I had the privilege of a good friend loaning me his Winchester 52 pre A early model 22 rimfire to try out on my range. His Uncle bought it new and from what I can gather this is one of the guns JD learned to shoot on. During conversation he shared that he became so profecient with it that he'd seldom miss shooting running bunnies in the bean fields where he grew up. He said it was a lot cheaper than shotgun shells and a whole lot more fun.
I looked up the serial number and it is a 1929 model, the year before the speed lock model came out. It really resembles a Springfield stock and has the original owners name stamped in the side. Not sure if he did it or had it done, it also has his initials stamped back near the buttplate. I don't think it has ever been out of the stock, the rifle is all original down to the crud in the cracks where the action and barrel touch the stock except the present owner said he changed out the front sight to something he preferred for making the running bunnies easier to see for him. I checked and it doesn't have the "Death Crack" some have mentioned by the safety. I also think this is the first gun that I've had to make an effort to hold in position while squeezing the trigger and also to use my other hand to hold onto while working the bolt.
At first impression you'd just think that "Yup, just another old gun that might be fun to shoot". It has an old Lyman Junior Super Spot 10x scope on it which has a much smaller diameter bell on it than a Lyman Super Spot 16X scope I compared it to. Looking thru it I was really surprised how bright and crisp the targets were. Equally as good as my Super Spot.
Looking at it it'd be hard to see how the newer 52 B, C or D evolved from it. In its day it was one of the most prized 22 rimfires you could own and won way more matches that any of us could ever count. It does hang nice offhand but the trigger would take an exceptional marksmen to wring it's accuracy potential out of it.
OK, now on to shooting it. JD said I could clean it before trying it out but I wanted to see what it would do just the way it was. The action was really sticky and the trigger was about 7 lbs or so and had about 3/8" travel from beginning squeeze to end of overtravel. Later on after shooting it Butch took the bolt out and cleaned and lubed it up and the action got a lot smoother and down to a steady 4 1/2 to 5 lbs range.
I think the scope was set somewhere about 85 to 90 yards and after cranking it down and getting a good solid 50 yard zero I proceeded to start cranking in the various distances for my steel plate racks. The scope has perfect 1/4" clicks I found out as I worked my way thru the racks at 25 yard increments. Every setting got nearly a perfect center hit on each plate. At some distances I shot 5 shot groups on them just to make sure the first shot wasn't luck.
I didn't shoot any paper, I freshly painted the targets and the hits were very distinctive even looking thru the 10X scope. At one hundred yards it shot a very difficult star/diamond rack with a shoot thru circle and it easily centered all of them. Next I went to the 125 yard rack which is Candy Canes. I let my Son shoot that rack and he cleaned it which a lot of shooters miss a couple due to their shape and odd angles.
On to 150 yards. Another first round hit nearly centering the sight in plate, Chris then shot one at the 6" circle, it has a small 14" hole a bit above center we aim at for checking that distance. It nearly hit it, he then held dead center and put 5 shots in this nice tight little group.
I shot the next rack at 175 yards, first shot was a tad high hitting up near the hanger tab. Did have to come down a couple clicks and got a pretty good grouping on the 7" square plate. You can judge the size knowing the plate is 7 inches across. All this time we had a slight changing breeze so slight corrections were being made as I watched the wind flags.
Next rack was 197 yards. I shot 3 separate plates with 5 shots each. I didn't measure them but think they were a bit above 2 to 2 1/2moa at that distance. We'd get a couple touching then have one move out a bit but overall the gun shot far above our expections. Wanted to also include it here before I forgot, this old Lyman scope had no problem cranking perfectly out thru 197 yards and allowing a center hold. Every elevation adjustment was exact and it tracked perfectly for windage while making the verticle adjustments.
First group on the 10 inch plate
Second group on the 9 inch plate.
Third group on the 5 inch plate.
