haroldj
Member
I recently acquired a 52 no dash and a 52-2. What's the minimum muzzle velocity of a factory load required to cycle the action? I had an old box of Sellier & Bellot that failed to cycle.
Model 52 question
- Thread starter haroldj
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I'd say about 775fps should do it - all things being equal.
My hand loads are designed for about 750 fps with 148 grain HB wadcutters. If it doesn't cycle well, replace the recoils spring with the standard factory 8lb.
Part of the answer is in your question, you stated you "had an old box of Sellier and Bellot". S&B was never considered really good ammunition to begin with. Adequate? Yes, but good? No, certainly not in .38 Special wadcutter form. Find some recent production quality ammunition with flush seated bullets and give it a try. If nothing else chronograph your old S&B and see what the stuff is running for velocity. I gather you don't handload your ammunition, so that avenue maybe closed. There are still some quality ammunition manufacturers supplying the ammunition you need, but not many just look at how the bullet is seated before you buy any. I run my handloads at around 700 to 750 FPS in my M52's with good results. Any slower and they get sluggish. Faster and leading starts to take place which is not good. I have some red box Federal .38 Special wadcutter match ammunition that I chrono'd several years ago and it ran an average of 710 FPS.
Be extremely careful with questionable ammunition in your 52's. Make sure every bullet exits the barrel or you risk serious damage. Barrels for these guns aren't growing on trees. If you fire a round and it doesn't feel or sound right stop and check the barrel before firing another round. Don't assume the barrel is clear! I carry a short nylon dowel rod in my range box for checking barrels. Give your pistols a very thorough cleaning and lubrication. I clean mine completely after I shoot them regardless of how many rounds fired, but I don't fire more than 50 or 60 rounds thru mine in one session. Use quality oil for lubrication. Both my M52's like to be run wet. If you still have problems with the pistol after a good cleaning and lube and you know you have decent ammo, then look at replacing springs.
The Model 52 is a hoot to shoot and can be super accurate even by modern standards. Recoil is next to nothing and if the pistol has been taken care of the accuracy will surprise you. Some will argue its accuracy at 50 yards with a .38 caliber wadcutter bullet, but at 25 yards it can be a killer. When you own one you accept the responsibility of taking care of it. These pistols were made at a time when quality reigned supreme at Smith and Wesson and shooting a good one is a reward in itself and a fun trip back in time. You may even decide to start reloading for this pistol if you aren't already. Have fun with your new to you pistols. Pictures would be nice for us.
Rick H.
Be extremely careful with questionable ammunition in your 52's. Make sure every bullet exits the barrel or you risk serious damage. Barrels for these guns aren't growing on trees. If you fire a round and it doesn't feel or sound right stop and check the barrel before firing another round. Don't assume the barrel is clear! I carry a short nylon dowel rod in my range box for checking barrels. Give your pistols a very thorough cleaning and lubrication. I clean mine completely after I shoot them regardless of how many rounds fired, but I don't fire more than 50 or 60 rounds thru mine in one session. Use quality oil for lubrication. Both my M52's like to be run wet. If you still have problems with the pistol after a good cleaning and lube and you know you have decent ammo, then look at replacing springs.
The Model 52 is a hoot to shoot and can be super accurate even by modern standards. Recoil is next to nothing and if the pistol has been taken care of the accuracy will surprise you. Some will argue its accuracy at 50 yards with a .38 caliber wadcutter bullet, but at 25 yards it can be a killer. When you own one you accept the responsibility of taking care of it. These pistols were made at a time when quality reigned supreme at Smith and Wesson and shooting a good one is a reward in itself and a fun trip back in time. You may even decide to start reloading for this pistol if you aren't already. Have fun with your new to you pistols. Pictures would be nice for us.
Rick H.
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That should be very good ammunition for your Model 52's. Make for dog-gone certain you chrono some of it and see how it performs. Let us know as some of us would be interested in your results.
Rick H.
Rick H.
Given the age and the storage location it might be interesting how it runs!
Let us know!!
My 52-1 cycles fine with my reloads that use 2.9 grains of HP-38 over a 148 grain Bear Creek HBWC. These chronograph at about 650 FPS. The only factory ammo that I have tried was some Remington 148 grain HBWC, those are supposed to be running at about 710 FPS.
DBrainard
Member
No - you do not. The OEM wrench is sheet metal garbage. If the bushing is stuck, use a 3/4" 12-point socket, carefully to loosen the bushing.
Clean the threads on bushing and slide. Add a bit of lube — then finger tight without any wrench or the socket.
Think of the bushing like an oil filter on your car. Hand tight is plenty and exactly right. You only need a wrench if some ham-fisted fool installed it too tightly.
If you feel you must have the awful OEM bushing wrench that came with Model 52's, you can find them on Ebay. Any that you buy will be a waste of your money.
I agree with Sevens on what he said. You never really need the bushing wrench. All it does is messes up the notches on the bushing. If your bushing is that tight use a 12 pt socket to loosen it. When you re-install the bushing only finger tighten it and you should be good to go. I tighten it as much as I can with my fingers and back it off one or two notches.
Regarding crimping of the wadcutter: there are a couple of ways people do this. What I have found is you are generally best off to seat the wadcutter flush to just below the case mouth. Any exposed lead may cause interference with the rounds moving "up" in the magazine. It's the nature of the beast. Flare the case just enough to insert the bullet. I use a Redding Pro-Crimp die for the actual crimping function. It puts a very slight roll crimp on the end of the case. This helps the round to transition from magazine to chamber. Others just use a taper crimp which will also work, but this can be dependent on the pistol. You don't need much crimp on these rounds though and case length is important for proper functioning.
Factory Federal Wadcutter ammunition runs about 735 FPS from my M-52's and that's the velocity I try to get with my reloads. The pistols function well at that speed and results in good accuracy and minimal leading. Currently I only use Hornady HBWC bullets. They are dry lubed for less mess and are reasonably priced. Good luck with your new to you M-52's. They simply are the most fun and rewarding pistols you will ever own and a marvel of engineering from a time when S&W did things right. It's also fun to watch the looks from people that have never seen a M-52 when they see the ammunition they use! Also I run my M-52's just a bit on the "wet" side for best functioning.
Rick H.
Regarding crimping of the wadcutter: there are a couple of ways people do this. What I have found is you are generally best off to seat the wadcutter flush to just below the case mouth. Any exposed lead may cause interference with the rounds moving "up" in the magazine. It's the nature of the beast. Flare the case just enough to insert the bullet. I use a Redding Pro-Crimp die for the actual crimping function. It puts a very slight roll crimp on the end of the case. This helps the round to transition from magazine to chamber. Others just use a taper crimp which will also work, but this can be dependent on the pistol. You don't need much crimp on these rounds though and case length is important for proper functioning.
Factory Federal Wadcutter ammunition runs about 735 FPS from my M-52's and that's the velocity I try to get with my reloads. The pistols function well at that speed and results in good accuracy and minimal leading. Currently I only use Hornady HBWC bullets. They are dry lubed for less mess and are reasonably priced. Good luck with your new to you M-52's. They simply are the most fun and rewarding pistols you will ever own and a marvel of engineering from a time when S&W did things right. It's also fun to watch the looks from people that have never seen a M-52 when they see the ammunition they use! Also I run my M-52's just a bit on the "wet" side for best functioning.
Rick H.
