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[Dave Salyer is one of the few pistolsmiths that still works on them. Luckily, they do not give much trouble with good ammo.
S&W Model 52-2
- Thread starter oneeyedpete
- Start date
There's alot of truth to the reply from USSR. My 1st M52-2 got me into reloading. I did it quite economically and slow and steady. I bought mainly used equipment at first to start with ie. a single stage press, RCBS beam scale etc. and a good reloading manual. After reading and researching the .38 Special and obtaining what I knew I would need I got to work. I damaged a few cases at first trying to figure out everything, but in short order my new reloads were produced. I guess the very first usable round I produced probably cost me about $250.00 or so, but there is something EXTREMEMLY satisfying turning out your own loads and not having to rely on store bought stuff. From the point of making your first round the cost per round drops steadily.
A ton of years has passed since then and I now reload for every firearm I own. Obviously I have also spent a bunch of money over the course of time buying better, more accurate and efficient equipment. I still use the old RCBS single stage press that I bought at a garage sale for reloading .38 W/C's and it has served me very well. Bottom line is you don't have to spend a ton of money on reloading, but the return will be well worth the investment. The freedom from the ammunition retailers is priceless. The .38 Special is a terrific round to start off a reloading pastime. It is a straight forward simple round to reload with few hidden surprises.
Rick H.
AJ
US Veteran
I concur with what Rick H. wrote. Started pretty much the say way and worked my way up.
AJ
As a long time handloader and someone who has personally taught many the craft, I'm usually one of the first to make the same suggestion.
I have put that suggestion on hold. The perfect storm of problems AND the predictable group of unhelpful folks have made the prospect of starting out right now to be far, -FAR- beyond frustrating.
If you are wishing to become the next brand new handloader, and assuming you can gather the tools (which seems to be MOSTLY possible...), you are now staring down the barrel of:
--barely a chance you will find powder and if/when you do, expect 2.5x the price
--basically no chance you can find primers, unless you are legitimately willing to pay SIX times retail at a gun show, or 2.5 times retail, PLUS shipping PLUS hazmat handling and being limited to a thousandby ordering them, if you hit the click-lottery and find that elusive 15-minute window when someone has them in stock
Bullets can be found. -OOPS- unless you seek swaged lead hollow base wadcutters that are perfect for the S&W Model 52. Those are out of stock everywhere and there aren't many sources of that bullet to begin with.
Thread drift? Possibly. But it's 100% on topic. Becoming a brand new handloader to feed a S&W Model 52 was a fantastic plan 2-plus years ago and hopefully will be again one day. And if you have a hardcore handloader buddy who lives locally to you, it is possible even now. I certainly hope it will be again in the future.
At the moment... it seems to be a pipe dream and advice that is past it's expiration date and not very helpful right now.
I have put that suggestion on hold. The perfect storm of problems AND the predictable group of unhelpful folks have made the prospect of starting out right now to be far, -FAR- beyond frustrating.
If you are wishing to become the next brand new handloader, and assuming you can gather the tools (which seems to be MOSTLY possible...), you are now staring down the barrel of:
--barely a chance you will find powder and if/when you do, expect 2.5x the price
--basically no chance you can find primers, unless you are legitimately willing to pay SIX times retail at a gun show, or 2.5 times retail, PLUS shipping PLUS hazmat handling and being limited to a thousandby ordering them, if you hit the click-lottery and find that elusive 15-minute window when someone has them in stock
Bullets can be found. -OOPS- unless you seek swaged lead hollow base wadcutters that are perfect for the S&W Model 52. Those are out of stock everywhere and there aren't many sources of that bullet to begin with.
Thread drift? Possibly. But it's 100% on topic. Becoming a brand new handloader to feed a S&W Model 52 was a fantastic plan 2-plus years ago and hopefully will be again one day. And if you have a hardcore handloader buddy who lives locally to you, it is possible even now. I certainly hope it will be again in the future.
At the moment... it seems to be a pipe dream and advice that is past it's expiration date and not very helpful right now.
AJ
US Veteran
Sevens,
If enough of us can and will help some of the new folks wanting to get into reloading it is possible for them to get started. I have given away a couple of presses, scales and other reloading items. We all probably have spares that we will never use. So help some one you know get started.
