I went to the local gun show today in Greenville NC, expecting to find pretty much nothing of interest. Local gun shows have devolved to mostly area or regional gun shops selling their new stock with very few of any collectible firearms, used firearms or military surplus firearms.
There was less than usual this show. There was the usual table with a few over priced Mosin-Nagants and a PSL that he keeps marking up higher at every show (up to $3400 now), and a guy with an over priced CYQ P.38, amongst the new firearms he buys off GB and tries to mark up and sell.
The vendor that usually draws me to the show (he normally has some surplus pistols, and the occasional nice military surplus rifle or collectible Winchester) wasn’t at the show at all. The forecast was typical southern “OMG it’s gonna snow and we’re all gonna die!!!” gloom and doom, while the actual weather was just a few snow flurries. But I suspect it kept some vendors away.
So…it was looking like a waste of effort and $7 for admission when I saw a Model 52 “reissue” sporter - a bit of wood and color in the middle of a long table of all black ARs, AKs and tactical shotguns.
On closer inspection it proved to be a Browning marked “C” Model in superb condition. There was one very small and almost Un noticeable handling mark on the bottom of the stock and a very small mark on the receiver from a scope mount base. I asked them if they had the bolt and the box and they did.
It had the or original Browning marked magazine as well as a set of Burris scope mounts. The vendor said it was out of the owner’s collection and was infired. No doubt unfired only on Sundays by a little old lady on her way to church. The bolt, bolt face and breech face suggested otherwise as there was a bit more wear and residue than you’d have just test firing but the round count was clearly still quite low.
If it had been the more common Winchester marked “B” version I may (or may not) have passed as I already have two of those, one of them with exceptional wood for a Model 52 reissue. But a I haven’t seen a C model reissue in the world in over a decade and I rarely see them on GB.
At $1149, the price was fair, if not a deal. There were only 2 relatively recent completed sales for Model 52 reissue sporters on GB, both Winchester marked B models with no box. One sold for $1126 (about what I would expect) and the other was (IMHO) over bid selling for $1585 with a Leopold M8 6x scope.
I took it home and went digging in the gun room where I found a Leopold 12x 40mm scope and a set of Burris Signature Zee rings with 25 MOA worth of inserts in them that I’d taken off something in the distant past. My other two Model 52 reissue sporters shoot 1.25 MOA 5 shot groups at 100 yards with SK Std Plus. This one should shoot as accurately and this set up should be near ideal for a 100 yard rimfire.
In may case, it’ll look good with my other two Model 52B reissue sporters.
Background wise, There were only 5,000 Browning marked Model 52”C” re-issues produced in 1991-1992, compared to 10,000 Winchester marked re-issue Model 52s made between 1992 and 1998.
The Browning marked rifles will be found with "BA" (rare) or "NZ" in the serial numbers, while the Winchesters will have"BS", "WBS", "NR-80" or "NP-80" in the serial number - going from earlier production to later production.
There were also a couple distributor specials and a commemorative version, all with fairly low production numbers and all Winchester marked:
400 - Winchester with Fajen Stock (maple stock), mfg. 1998
500 - Winchester Heavy Barrel With Satin Stocks, Mfg. for Zanders 1998
500 - Winchester Heavy Barrel With Gloss Stocks, Mfg. for Zanders 1998
1000 - Winchester Utah Centennial 1896-1996 Standard Barrel, Mfg. 1996
I *think* the 2,400 Winchester marked rifles above are included in the 10,000 total, with the Fajen and Zander dealer exclusives more or less rounding out and wrapping up production in 1998, but I could be mistaken on that.
The Zanders rifles are highly prized and will bring more money than a regular B or C. Eight or nine years ago when I was up on their prices, they were selling for around $1,500-1,800, compared to around $800 for the regular B and C rifles.
Similarly, the Fajen stocked rifles were bringing $1800-$2000 at the time, although I personally don't like the way they look.
The UT commemoratives have never seemed to bring much if any more than a regular 52B re-issue. The UT commemoratives all have "UT" in the serial number.
All the Zander heavy barrel Model 52 re-issues seem to have "NP-80" in the serial along with all the other final year (1998) rifles.
Even the regular Model 52 reissues have become much less common on the used market as owners seem to hold onto them. They are steadily rising in value and should continue to do so. They are very nicely finished, are generally good shooters and are arguably the best production quantity (15,000) .22LR sporters ever made.
I also have a Kimber 82 Classic and a Remington 541S and the Model 52 reissue sporters look better, feel better in the hand, and shoot better slightly better, although the Kimber comes close. The Remington 541S is plagued with a poorly designed plastic magazine.
