Does the ebony forend tip signify its a light weight .................................M*
There are two major variants and some minor variants of the Model 52 re-issue sporters, and none of them were made in what you would call really large numbers.
"Winchester" Model 52B:
There were 10,000 Winchester marked rifles introduced in 1992 and produced through 1998. They have a very nice "widows peak" checkered steel butt plate and a barrel tension screw in the forend. They also mostly have plain wood with a darker satin finish like the second one I posted above (made in 1992).
There are some notable exceptions like the first rifle I posted above (made in 1997). However I have only seen a total of 4 Winchester Model 52B re-issue rifles with really nice wood.
The Winchesters will have"BS", "WBS", "NR-80" or "NP-80" in the serial number, and those are listed in order of earlier production to later production.
"Browning" Model 52C:
There were only 5,000 Browning marked Model 52 re-issues produced in 1991-1992. The Browning marked version usually have fancier wood than the Winchester marked rifles and they have a glossy finish. They have a higher comb on the stock, but a plain plastic buttplate and no tension screw in the forend.
The Browning marked rifles will be found with "NZ" or "BA" (rare) in the serial number.
----
Both the Winchester and Browning re-issue Model 52 Sporters will sell for around $1000-$1150 in like new in the box condition, and for around $800-$850 in excellent condition with no box. The few examples with really nice wood will sell up around $1300-$1400.
Most folks seem to prefer the cleaner, classic lines of the Winchester marked "B" rifles, but some people prefer the higher comb of the Browning marked "C" rifles for scope mounting.
There is some validity to that as the bolt handle is such that it needs a bit more clearance than average to operate with a scope, so you need to either using higher rings or be very careful in your selection of scopes to find a model with a smaller diameter ocular bell.
-----
There were also some distributor specials and a commemorative version, all with fairly low production numbers and all Winchester marked:
Winchester Utah Centennial Commemorative:
There were 1000 Winchester commemorative Model 52B rifles marked "Utah Centennial 1896-1996" in 1996. They had a standard weight barrel, were finished like the regular Winchester marked Model 52B rifles and they all have 'UT" in the serial number.
The Utah commemoratives don't seem to bring much if any more than a regular 52B re-issue. 1000 wasn't a lot by Winchester commemorative standards, but they still don't have any extra collector appeal. I'm not real surprised as I don't really see any association between Utah and the Model 52 Sporter.
Zanders Heavy Barrel Model 52B:
These are Winchester marked rifles but have heavy barrels in a standard Winchester stock with the barrel channel enlarged for the heavier barrel. Miroku made 500 of them for Zanders in 1998 with satin finished stocks and 500 more with glossy finished stocks that same year.
The Zanders rifles are highly prized by shooters due to the heavier barrel and will bring more money than a regular B or C. Several years ago they were bringing around $1,500-1,800 at a time when the regular B and C rifles were selling for around $800. I have not looked at their market value recently.
All the these heavy barrel Model 52 re-issues appear to have "NP-80" in the serial along with all the other final year production (1998) rifles.
Fajen 1998 Shot Show special:
These are all Winchester marked with a maple Fajen Stock (maple stock). These were manufactured as a Shot Show special in 1998 and the run was limited to just 400. The two I have seen had boxes that were marked "barrel action". My impression was they came from Miroku as a barrelled action and were then stocked by Fajen.
Ten or 12 years ago you could get one for around $850 as people were not impressed with their looks. That's not a hindrance now as they sell for around $3500.
Personally, they never spoke to me as they have that gaudy blonde maple stock and the overly exaggerated roll over comb and pistol grip that went out of style in the 1960s not long after it came into style. Fajen however made a ton of money selling similarly styled finished and unfinished semi-inletted stocks to people who wanted a "custom" rifle.
----
I'm pretty sure the 2,400 Winchester marked rifles above are included in the 10,000 total. I floated that theory 7-8 years ago and I never got a feedback suggesting that wasn't the case, but I could still be mistaken on that.
All of them were made by Miroku for Browning, who owned the Winchester brand at the time. Despite the "B" and "C" distinction they all use the "C" type trigger and the differences are in the stocks, the markings, and on the Zander rifles, the barrels.
-----
Purists and Winchester Model 52 collectors don't consider them to be "Winchesters" but that's ok. They are still very well made and are still arguably the best production .22 LR sporter ever mass produced (over 10,000 rifles). They don't command the $3500-$4500 price of a nice original Model 52 Sporter, but that also makes them affordable for people looking for a very well made and accurate .22 LR sporter that's a step up looks wise from a CZ 452, 453, or 455, or a Ruger 77/22.
The popular convention is to refer to all them as "Model 52R" rifles to indicate their re-issue status and differentiate them from the original Model 52B and Model 52C sporters.
