Model 52 jams *Solved*

[wannabe]

I recently purchase a model 52-2 that looks like it's never been fired. I attached a frame mount and a Ultradot scope and I'm trying to get ready for shooting Bullseye matches.

The pistol came with two magazines that show no bluing wear.

The pistol jams about 10 percent of the time.

My load is new 38spl speer brass, 148 hbwc Zero, and 2.8 bullseye, using federal primers.

I have trimmed the brass back to 1.135 and I'm giving them a good roll crimp. The bullets are not seated past the cases, and I still get jams.

I'm not sure what to try next. Maybe I should changes some of the springs? Does any one tune these anymore?

Anyone have any suggestions please?

 

[505Gibbs]

A bit more clarification on the 'jam' - please.
FTE - failure to eject?
Stovepiping of empty or ???
Failure to strip off the next round in the mag?

 

[rburg]

First step, go out and buy a box of the 148 gr wadcutters from a store, as in brand new factory stuff, not reloads. Then try it and see what happens.

I bought one brand new back in 1980, and it had some little problems. I just upped my charge to 3.0 grains of Bullseye and it ran OK after that. Don't know if the extra umph was needed, or if the thing just broke in and started running better. Regardless, with those low powder charges you don't have a pressure problem.

 

[colt_saa]

In addition to telling us what kind of jam.

How did it work prior to attaching the scope?

Have you shot a 52 before? Or is this your first try?

 

[wannabe]

Jams = Failure to feed next round.


The problem happens with either magazines (metal followers)

Seems like one out of ten will not feed, no particular round. Could be the second or the last.

The case mouth hits high instead of going into the chamber.

 

[11e40]

mine likes 3.0, 3.1 of bs / eye . 148 lhbwc.

 

[wannabe]

I tried 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9 charge.

I didn't shoot the pistol before I mounted the scope, and this is my first 52.

 

[wannabe]

I just went out and tried 3.1 bullseye. I shot 10 rounds with no problems then came in an loaded another 10.

The second round failed to chamber. I now see they're getting hung up where the rim of the case would stop.

Here's the pictures of the jam.

 

[wheelgun28]

I wonder if the weight of the scope and mount have some effect on the operation? It is added weight that might change the speed of the slide.

Mine seems to operate slowly as compare to other autos. I wonder if the slide lost some snap or something with the added mass?
Id take it off and try it?

I was always told the 52's like to run oily on the rails and barrel bushing?

Also how tight is your bushing, Ive been told to tight causes feeding issues?


My 52 likes 3.0G of BE with 148G HBWC

 

[planojack]

I've owned 4 Model 52-2's and found that all of them worked better with a bit hotter load. I currently load 3.1 grains of Bullseye with a 148 grain DEWC. I also use a 112 grain full wadcutter with 3.5 grains of Bullseye. I suspect the extra mass of the scope, etc., is also a part of the problem. You might want to take it off and check your results. A properly shooting 52-2 is a joy. It is a strong action. A slight increase in powder might solve your problem.

 

[wannabe]

I should have mentioned earlier that I have a frame mount base for the scope. Nothing touches the slide.

I did tighten the bushing up as much as I could. I will check that tomorrow, and test again.

Thanks everyone for the help so far.

 

[boatbum101]

I shoot a 52-2 also . Mine is setup w/ a 1" UD slide mount from BME . I use a 7lb recoil spring . I believe you can use stock 8lb with your frame mount . Pull your slide , snap a loaded round under extractor . Give slide a good shake or two .If loaded round stays put your extractor tension is fine . New mag springs can't hurt & very well may solve your issue . I'd also check distance between mag lips front pair should be .356 ID between lips , back ones should be .328 - .348 . It looks to me that your mag is releasing round too late & it's hitting top of chamber . Wolff & Brownell's have new springs . Personally when I buy aused gun I change them all . Check Wolff Gunsprings - Firearm Springs for Semi-Auto Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles, & Shotguns or World's Largest Supplier of Gun Parts, Gunsmith Tools & Shooting Accessories - Brownells . I prefer 3.2 W231 OR 3.6 VVN340 with a Remington 148 HBWC , R-P cases trimmed to 1.145 , Fed 100primer & taper crimp to .369 . Never had that good of groups with BE in 38 special . The 52 outdoors @ 50yds will make you snatch yourself bald headed & invent words . Enjoy yourself as that's half the fun . When your technique is good they're a joy to shoot . Hope this helps . You also might want to install a barrel weight on the bottom of your scope mount . For myself the 52 is muzzle light & a real bitch to hold still w/o the weight .
Andy

 

[Chris_D]

I suspect your problem has more to do with your magazines than it does with the load. I just went through a bunch of trouble with my 52 magazines I have been buying (new and used). What I learned from my experience is there were two primary causes for failure to feed..

1) The clearance between the magazine follower pin and the sides of the gun frame is very minimal. The most problimatic place is on the upper rib where the top grip screw is. If you have failure to feed between rounds 3 & 4, you will have to fix that problem. You can either shorten the pin in the magazine slightly or you can file a small chamfer on the bottom of that rib in the frame to prevent the pin from catching on it.

2) The magazines are way off on the timing of when the flange of the case is allowed to rise up out of the magazine. For me this was a problem on two new magazines. To determine it I had to cycle a lot of ammo through the gun by manually cycling it and watching the cartridge ride up and feed. The area to modify was the vertical area about 1/3 the way in from the back side of the magazine. If you push a bullet forward with your finger (just as the slide does) you can see how the bullet moves forward a certain distance then as the flange hits this area, the back end of the bullet is allowed to rise up. If this area is too far forward, the nose of the bullet rises up too high to follow the feed ramp into the chamber. I filed mine back a little at a time till it worked reliably. The same can probably be fixed by attempting to bend the magazine to change the timing a bit but I was not able to achieve good results with only bending.

Chris

 

[wannabe]

Problem Solved!

I measured the openings in my two magazines.

Mag 1 front .370
rear .330-.338

Mag 2 front .363
rear .227-.339

I set the front of the mags into .356 just as Andy had said in the above post, and I could immediately see where the problem was.

I didn't have enough tension on the front of the mags and when the case moved forward to where the rim was in the open section between the front and back lips my case would pop up out of the front of the mag.
Now with enough tension it's held in line as it gets stripped from the mag.

I went out and shot 50 rounds without any trouble. Also I do believe adding a little more powder tighten the groups up. I'll have to do some more testing but everything looks like it should be good now.

Thanks a million guys. I got a lot of good help here.

 

[deanodog]

Glad you found your problem. The model 52 is one gun I always have wanted but I never saw but one and it was not for sale. I'm getting too old now. Enjoy your 52.

 

[Beerjman]

Glad you found your problem. The model 52 is one gun I always have wanted but I never saw but one and it was not for sale. I'm getting too old now. Enjoy your 52.

You should see if you can shoot somebody's 52.
The reason the 52's are so hard to come by is that all the OLD guys hold on to them because that pistol is such a pleasure to shoot .
I wanted one for 30 years . When they where common , I did not have the $'s , when I could afford them CA made it very difficult to acquire one .
Now , since I have a beautiful 52 I enjoy it very much !
Boatbum's M52 information was also greatly appreciated .