you would show us how -we- can get one of these barrels and also answer the bushing and spring question.

Explain to me what the heck this has to do with an M52 thread which the OP started.

Geez, you can tell it is the holiday season with those crawling out of the wood work

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B.E.Master in&outdoor
D.R.#99

The Bar-Sto web sight only lists barrels for the S&W M&P line of pistols. I don't think they've made Model 39/52 barrels for a long time. So the question remains: who makes a 9mm barrels that will fit or can be fitted to a Model 52? Also, will the extractor from a 39 fit the 52?

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Bar-Sto, CALL them! Springs..Wolf...Use 52 bushing fit to oversize Bar-Sto Barrel. Have you folks ever built match guns or custom guns? Really, this is a quite simple conversion. By the way.the OP was very interested in this in PMs and was very nice to converse with. So My ideas were for the OP, not you trolls!

I'm not a troll and I resent your remark. I happen to own a Model 52-2 and am very interested in converting it to 9mm. I can do so without any help from the likes of you though.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Gentlemen, lets keep this civil. We are all here to learn. Im interested in the conversion, as I have a very worn and beat 52-2. I bought it years ago, it was to good to pass up, and the price was right. I dont have a spare $4000 for a 952. Im getting old and very frugal, not cheap. I all always thought it would be a neat factory conversion, like Colt had for the 1911. If we all remember back when the 52 was introduced as the 38. Target Master. Pure and right to the point. You carry it to the range, back in the box or rug. Its on the same level as a Giles, Chow, Clark or
Shockey. The 52 club is very elite. Best.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Quote by sevens "Nothing is more expensive than regret!" Truer words were never spoken.

I have never regretted my Sig P 210's, S&W mod 41's or my 952-1's. Shoot one of them every day - almost.

We are all interested in the conversion but he refuses to give tangible answers and instead makes dumb assertions.

I don't know what else to offer. Get a Bar-Sto barrel made for a 52 in an oversize "To Fit" configuration. Fit it to an extra 52 bushing. Get correct springs from Wolf. They come in different weights. Get some model 39 mags. Load mags. Go shoot. Short simple sentences for Sevens. Easy job. The hard part will be finding a barrel. I had 2. Now I have none. Ed Fowler..I envy your 210 ownership! They are quite remarkable. This conversion is close on their heels though. Good luck to those REALLY interested in this project. The take away is satisfying indeed.

Lees Landing Billy: The Legends are examples of art in design and craftsmanship. I have compared them, like the Legend target the best of the Sigs. The S&W 952's with the Briley bushing that I have shot prove to be about 2% more accurate than the Sig Legends. They were compared at 88 yards using a 122 lead TC bullet and 3.5 grains of 700 X. I have shot 3" 10 shot groups with each of them, my above statement of 2% more accurate is based on comparing and measuring many 100 shot groups at that range. 7625 is the most accurate powder I have found for 9mm, but it is no longer available.

I keep looking at my Mod 52 but decided to keep it as it is. I find the Sigs more fun for dry fire just because the hammer is easier to get a hold of. When it comes to shooting it is usually the 952 I take with me.

I appreciate the information you have shared, were I to attempt the conversion I would like to use a Briley bushing on the 9mm barrel if possible, I really like them!!

Will a .394" diameter 9MM rim work with a bolt face, ejector and extractor for a .440"diameter 38 Special rim?

http://www.saami.org/pubresources/cc...Luger%20+P.pdf

http://www.saami.org/pubresources/cc...ecial%20+P.pdf

Yes. It will.

Weird. I couldn't get a 40 S&W case or a 38 Super case to stay on the bolt face on my 52-2. The extractor held a 38 Special case well. Since I bought the 52-2 used and it was caked with lead paste, maybe the extractor is still dirty.

About four days ago I got to examine a 39-2 on consignment at a local shop. It was fun to compare and contrast with the 52 (My 52 wasn't with me for direct comparison). The 39 felt lighter and smaller, and the magazines didn't feel as large and blocky as the 52 magazines do.

