S&W 52

[low key]

I am having difficulty finding a centerfire pistol for bullseye competition.

I see that the S&W 52 is exempt from the DOJ list because it is specifically exempted as an Olympic target pistol. Would the S&W 52-1 and 52-2 also be exempted?

[ar15barrels]

I thought the olympic target pistol exemption was only for rimfires.
The 52 is a conventional magazine fed 38 special wadcutter gun right?

[WINGEDSWORD]

52

The 52 is classed as an Olympic target pistol, because there is a centerfire event. Most of the European guns use a .32 caliber. That however, does not
disqualify the 52, as cliber is not specified. Finding a 52 that someone wants to part with, remains difficult.

[bwiese]

I thought the olympic target pistol exemption was only for rimfires. The 52 is a conventional magazine fed 38 special wadcutter gun right?

The Oly pistol exemption is for specific makes and models.

I'm unsure if 52-2 would be considered same as a listed 52. Certainly wouldn't fly for Roster matters or AW matters, so I don't see why it'd be considered listed here.

Perhaps USA Shooting should be contacted to ensure the Olympic List gets updated.

Some Oly pistols are centerfire - 32S&W Long. The Sig-Hammerli P240 is also chambered (and CA exempted!) in .38Spl, as well as .22 & .32.

[6079Winston]

I have a 52-2 which is super accurate, has a great trigger and is just a neat gun in general. On the minus side it would be hard or impossible to get parts if anything broke, it only fires .38 spl midrange full wadcutters, and lastly nobody really cares about .38 spl midrange wadcutters anymore. If you can find one in Ca, a PPT could be arranged so you wouldn't have to worry about "The List". If you find one out of Ca, you should check with the FFL you plan on having it transferred to and make sure the transfer is OK with them before buying and shipping the gun. Also be aware that the newer magazines have plastic followers that don't work as well as the older mags with metal followers. Don't let any of this be a turn off if you really want one for any reason. They are collectible after all and are a joy to shoot and load for.

[gose]

The Oly pistol exemption is for specific makes and models.
I'm unsure if 52-2 would be considered same as a listed 52. Certainly wouldn't fly for Roster matters or AW matters, so I don't see why it'd be considered listed here.
Perhaps USA Shooting should be contacted to ensure the Olympic List gets updated.
Some Oly pistols are centerfire - 32S&W Long. The Sig-Hammerli P240 is also chambered (and CA exempted!) in .38Spl, as well as .22 & .32.

I asked the DOJ that very question a few months ago. I can't remember the name of the person that called me back, but she seemed to know a few things and she was convinced that all 52s were exempt.

[bwiese]

I asked the DOJ that very question a few months ago. I can't remember the name of the person that called me back, but she seemed to know a few things and she was convinced that all 52s were exempt.

This is VERY IMPORTANT, way beyond Olympic stuff.

Please try to remember the name and PM me!

[luv2shoot]

I did some research and emailed the DOJ a couple weeks ago with this very same question, as I was interested in buying a 52-2.

Last week I found a NIB 52-1 IN CALIFORNIA someone was willing to part with for which I parted with a hefty chunk of change. Being a PPT, I didn't have to worry about "the list".

On Tuesday of this week, 11-25-08, I received a phone call from Brent at DOJ who stated the 52, 52-1, and 52-2 are separate firearms and must be listed individually on the Olympic Pistol Exemption roster.

Wednesday of this week, I sent out my letter to USA Shooting asking the Executive Director, Mr. Robert Mitchell, to please update the list to include the 52-1 and 52-2 (even though I'd already secured mine) as well as any other firearms which may fall under similar circumstances. Per CA law, the executive director must send a notarized letter to DOJ to add firearms to the list. We'll see what happens.

It only took a few minutes. If there are others who would like to write him asking that the list be updated here is his info:

USA Shooting
Attn: Mr. Robert Mitchell, Executive Director
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80909

[ilbob]

I have one. Its fun to shoot, but parts are a major issue, including magazines. Good ones can go for $100.

The recoil is noticably slower than some other pistols. I can sometimes actually see the slide coming back.

You will be reloading for it. There are no commerical loads that really work well in mine. Its popular enough with bullseye shooters that several commerical reloaders sell reloads tailored for it.