It was shot just lying on a sandbag under the front on a cheap rest and a sandbag under the rear. It wasn't a perfect setup for testing accuracy by any means but was realistic for what most people would be shooting a gun when at a range. I'm sure it would do a lot better with some trigger work but Chris and I both really enjoyed it. Not having an ultra light trigger you barely touch made it tough but having to squeeze thru and keep it on target the whole time was really challenging. Both of us started to get cramps from trying to squeeze and maintain a constant grip thru the shooting process.
I have some decent accurate rimfires and having just shot a Walther KK200 of the owner of this gun I have to say I had as much fun shooting and seeing how this old girl performed as any gun I've shot before. Brings back good memories of the old days and shooting what we had and making shots that usually get smirks or rolled eyes from shooting buds. Just like in the movie 'Christmas Story" where Ralphie dreams of making hip shots and hitting birds on the wing every time I got behind the stock of this old classic I could picture previous owners making those same shots and enjoying their time out in the field with nothing but them and their gun.
I know this has been long but I wrote this with a lot of passion, I can't express in a post what it's like to enjoy shooting an older gun that shoots well that takes skill to shoot rather than a high tech modern firearm. I hope he lets me keep it a while longer to maybe even try shooting it in one of our longrange matches. It probably won't win but I bet it won't be too far down the list. Hope the original owner is looking down with a smile knowing his prized possession is still being enjoyed and used for what it was intended.
A note to the present owner, keep me in mind if this gun ever becomes available for sale. It won't be a closet queen or put on a rack for display, it'll be shot and enjoyed for what it was designed for and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Memories should live on and I believe they can be shared when you believe.
Wanted to add more thing to this post, I've read on threads, gotten emails and also from shooters in person that "I don't have a gun or scope good enough to shoot these distances. I've tried to convince them that nearly any decent gun no matter how old or brand with a decent mid priced ammo and correct scope/mount setup can shoot well at the extended distances.
I think that is why I like playing with the older guns so much and wringing out their potential on the far targets. I've always shot everything I own whether it be pistols or rifles of various calibers way beyond what is thought the norm but have found most shooters limit themselves and their equipment by either listening to others telling them it can't be done or them just knowing it can't be done. I think this old gun and scope shows it's doable and can even be competitive but it does take a lot of quality practice to achieve it.
Topstrap
I looked up the serial number and it is a 1929 model, the year before the speed lock model came out. It really resembles a Springfield stock and has the original owners name stamped in the side. Not sure if he did it or had it done, it also has his initials stamped back near the buttplate. I don't think it has ever been out of the stock, the rifle is all original down to the crud in the cracks where the action and barrel touch the stock except the present owner said he changed out the front sight to something he preferred for making the running bunnies easier to see for him. I checked and it doesn't have the "Death Crack" some have mentioned by the safety. I also think this is the first gun that I've had to make an effort to hold in position while squeezing the trigger and also to use my other hand to hold onto while working the bolt.
At first impression you'd just think that "Yup, just another old gun that might be fun to shoot". It has an old Lyman Junior Super Spot 10x scope on it which has a much smaller diameter bell on it than a Lyman Super Spot 16X scope I compared it to. Looking thru it I was really surprised how bright and crisp the targets were. Equally as good as my Super Spot.
Looking at it it'd be hard to see how the newer 52 B, C or D evolved from it. In its day it was one of the most prized 22 rimfires you could own and won way more matches that any of us could ever count. It does hang nice offhand but the trigger would take an exceptional marksmen to wring it's accuracy potential out of it.
OK, now on to shooting it. JD said I could clean it before trying it out but I wanted to see what it would do just the way it was. The action was really sticky and the trigger was about 7 lbs or so and had about 3/8" travel from beginning squeeze to end of overtravel. Later on after shooting it Butch took the bolt out and cleaned and lubed it up and the action got a lot smoother and down to a steady 4 1/2 to 5 lbs range.
I think the scope was set somewhere about 85 to 90 yards and after cranking it down and getting a good solid 50 yard zero I proceeded to start cranking in the various distances for my steel plate racks. The scope has perfect 1/4" clicks I found out as I worked my way thru the racks at 25 yard increments. Every setting got nearly a perfect center hit on each plate. At some distances I shot 5 shot groups on them just to make sure the first shot wasn't luck.
