Talk to me about a S&W 52-2
- Thread starter Rockrivr1
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Rowlf
Member
Practice today in mist. Since I haven't shot my M52 in a while my zero has changed. Pictures are the shooting bench and 25 yard target, M52 after adjusting zero and shot Slow Fire, a 1911 wadcutter group with one magazine of five shots shot Slow Fire, and 1911 45 wadcutter same target.
A general guideline is not to practice at 50 yards until you can hold the 10 ring at 25 yards. Since both pistols needed new zeros I stayed at 25 yards.
A general guideline is not to practice at 50 yards until you can hold the 10 ring at 25 yards. Since both pistols needed new zeros I stayed at 25 yards.
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AJ
US Veteran
John Giles 1911 in 38 Spl
Rowlf wrote:
“Not seen in Bullseye/Precision Pistol Competition. 38 Special is hard to group with the M52 at 50 yards with modern manufactured ammo and reloads.”
OK, just as a comparison.
50 YARDS: 1911 converted to 38 Spl wadcutter by John Giles in 1959.
Five shots in less than 1.25”. Best four shots in less than 3/4”.
That’s with a cast bullet handload. (Hensley & Gibbs #50 wadcutter sized .357” with 2.7 grs of Bullseye powder)
I’ve also attached a page from Giles’ brochure detailing some of the specifics of his conversions.
“We guarantee all Heavy Slide .38’s capable of grouping five shots in less than 1 & 1/4” at 50 yards.”
Rowlf wrote:
“Not seen in Bullseye/Precision Pistol Competition. 38 Special is hard to group with the M52 at 50 yards with modern manufactured ammo and reloads.”
OK, just as a comparison.
50 YARDS: 1911 converted to 38 Spl wadcutter by John Giles in 1959.
Five shots in less than 1.25”. Best four shots in less than 3/4”.
That’s with a cast bullet handload. (Hensley & Gibbs #50 wadcutter sized .357” with 2.7 grs of Bullseye powder)
I’ve also attached a page from Giles’ brochure detailing some of the specifics of his conversions.
“We guarantee all Heavy Slide .38’s capable of grouping five shots in less than 1 & 1/4” at 50 yards.”
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M52
I have shot M52 in the past. Mostly my friends and others. They are without a doubt the finest shooters! Definitely buy one. I believe that someone on this forum listed a M52 magazine recently.
I decided to buy one and I went on a long trip down that road to finally find the perfect Model 52 no dash. Sadly its in such great shape I cannot/ will not shoot it. It resides in my safe alongside other Queens under heavy guard by my vicious Chiweenies. I'm currently using a friends which he is going to sell to me in the near future as he is turning to Plastic. The gun is in great working order but clearly a shooter only.
The safe queen didn't have a box. I'm not sure I even care to have a box that doesn't match anyways so I've decided if one shows up great if not no biggie.
I have shot M52 in the past. Mostly my friends and others. They are without a doubt the finest shooters! Definitely buy one. I believe that someone on this forum listed a M52 magazine recently.
I decided to buy one and I went on a long trip down that road to finally find the perfect Model 52 no dash. Sadly its in such great shape I cannot/ will not shoot it. It resides in my safe alongside other Queens under heavy guard by my vicious Chiweenies. I'm currently using a friends which he is going to sell to me in the near future as he is turning to Plastic. The gun is in great working order but clearly a shooter only.
The safe queen didn't have a box. I'm not sure I even care to have a box that doesn't match anyways so I've decided if one shows up great if not no biggie.
I shot one model 52 and liked it so much I went looking. Did not like the wadcutter idea so found the sister pistol in 9MM, model 39-2. I now have three of them!!
Wow! Even considering inflation, that price sheet got my attention. If something like his craftsmanship was available today, I'd jump on a couple of pistols - even at inflated prices. Unfortunately, those days are history.
Nope, I never tested the 50 yard accuracy of my S&W 52-1. I did shoot a decent timed fire match with mine, once.