AJ
Hey Sevens....why the voice of doom and gloom?? Certainly things aren't all rosy right now in the reloading market, especially for old timers that have been doing it for a long time, but it really isn't THAT bad! What better time to GET STARTED than now?? An individual that wants to start reloading can buy a couple of books/manuals and start reading up on it. Lots of people are selling their equipment because they don't know when the market will rebound. That means a new guy can buy in cheap, like I did going to garage sales and such. Just look at Ebay/Gunbroker. I just checked Natchez Shooters Supply and they have Hornady 148 grain lead HB bullets in stock. $32.00 for 250 bullets and I made one search attempt!! Sure getting primers and powder may be difficult, but powder is out there, you just have to LOOK for it. Primers are the big stumbling block right now, but you don't have to buy 5,000 at a crack. When I started reloading I was a young cop with a family and I could only afford to buy a couple of flats at a time and a pound of powder. A starting off reloader can certainly do the same today right?
If all we did was cry the sky is falling, the sky is falling where would we be? We would be under a rock, or in a cave waiting for the sky to fall. Be supportive of a new reloader and get him/her going in it. By the time the market for reloading supplies returns, to more normal conditions, that new reloader will already have a ton of experience ready to establish self reliance and a really rewarding pastime. Start small and if it is what you like doing then go big!!
Rick H.
If all we did was cry the sky is falling, the sky is falling where would we be? We would be under a rock, or in a cave waiting for the sky to fall. Be supportive of a new reloader and get him/her going in it. By the time the market for reloading supplies returns, to more normal conditions, that new reloader will already have a ton of experience ready to establish self reliance and a really rewarding pastime. Start small and if it is what you like doing then go big!!
Rick H.
-BIG- difference between "the sky is falling" and repeatedly suggesting that prospective buyers of a S&W 52 just start handloading to feed it in a market where the tools are available but three of the four needed components are all but impossible to get.
NOTICE where I said near the end of my post "if you have a hardcore handloader buddy who lives locally to you…", THAT would be a genuine road to actually getting primers, powder and the elusive 148gr swaged HBWC.
But sure, miss the entire purpose of what I wrote and call me a chicken little. I've loaded 7,300 rounds in 2021. I'll go do more of that now.
NOTICE where I said near the end of my post "if you have a hardcore handloader buddy who lives locally to you…", THAT would be a genuine road to actually getting primers, powder and the elusive 148gr swaged HBWC.
But sure, miss the entire purpose of what I wrote and call me a chicken little. I've loaded 7,300 rounds in 2021. I'll go do more of that now.
USSR
Member
Rick H. said it well. There will never be a perfect time to prepare to take up reloading. I would simply say to start now and move slowly. Buy used equipment as they become available at reasonable prices. Once we get thru this ammo pandemic and supplies become more available, then move faster with your equipment and supplies purchases. The one thing I can guarantee you is, this will not be the last ammo shortage. Seems to happen every 4 or 8 years in alignment with our national elections. Go figure.
Don
Don
Sevens, did you READ what I wrote? Seriously, did you READ and comprehend the words? You are fixated on the current availability of reloading components so much so that you want to turn someone off from getting started in reloading. I not only suggested this would be a great time to get into reloading with people selling off their equipment, but I even gave the name of a place to obtain Hornady 148 grain lead bullets. What more to you want me to do, buy them for him??
Guys like you crack me up. You are upset because you can't find or refuse to buy components unless they are priced to your liking. I have a news flash, they will probably never be where they were 2 years ago. That's reality. We are going to pay more and probably so for months or years. Get over it.
The only thing that I couldn't find easily for reloading components is primers. Powder was easy to find just look for it. Primers are the weak link, but like I said you don't have to pay $1,000.00 for 5,000 primers, just buy a couple of flats and start
reloading. You absolutely, completely missed my comment about starting small and if you like reloading go bigger into it. The OP could start now and gain a wealth of experience while things slowly return to normal, but nooo you would rather turn him off to the whole idea and wait for primers to return to $125.00 for 5,000. Quit living in the past and realize prices will never be what they once were. Trust me Sevens, if you put just a teenie weenie bit of effort into finding components they will magically appear in front of your eyes.
Rick H.