I didn't shoot any paper, I freshly painted the targets and the hits were very distinctive even looking thru the 10X scope. At one hundred yards it shot a very difficult star/diamond rack with a shoot thru circle and it easily centered all of them. Next I went to the 125 yard rack which is Candy Canes. I let my Son shoot that rack and he cleaned it which a lot of shooters miss a couple due to their shape and odd angles.
On to 150 yards. Another first round hit nearly centering the sight in plate, Chris then shot one at the 6" circle, it has a small 14" hole a bit above center we aim at for checking that distance. It nearly hit it, he then held dead center and put 5 shots in this nice tight little group.
I shot the next rack at 175 yards, first shot was a tad high hitting up near the hanger tab. Did have to come down a couple clicks and got a pretty good grouping on the 7" square plate. You can judge the size knowing the plate is 7 inches across. All this time we had a slight changing breeze so slight corrections were being made as I watched the wind flags.
Next rack was 197 yards. I shot 3 separate plates with 5 shots each. I didn't measure them but think they were a bit above 2 to 2 1/2moa at that distance. We'd get a couple touching then have one move out a bit but overall the gun shot far above our expections. Wanted to also include it here before I forgot, this old Lyman scope had no problem cranking perfectly out thru 197 yards and allowing a center hold. Every elevation adjustment was exact and it tracked perfectly for windage while making the verticle adjustments.
First group on the 10 inch plate
Second group on the 9 inch plate.
Third group on the 5 inch plate.
It was shot just lying on a sandbag under the front on a cheap rest and a sandbag under the rear. It wasn't a perfect setup for testing accuracy by any means but was realistic for what most people would be shooting a gun when at a range. I'm sure it would do a lot better with some trigger work but Chris and I both really enjoyed it. Not having an ultra light trigger you barely touch made it tough but having to squeeze thru and keep it on target the whole time was really challenging. Both of us started to get cramps from trying to squeeze and maintain a constant grip thru the shooting process.
I have some decent accurate rimfires and having just shot a Walther KK200 of the owner of this gun I have to say I had as much fun shooting and seeing how this old girl performed as any gun I've shot before. Brings back good memories of the old days and shooting what we had and making shots that usually get smirks or rolled eyes from shooting buds. Just like in the movie 'Christmas Story" where Ralphie dreams of making hip shots and hitting birds on the wing every time I got behind the stock of this old classic I could picture previous owners making those same shots and enjoying their time out in the field with nothing but them and their gun.
I know this has been long but I wrote this with a lot of passion, I can't express in a post what it's like to enjoy shooting an older gun that shoots well that takes skill to shoot rather than a high tech modern firearm. I hope he lets me keep it a while longer to maybe even try shooting it in one of our longrange matches. It probably won't win but I bet it won't be too far down the list. Hope the original owner is looking down with a smile knowing his prized possession is still being enjoyed and used for what it was intended.
A note to the present owner, keep me in mind if this gun ever becomes available for sale. It won't be a closet queen or put on a rack for display, it'll be shot and enjoyed for what it was designed for and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Memories should live on and I believe they can be shared when you believe.
Wanted to add more thing to this post, I've read on threads, gotten emails and also from shooters in person that "I don't have a gun or scope good enough to shoot these distances. I've tried to convince them that nearly any decent gun no matter how old or brand with a decent mid priced ammo and correct scope/mount setup can shoot well at the extended distances.
I think that is why I like playing with the older guns so much and wringing out their potential on the far targets. I've always shot everything I own whether it be pistols or rifles of various calibers way beyond what is thought the norm but have found most shooters limit themselves and their equipment by either listening to others telling them it can't be done or them just knowing it can't be done. I think this old gun and scope shows it's doable and can even be competitive but it does take a lot of quality practice to achieve it.
Topstrap