The S&W model 52's are fine handguns for what they are made for. The drawbacks these days are that magazines are super expensive. If you can find decent originals, you might spend $150.00 each! The other drawback is that factory ammo is expensive. If you reload, you have to seat the 148 gr. bullet flush or a little below flush and finding a load that will equal top quality factory match ammo is very elusive.
silverstateS&W
Member
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don't get too bogged down in everybodys elses opinions/etc etc
buy it- buy the xtra mag thats in the classifieds and buy 10 boxes of wadcutter ammo.
start enjoying the most enjoyable pistol S&W ever made.
if you dont care for it sell it when youre done.
there is a 52 no dash in the classifieds for $1000 at present
midway has magtech wadcutter ammo.
This is a top notch handgun made for punching paper.it will make you a better shooter by concentrating on trigger squeeze and sights and not jerking. If you a shooter that does 'mag dumps' when you go shooting this gun is not for you.
Larry
buy it- buy the xtra mag thats in the classifieds and buy 10 boxes of wadcutter ammo.
start enjoying the most enjoyable pistol S&W ever made.
if you dont care for it sell it when youre done.
there is a 52 no dash in the classifieds for $1000 at present
midway has magtech wadcutter ammo.
This is a top notch handgun made for punching paper.it will make you a better shooter by concentrating on trigger squeeze and sights and not jerking. If you a shooter that does 'mag dumps' when you go shooting this gun is not for you.
Larry
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I loaded Lyman Button Nose WCs for K38s and they shoot decent for me. I’m way past being a contender, just shoot for fun. Some time ago I had HBWCs loaded with Red Dot and was shooting them in Python & Diamond back. A filthy load but very accurate.
I’ve since gotten Hornady HBWCs and loaded with Bullseye which seems to be the sweet load for 52s.
Also picked up some 100pks of CCI Blazer, aluminum case HBWCs. Have just shot 20 of them at plink targets and they seem to shoot well. Only thing is that I don’t think they are still on market.
I had Lyman mold, single cavity for HBWCs but traded it off. Using that to keep up would be like trying to survive on black walnuts.
After a while you would succumb to fatigue. I’ll stick to Hornady.
I’ve since gotten Hornady HBWCs and loaded with Bullseye which seems to be the sweet load for 52s.
Also picked up some 100pks of CCI Blazer, aluminum case HBWCs. Have just shot 20 of them at plink targets and they seem to shoot well. Only thing is that I don’t think they are still on market.
I had Lyman mold, single cavity for HBWCs but traded it off. Using that to keep up would be like trying to survive on black walnuts.
After a while you would succumb to fatigue. I’ll stick to Hornady.
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Rockrivr1
Member
Have a 39 already and it’s a fine gun. I do though enjoy finding these hard to find models. Makes my day.
SmithSwede
Member
I have a negative view of them, having owned two.
Yes, they are beautifully made. Wonderful triggers. Great sights. So if you just want a neat pistol to shoot casually, then sure. Get one.
I don’t like them because they were meant to be serious guns for use in Center-fire Bullseye competition. In my opinion, they fail at that. So I don’t much care for them
First, at least in my experience, it was very difficult to get decent 50 yard accuracy with hand loaded ammo. I can’t afford to only shoot brand new factory wadcutters at 50 yards. This failing was noted way back when Gil Herbard reviewed them. I confirmed his experience with extensive Ransom test testing. 2 different pistols.
And no, this does not mean I can’t hand load accurate .38 Special ammo. It is easy to reload great ammo for a S&W K-38. But not a 52. I don’t know why this is true, but am convinced it is true. They are just incredibly finicky for some reason.
Now in fairness, they shoot pretty well at 25 yards.
Second, both of mine had a high rate of alibis. You aren’t going to gain much points at 25 yards if the pistol keeps puking.
