AJ
US Veteran
So you bought the 52, not FPrice? Hope it was a good deal. Down here a nice one with the box is running about $2K. Mine came with 2 mags and a S&W aluminum locking case, cost was $1K a couple of years ago. Congratulations.....
S&W Model 52-2
- Thread starter FPrice
- Start date
So you bought the 52, not FPrice? Hope it was a good deal. Down here a nice one with the box is running about $2K. Mine came with 2 mags and a S&W aluminum locking case, cost was $1K a couple of years ago. Congratulations.....
First off, hats off to FPrice for posting this and providing the info.
So I bought the gun and picked it up tonight. I didn't get home till about an hour ago. I am still cleaning it. Just needed a break.
The dealer told me on the phone it was probably 90% or better shape with seven magazines. I looked it over today and it was hard to tell the real condition. The slide racked a little rough with some drag. The Pachmayr grips looked a little rough and the gun was pretty dirty. The trigger was very light and smooth.
Anyways at home the grips were difficult to take off they had been on so long. The drag was dried up oil and powder and gunk. Now the good news about 30 Q-tips later just about all the gunk and powder residual is gone. The finish appeared flat but now it shines. Very minor marks I would rate the gun 95% or better. I am still cleaning and soaking.
No box, paperwork or barrel wrench. But it does have a minty S&W barrel weight. Some of the mags have white paint marker and two have a few scratches on the base plate. They will clean up also. One mag is the older metal follower.
So the damage was $1100.00 out the door. I am very happy with the deal. Pictures will probably be tomorrow at this point.
Also I have a pair of wooden grips to put on when I am done.
So I bought the gun and picked it up tonight. I didn't get home till about an hour ago. I am still cleaning it. Just needed a break.
The dealer told me on the phone it was probably 90% or better shape with seven magazines. I looked it over today and it was hard to tell the real condition. The slide racked a little rough with some drag. The Pachmayr grips looked a little rough and the gun was pretty dirty. The trigger was very light and smooth.
Anyways at home the grips were difficult to take off they had been on so long. The drag was dried up oil and powder and gunk. Now the good news about 30 Q-tips later just about all the gunk and powder residual is gone. The finish appeared flat but now it shines. Very minor marks I would rate the gun 95% or better. I am still cleaning and soaking.
No box, paperwork or barrel wrench. But it does have a minty S&W barrel weight. Some of the mags have white paint marker and two have a few scratches on the base plate. They will clean up also. One mag is the older metal follower.
So the damage was $1100.00 out the door. I am very happy with the deal. Pictures will probably be tomorrow at this point.
Also I have a pair of wooden grips to put on when I am done.
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Wow. I paid $599 for my 52-2 but that was 15 or so years ago. Only came with one mag, I think?
I went to a gun show, to chase down the mag guy. I asked for a 52 mag. He had a big box of loose mags, so he began to dig in. And dug. Dug some more. With his arm in almost to his shoulder, he pulled it out holding my 52 mag. It was the only one at the show as well.
I love my 52! The accuracy, the soft shooting, the great trigger, it all makes them such wonderful guns to shoot.
AJ
US Veteran
That was a good deal. On the subject of 52 magazines, you see lots of them on the market. The specimens listed for $150 and up are just that, listed not selling. The average selling price is $125 to $150. This doesn't include new in package magazines which are quasi collector items. I have been bidding on everyone I come across and making offers. I was offering
$110 until I had 20, not counting the ones in guns and boxes.Now doing
$101 and expect to drop further. For those not in the know and factoring
the 3k aftermarket's at $79.95.
$110 until I had 20, not counting the ones in guns and boxes.Now doing
$101 and expect to drop further. For those not in the know and factoring
the 3k aftermarket's at $79.95.
AJ
US Veteran
The Triple K aftermarkets are no good. I have had two sets of them and returned both sets as they did not function in my 52. Won't call them junk, but won't make good paperweights.
maxfam
Member
It's a FRAME weight. Mounts to frame, not the barrel.
Gunhohulk
Member
There is a local shop near where I'm at that has a 52-2 for a mere 2500, down from 3500. It's been there for a long time.
OP
This is the reason I posted it. 20 years ago when I was an active S&W collector I would have bought this in a heartbeat (at 20 years ago prices of course). But i was hoping that another S&W fan would benefit.