There was less than usual this show. There was the usual table with a few over priced Mosin-Nagants and a PSL that he keeps marking up higher at every show (up to $3400 now), and a guy with an over priced CYQ P.38, amongst the new firearms he buys off GB and tries to mark up and sell.
The vendor that usually draws me to the show (he normally has some surplus pistols, and the occasional nice military surplus rifle or collectible Winchester) wasn’t at the show at all. The forecast was typical southern “OMG it’s gonna snow and we’re all gonna die!!!” gloom and doom, while the actual weather was just a few snow flurries. But I suspect it kept some vendors away.
So…it was looking like a waste of effort and $7 for admission when I saw a Model 52 “reissue” sporter - a bit of wood and color in the middle of a long table of all black ARs, AKs and tactical shotguns.
On closer inspection it proved to be a Browning marked “C” Model in superb condition. There was one very small and almost Un noticeable handling mark on the bottom of the stock and a very small mark on the receiver from a scope mount base. I asked them if they had the bolt and the box and they did.
It had the or original Browning marked magazine as well as a set of Burris scope mounts. The vendor said it was out of the owner’s collection and was infired. No doubt unfired only on Sundays by a little old lady on her way to church. The bolt, bolt face and breech face suggested otherwise as there was a bit more wear and residue than you’d have just test firing but the round count was clearly still quite low.
If it had been the more common Winchester marked “B” version I may (or may not) have passed as I already have two of those, one of them with exceptional wood for a Model 52 reissue. But a I haven’t seen a C model reissue in the world in over a decade and I rarely see them on GB.
At $1149, the price was fair, if not a deal. There were only 2 relatively recent completed sales for Model 52 reissue sporters on GB, both Winchester marked B models with no box. One sold for $1126 (about what I would expect) and the other was (IMHO) over bid selling for $1585 with a Leopold M8 6x scope.
I took it home and went digging in the gun room where I found a Leopold 12x 40mm scope and a set of Burris Signature Zee rings with 25 MOA worth of inserts in them that I’d taken off something in the distant past. My other two Model 52 reissue sporters shoot 1.25 MOA 5 shot groups at 100 yards with SK Std Plus. This one should shoot as accurately and this set up should be near ideal for a 100 yard rimfire.
In may case, it’ll look good with my other two Model 52B reissue sporters.
Background wise, There were only 5,000 Browning marked Model 52”C” re-issues produced in 1991-1992, compared to 10,000 Winchester marked re-issue Model 52s made between 1992 and 1998.
The Browning marked rifles will be found with "BA" (rare) or "NZ" in the serial numbers, while the Winchesters will have"BS", "WBS", "NR-80" or "NP-80" in the serial number - going from earlier production to later production.
There were also a couple distributor specials and a commemorative version, all with fairly low production numbers and all Winchester marked:
400 - Winchester with Fajen Stock (maple stock), mfg. 1998
500 - Winchester Heavy Barrel With Satin Stocks, Mfg. for Zanders 1998
500 - Winchester Heavy Barrel With Gloss Stocks, Mfg. for Zanders 1998
1000 - Winchester Utah Centennial 1896-1996 Standard Barrel, Mfg. 1996
I *think* the 2,400 Winchester marked rifles above are included in the 10,000 total, with the Fajen and Zander dealer exclusives more or less rounding out and wrapping up production in 1998, but I could be mistaken on that.
The Zanders rifles are highly prized and will bring more money than a regular B or C. Eight or nine years ago when I was up on their prices, they were selling for around $1,500-1,800, compared to around $800 for the regular B and C rifles.
Similarly, the Fajen stocked rifles were bringing $1800-$2000 at the time, although I personally don't like the way they look.
The UT commemoratives have never seemed to bring much if any more than a regular 52B re-issue. The UT commemoratives all have "UT" in the serial number.
All the Zander heavy barrel Model 52 re-issues seem to have "NP-80" in the serial along with all the other final year (1998) rifles.
Even the regular Model 52 reissues have become much less common on the used market as owners seem to hold onto them. They are steadily rising in value and should continue to do so. They are very nicely finished, are generally good shooters and are arguably the best production quantity (15,000) .22LR sporters ever made.
I also have a Kimber 82 Classic and a Remington 541S and the Model 52 reissue sporters look better, feel better in the hand, and shoot better slightly better, although the Kimber comes close. The Remington 541S is plagued with a poorly designed plastic magazine.
