Winchester model 52 pre-A

[Calfed]

I started shooting in a weekly .22 rifle match a few months ago and that led me to clean all the .22 rifles out of safe and look them over.

One is this Winchester model 52 pre-A. it has had some checkering added, a Lyman 48T sight mounted and the barrel cut to 24". These rifles were known to have an issue with cracking near the safety. I seem to have dodged the bullet on the "crack of doom".

A few pictures ...

 

[deltawiskey]

I started shooting in a weekly .22 rifle match a few months ago and that led me to clean all the .22 rifles out of safe and look them over.

One is this Winchester model 52 pre-A. it has had some checkering added, a Lyman 48T sight mounted and the barrel cut to 24". These rifles were known to have an issue with cracking near the safety. I seem to have dodged the bullet on the "crack of doom".

A few pictures ...

Absolutely beautiful rifle!!
DW

 

[629-4]

New rifles just don’t have the personality.

 

[Booner1334]

Nice rifle!
I also have a '52 pre A with a serial number in the 23,000 range which was made sometime in 1934. I can't tell if yours has the speed lock or not.
Over on Rimfire Central they have a Win. 52 sub forum and I've learned a lot from them. If you haven't done so, you may give them a look. It's been a while since I was on that sight but they may have a link for a serial number look up.

 

[Geno C.]

Nice rifle!
I also have a '52 pre A with a serial number in the 23,000 range which was made sometime in 1934. I can't tell if yours has the speed lock or not.
Over on Rimfire Central they have a Win. 52 sub forum and I've learned a lot from them. If you haven't done so, you may give them a look. It's been a while since I was on that sight but they may have a link for a serial number look up.

Was it 34 or 35 that they started making A’s but they weren’t marked as A?

 

[Booner1334]

Was it 34 or 35 that they started making A’s but they weren’t marked as A?

By no means do I know what I'm talking about when it comes to 52's. What I know (or think I know) comes from what I learned from the old boys over at the Rimfire Central sub forum. But I "think" it was sometime late in 1934 that some models, like the sporters, began to be marked with the "A" suffix. My pre-A '52 is a target model with the speed lock and the barrel at 1" diameter at the breach and tapered to 7/8" at the other end and is 28" long. My stock is a after market piece of wood that was made for bench rest use with a real wide fore end and is as ugly as my first girlfriend, but that rifle, with God knows how many rounds through it in 90 years can still flat out shoot.

I would advise anyone with an A or Pre A not to ever use the safety in order to avoid the "crack of death." Just lift the bolt to make it safe.

 

[RTH1800]

I had SN 7000. It had a factory stainless barrel that retained almost all the “Japanned Black” varnish on the barrel. The early finger grove stock. Shot great.
The varnish normally fell off easily so I did not shoot it much.