I have never met a serious Bullseye shooter who really likes the 52, or uses one in competition. I’ve seen some serious shooters with old .38 conversions of a 1911, and they did ok.
If anything, I’d say the modern trend is that if someone just insists on shooting something other than .45 in the centerfire stage, they shoot a .32 auto. And I’ve personally seen a .32 shoot great (Doc Young with an Erma .32 down in Houston—I recall it was a high 880 score)
In my opinion, if you want a really accurate .38, get a good K-38. Or Model 15. Or a comparable Colt.
The 52 can break you heart. Beautiful. Seems like a lot of potential. But doesn’t really deliver.
Yes, they are beautifully made. Wonderful triggers. Great sights. So if you just want a neat pistol to shoot casually, then sure. Get one.
I don’t like them because they were meant to be serious guns for use in Center-fire Bullseye competition. In my opinion, they fail at that. So I don’t much care for them
First, at least in my experience, it was very difficult to get decent 50 yard accuracy with hand loaded ammo. I can’t afford to only shoot brand new factory wadcutters at 50 yards. This failing was noted way back when Gil Herbard reviewed them. I confirmed his experience with extensive Ransom test testing. 2 different pistols.
And no, this does not mean I can’t hand load accurate .38 Special ammo. It is easy to reload great ammo for a S&W K-38. But not a 52. I don’t know why this is true, but am convinced it is true. They are just incredibly finicky for some reason.
Now in fairness, they shoot pretty well at 25 yards.
Second, both of mine had a high rate of alibis. You aren’t going to gain much points at 25 yards if the pistol keeps puking.
I have never met a serious Bullseye shooter who really likes the 52, or uses one in competition. I’ve seen some serious shooters with old .38 conversions of a 1911, and they did ok.
If anything, I’d say the modern trend is that if someone just insists on shooting something other than .45 in the centerfire stage, they shoot a .32 auto. And I’ve personally seen a .32 shoot great (Doc Young with an Erma .32 down in Houston—I recall it was a high 880 score)
In my opinion, if you want a really accurate .38, get a good K-38. Or Model 15. Or a comparable Colt.
The 52 can break you heart. Beautiful. Seems like a lot of potential. But doesn’t really deliver.
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Rowlf
Member
The US military Bullseye teams preferred 38 Special 1911s. TD Smith set an International record with a 38 Special 1911 while the M52 was available for use.
Did anyone shooting a M52 ever set a record or win a high level match?
Edit: Forgot to point out that Doc Young competed in Olympic shooting events on the US team. The targets used in International competition have tighter scoring rings than US Bullseye targets. Very humbling to shoot on.
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Rowlf
Member
An M52 set up for Bullseye competition by pistolsmith Jerry Keefer. 1-10 twist barrel and other upgrades for competition use. Keefer also had a background in PPC and making accurate 38 Special loads for 50 yard performance.
Draw4u
Member
AJ
US Veteran
If it is truly an unfired piece and in 100% factory new put it away or sell it to a collector. Find a shooter and have fun.
Draw4u
Member
smithman 10
US Veteran
Jerry Keefer
I had the good fortune to know Jerry Keefer for many years before he passed. One of the nicest guys I ever knew. Although I was never a competition pistol shooter he would check out and tune up any Smith revolver I picked up.
I learned a lot from him.
An M52 set up for Bullseye competition by pistolsmith Jerry Keefer. 1-10 twist barrel and other upgrades for competition use. Keefer also had a background in PPC and making accurate 38 Special loads for 50 yard performance.
I had the good fortune to know Jerry Keefer for many years before he passed. One of the nicest guys I ever knew. Although I was never a competition pistol shooter he would check out and tune up any Smith revolver I picked up.
I learned a lot from him.
Gil Hebard tested a few S&W model 52's at 50 yards back in the day. He shot 3,200 rounds from a machine rest. He concluded that the pistols would reliably average between 2-3" ten shot groups at 50 yards. This is from his book "The Pistol Shooter's Treasury".