If you are serious about bullseye you should get on the bullseye mailing list.

http://shell.lava.net/~perrone/bullseye/

[HowardW56]

I am having difficulty finding a centerfire pistol for bullseye competition.

I see that the S&W 52 is exempt from the DOJ list because it is specifically exempted as an Olympic target pistol. Would the S&W 52-1 and 52-2 also be exempted?

I had the oppertunity to fire a model 52 something, (I'm not sure which revision) and it was a wonderful gun to shoot...

Mild recoil and very accurate...

If you find one, you will like it...

[Miltiades]

Why not buy a 952?

The S&W model 52 is an old pistol, produced from 1963 to 1993, that fires the obscure .38 special mid range wadcutter ammunition, normally a revolver round. The gun used a 5 round magazine. A model 52 in excellent condition is a collector's item. I'm not sure why anyone would want to find one as a shooter and run the risk of breaking a part that would be hard to replace.

S&W now makes a 9mm target gun with 8 round magazine called the model 952 and described on the S&W website:

S&W model 952 webpage

The gun is approved in CA in its -1 and -2 versions, and has an MSRP of over $2,000. But I'll bet it makes 0.36 inch holes in a target as well as the old model 52.

[martialcomp]

My thoughts exactly...

I have a 952.

It rocks!

One of the magazines did a test on the 952. Best grouping at 25 yards was .77 inches.

However, it is a target pistol. Has a light trigger which takes some getting used to.

[CSDGuy]

I've had occasion to shoot a Model 52 (about 15 years ago). I never had any issues with it. It was obvious that the pistol was far more accurate at 25 yards than I... and I wasn't that bad of a shooter back then. 2" groups at that distance off-hand were about what I could do back then. Great gun!

Unfortunately, the program that used them no longer exists.

[gose]

I have a 952.
It rocks!
One of the magazines did a test on the 952. Best grouping at 25 yards was .77 inches.
However, it is a target pistol. Has a light trigger which takes some getting used to.

A $2000 target gun _should_ shoot sub-inch groups at 25yards, or you just wasted $2000

The 52 is actually pretty cheap for a target gun and you can get good ones for under $1000.

Other really good center-fire pistols that are capable of the same (or better) accuracy:
~$2000 Any of the olympic style .32s (Pardini/Benelli/Walther/Hammerli...)
~$1500 Pardini PC/GTs
$2000+ SIG 210s
$2000+ SIG 240s
~$1000 CZ 75 TS (yes, with the right load this gun can be amazingly accurate)
and of course, the plethora of custom 1911s.

Obviously the SIGs, Pardinis and 1911s might be hard to get in California, so...
If you're on a budget, pick a 52.
However, best choice, IMHO (price not taken into consideration) would easily be one of the target .32s.

[luv2shoot]

The S&W model 52 is an old pistol, produced from 1963 to 1993, that fires the obscure .38 special mid range wadcutter ammunition, normally a revolver round. The gun used a 5 round magazine. A model 52 in excellent condition is a collector's item. I'm not sure why anyone would want to find one as a shooter and run the risk of breaking a part that would be hard to replace.

Well, I have a NIB 52-1 from before 1970 and I intend to shoot it. Why would I want to shoot that instead of a 9mm auto like the 952:

1) Because it fires the "obscure" .38 wadcutter. (Not really obscure to me, they're available commercially from several companies and they're a great target load). How many other semi-autos are there that take a totally flat-fronted, rimmed, revolver cartridge? None that I know of.

2) Because it is almost 40 yrs old. I guess I could just keep it new and never shoot it but I like to shoot my firearms, not keep them for museum pieces. Sure, it'd be nice to have it NIB in another 50 years and maybe it'd be worth 4 times what I paid for it but to me, I'd rather enjoy shooting it. Now if I had the rifle(s) that were used to kill Kennedy or handgun that was used to kill Lincoln, I might keep them unfired but even then it would be tempting.

I like my .45 P-14 LDA, it's a great gun and I shoot it well. I also like my Glock 17L. If I break a part on the 52-1, I'll either track one down somewhere or I'll make one/have it made. I'm not going to shoot it everyday, but I bought it to shoot it. Plus, if I wanted an investment I could make far more by investing it in a more traditional way (a secure traditional way).