Bar-sto is closed for the holidays, so I sent in an email asking if they still produced a 9mm barrel that would fit a Model 52, leaving enough material on the end to allow fitting to the stock bushing. After sending the message, the screen said to please be patient as replies can take a few weeks. Probably more after being shut down for the holidays. If/when I hear anything, I'll post back here.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I can understand the 39 feeling lighter if it has an alloy frame, but the measurements for thickness between my 639 and my 52 show that they are identical. I did try the 639's magazine in the 52 and it fit and even activated the slide catch. I didn't try a 9mm shell under the extractor though.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I don't have a 52. But wondering due to the high prices of 52 mags, can a 639 or 39xx mags be used in a 52 to shoot 38?

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USS ZELLARS
DD-777

Since I've never read about anyone doing it, I doubt it. I'm sure it would require some major reworking of the top end of the magazine.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Well, I wasn't expecting an answer this fast, but unfortunately, it's not good:

So I guess we got our hopes up for nothing.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Bar Sto Precision

"Hi Clarence, thanks for contacting us.
We do not produce any Smith and Wesson barrels aside from the M&P line"

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B.E.Master in&outdoor
D.R.#99

If you can all sit down and chill out a bit I will pass out some information. About one year ago I bought a Model 52-2 from a GS halfway across the country from where I live. On the outside the pistol looked like a gem save for one small spot of light pitting just behind the right grip. No big deal I thought. I would have hoped the sales person I talked to would have done more than a cursory examination of the pistol while I spoke with him, but he did not. In the end I bought the gun and had it shipped to me. Once I received the pistol and REALLY took a good look at it I was bummed out. First off it was about as dirty a gun as I have ever seen. That should have been a clue for me, but I cleaned it and took it to the range and that's where I experienced my second let down. I have owned a total of 7 or 8 model 52's through the years, but I have never had one that would lead up as bad as this one did. I was using some vintage Federal 148 grain W/C and I thought maybe they somehow went bad, but a chronograph showed they were moving about 800 FPS.

I cleaned the gun and took the barrel to a firearms repair business and they examined the barrel and determined that the metal around the chamber where it meets the barrel had pitted and the pitting picked up lead off the bullet just as it was fired. It only took a few rounds and lead would start tracking down the barrel. End result was the barrel was junk.

I went on a quest for a Model 52 barrel and contacted numerous firms and drew a blank. No one is making Model 52 barrel at this time, no one. So my next thought was to strip the gun down and sell the parts to try and recoup a little of my money, but before doing so I had one last thought to contact Numrich Gun Parts and see if they may have gotten any barrels in. Luck of the draw, they had two barrels in stock and I snapped them up lickety split. Now to find someone who could fit the one of the barrels to the pistol and as a plus when I received the barrels from Numrich I discovered they were brand new barrels. I was shocked to say the least.

I made all sorts of telephone calls trying to locate someone, anyone that could tackle this type of job. Finally it came down to two places, Cylinder and Slide or Jim Clark. There was a minimum of a six month wait at C&S and a much shorter wait at Clark. Off the pistol went to Clark for a barrel install. I received the pistol back in about two and a half weeks. I cleaned it just to make sure it was good to go and off to the range I went. The pistol worked flawlessly. I can't say enough about the people at Clark Firearms, they are outstanding people to deal with. As a side note regarding Clark, my contact there was a young man by the name of Clay as I recall and during our conversations about my Model 52 he informed me that they were working on trying to come out with their own replacement barrel for Model 52's, but there were some snags they were trying to work out. I haven't spoken to them for quite a while but I may call them to check on the 52 barrel issue. If there is any interest from the forum members here I will ask about the possibility of a conversion barrel in 9mm for the Model 52. It certainly seems feasible as the Model 52's and 39's are from the same family and magazine do interchange. I have to wonder about the effects of the added chamber pressure of a 9MM. I doubt a Model 52 could handle some of the hot 9mm loads available today.

So who knows, perhaps this is something Clark will take on, but I am sure they would want more than just a couple of people buying these conversions. If anyone is interested in this just PM me or chime in on this thread. Who knows it might even help out the OP.