Model 52's of any generation have prices all over the market place and you quite simply have to know what you are looking at if you want to buy one. A cursory look at the pistol without field stripping it and calling it a "good deal" is foolish at best. Today if I find one that interests me I ask the seller if I can field strip it AND borescope the barrel. If he says no I thank him and walk away. Barrels have a lot to say about the condition of a Model 52 especially around the chamber where it meets the rifling. I will also ask the seller if I can dry fire the pistol and most often they say yes as long as the selector is in the down position. I want to get a feel for the trigger and I usually have my trigger pull gage with me to verify what I feel.
Model 52's have seemingly reached cult status which is also driving the price of these fine pistols upwards. I know several people that own them, but never shoot them for fear of breaking them and that is a shame. Many of these same people claim they can't find proper ammunition for their pistols, but that's kind of a cop-out. One can find ammunition. Before the interest in the Model 52 itself bloomed certain people discovered a literal goldmine in selling Model 52 magazines. This was to be expected as the factory was no longer making magazines for this fine pistol so supply could no longer meet demand. Capitalism at its best. You have to pay to play. While many scoff at the high price of Model 52 magazines there will come a time when they go even higher and people will pay that price in order to have what they feel is enough magazines.
The OP in this thread seemingly got a pretty good deal on this pistol, magazines and frame weight. He could certainly sell off some of the magazines to recoup part of his investment money, but I certainly wouldn't. I would put the magazines I don't need on the side and let the market go where it may. One day in the not too distant future they may be worth far more money and then I would have a decision to make. Just for the record, I had an acquaintance call me a few days ago and ask me if $2,350.00 was too much to pay for a very nice looking Model 52-2 with box and accessories. Prices are most definitely going up on these pistols and rightfully so.
Rick H.
Model 52's have seemingly reached cult status which is also driving the price of these fine pistols upwards. I know several people that own them, but never shoot them for fear of breaking them and that is a shame. Many of these same people claim they can't find proper ammunition for their pistols, but that's kind of a cop-out. One can find ammunition. Before the interest in the Model 52 itself bloomed certain people discovered a literal goldmine in selling Model 52 magazines. This was to be expected as the factory was no longer making magazines for this fine pistol so supply could no longer meet demand. Capitalism at its best. You have to pay to play. While many scoff at the high price of Model 52 magazines there will come a time when they go even higher and people will pay that price in order to have what they feel is enough magazines.
The OP in this thread seemingly got a pretty good deal on this pistol, magazines and frame weight. He could certainly sell off some of the magazines to recoup part of his investment money, but I certainly wouldn't. I would put the magazines I don't need on the side and let the market go where it may. One day in the not too distant future they may be worth far more money and then I would have a decision to make. Just for the record, I had an acquaintance call me a few days ago and ask me if $2,350.00 was too much to pay for a very nice looking Model 52-2 with box and accessories. Prices are most definitely going up on these pistols and rightfully so.
Rick H.
Rowlf
Member
Seven magazines is good but five short of what you would want to shoot Time Fire/Rapid Fire in a Bullseye match without having to reload any magazines. Twelve magazines lets you cruise through a match without reloading. Three is good to have so two magazines are for the match and one magazine as a spare in case of magazine reliability problems.
But most people never shoot in competition.
But most people never shoot in competition.
I can see the benefit of more magazines in a Bullseye match. Perhaps in a 900 agg it's do-able; in a 2700, that's a lot of magazines!
However, most all of us in two local clubs run only two mags per caliber plus maybe a spare for mag hiccups or refires. It's part of the routine to reload magazines after slow, timed and rapid fire segments before we go safe and switch targets. It's all muscle memory and repeatability which is important in Bullseye. Even in slow fire where I could load a single 10-rounder (not in a 52, of course) I load two mags with 5 rounds each.
Rowlf
Member
12 magazines for a 900. Impractical for a M52 but relatively inexpensive for 22 and 45 unless you have a Euro 22. Most Bullseye shooters use a 45 in Center Fire and 45. Using a Center Fire in a 2700 usually lowers your 45 and overall scores. Only the military team shooters can get away with shooting 9mm Service Pistols in Center Fire and not lose points.