Rick

Years back, one of the writers at SHOOTING TIMES magazine claimed to shoot factory .38 Super out of a stock Model 52.

Metcalf, Tom or Dick or something Metcalf.

The magazines do not "interchange", a 52 magazine will not fit in to a Model 39 and a 39 magazine will lock in to place and it will even actuate the magazine disconnect lever in a 52 but it isn't a proper fit, it rattles in the frame.

A 52 frame and slide could absolutely "handle" a 9mm, this is a full steel handgun and more robust than a 39 or 59. The barrel entirely contains the full 35k psi fury.

Agree that it would be fantastic if Clark went ahead and made some 52 barrels. Would be most helpful if they made some bushings also.

So whatever happened to the Model 52-2?
(Like I need another, but the price is rather attractive!)

I hope this will help those really interested in this. These are pictures of my finished product. The hard part is getting the parts, the work is simple,IF you know what you are doing. Much easier for me than getting these pictures on. Hope this helps the ones who want to do this and will show others what the finished product looks like. Great shooter!

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I stand corrected. I knew the 39 magazine fit in the 52 but a 52 magazine will not go into a 39. The 52 magazine is 1.280" approx. front to rear and the 39 magazine is 1.250" approximate front to rear. My 52 magazine are also just a tad wider. I didn't say the 52 couldn't handle the chamber pressure of a 9mm, but I am almost certain it was never designed to withstand high pressure 9mm loads. Certainly there would be some meathead out there that would decide to give his converted 52 a diet of +P or +P+ 9mm ammunition with dire results. That is where any thought of a conversion in this day and age would probably come to an end, but then again anything is possible.

Rick H.

That's impressive! I just wish the parts were still readily available.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

You did a nice job with the photos and excellent work with the pistol. Thanks for sharing, you have answered some of the questions I have about a future project.

Hmmmm...Not a peep out of Sevens???

So nice to converse with folks of like interests. That's why I come here..to learn. I also hope to help those that are interested in what we do here. Just hard to swallow some things. Luckily I could find these pictures. Man, Ed, I really wish I still had this one. NOT a P210, but a poor man's sub.

My Smith Mod 952 is usually about 2% more accurate than my Sig P 210 Legend Target. There were not many 952'-1s made and they are about my favorite to shoot. The only thing I don't like about them is that the hammer is hard to get a hold of when dryfiring. I have one that has been shot a lot and the Briley bushing is still tight and doing its job well.

The 52 is not a field gun? That's exactly why I bought mine. It's a very accurate hunting handgun for small game, and the .38 wadcutters kill much better than any .22 LR, nor do they destroy meat. You can eat right up to the bullet hole.

Unfortunately I have not used mine in a long time. Finding factory or reman .38 wadcutters that will cycle it has been a problem. Now that the kids are out of the house I might have time to do more reloading. But I'd really like to just find ammo that works in it.

I've seen a 52-1 converted to .38 Super. Don't recall the details other than the barrel was replaced and a heavier spring was used. Don't know if the extractor was modified. I think the mags were unaltered, but this was well over three decades ago. I don't know how well the gun shot, whether it was headspaced on the rim or case mouth, etc. Just briefly saw it.

Wouldn't mind having the gun set up for 9mm. Maybe Clark will see a market for this conversion. Didn't know about the 952 until they were history. (Still kicking myself for not buying a 745, but that's another topic.)

And need to get a set of replacement wood grips for mine. It's wearing Pachmayrs, which I assume are actually for a Model 39. They feel good, though, and lock my hand in well.

I picked this one up from a private party last year for about the same $. I was thrilled to find one so clean.
Personally, I would not convert mine. One of the cool things I find about the 52 is that it shoots one specific and unique load. Therefor, no matter when I pick it up, I know it's going to shoot right on without fiddling with sights.
If I was to convert the 52 with a 9mm barrel, the sights would need to be readjusted each time I went back and forth.
For that reason, I keep a S&W 1911 Pro to scratch the 9mm target gun itch.

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Dave

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SWCA #2306
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