Who shoots a S&W model 52 (.38 wadcutters)

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fireguy976

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Just picked one up a while back,

Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet,

Do you shoot factory loads?

Or make your own? If you do, would love to hear your "recipes"

And,,,,, do you use it JUST for punching paper or competition.??????

Let's hear you brag about your 52's

Cheers,
KJ
 
I get to shoot my friends 52 with wadcutters when he is in a mood to let me..

I'd buy one in a minute if it was available

He uses a similar light target load.. great guns
 
Rod B said:
I use hand loads only.

2.8gr of Bullseye

!48gr wadcutter seated flush with the case neck.

CCI small pistol primer.

I shoot strictly for my own pleasure. Seventy year old eyes do not cut it in competition.
Click to expand...

i don't shoot a 52, but i do use the above load with awesome results in my revolvers.
 
Yes, it is a PURE target pistol. Probably the best and most accurate factory production pistol ever made in the Americas. There are NO heavier springs available and parts are becoming rare collector items on their own. Do not exceed 3.0 grains of bullseye and while you might find 135 or 140 gr wadcutters, the accuracy is optimized with 148 gr hollow base wadcutters. It is also an "unforgiving" pistol. Do everything perfectly and it will give you 10's, even at 50 yards, the slightest inattention or error and it will be a 5 , 6, or 7. I've had a love-hate relationship with them over 40 years. Now on my third example.
have fun and keep calm when it bites you.

Dr Jim
 
3.2 grains of W231 with a swaged hollow base wadcutter........swaged by me and lubed with my own grease. Sometimes I load a bullet or two upside down, they shoot just as good......I own and run a 52-2 with extended target sights
 
One of the problems for the 52 comes with hollow base bullets, trying to drive them too fast can cause skirt separation, where the skirt remains in the barrel and the next round may exit but cause a bulge in the barrel. One necessary check on any 52 offered for sale is to examine the barrel for such a bulge, barrel may still be useable but the gilt-edge accuracy will be gone, and replacements are non-existent.
Dr Jim
 
Rod B said:
I use hand loads only.

2.8gr of Bullseye

!48gr wadcutter seated flush with the case neck.

CCI small pistol primer.

I shoot strictly for my own pleasure. Seventy year old eyes do not cut it in competition.
Click to expand...
Classic load. Is the target wadcutter load available commercially?

Im just getting back into shooting mine. After the big move, I haven't had a chance o set up my loading bench until now.

It's purely a pistol designed for target shooting, in Bullseye competition.

Beautifully made, hand fitted.

It'll be one of the last ones I'll let go of.
 
Don't know of any suitable factory ammo currently available. Old stock might be, it should be identified as loaded to about 675 - 725 fps and WC's seated flush. Mostly you need to hand,load.
 
52's are way out of my price range, but any .38 target load using WC's will do. You must work up the load though. The eons old standard .38 WC load is 2.5 to 2.8 of Bullseye. Usually about 2.7, but that's not chiseled in stone.
 
T&G said:
Don't know of any suitable factory ammo currently available. Old stock might be, it should be identified as loaded to about 675 - 725 fps and WC's seated flush. Mostly you need to hand,load.
Click to expand...
Anyone intending to shoot competition must hand load, or be fabulously wealthy!

I recently got a progressive reloading setup for this gun.

It's a pleasure to shoot. I had one years ago, and foolishly sold it. This one came up a few years ago, complete with several mags and weight. Not the prettiest one I've seen, but not bad shape.

They come up occasionally, I see them listed a couple of times a year on dealer websites. Generally $900 or so and upwards.
 
I use 2.7 grains of Bullseye under a flush seated 148 grain HBWC in my 52-2. It is a very soft shooting pistol and as others have said very accurate.
 
My load that I always use is 2.8 grains of Bullseye with a 148 grain wadcutter as well. Here are couple of pictures of my favorite S&W model 52-2

Graydog



 
Amazing when you think about it.... a semi-auto that feeds flush seated full wadcutters!

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NAA.
 
Not so unusual now as there are a lot of European 32 S&W Long pistols that do the same thing - Walther GSP, FAS 603, Unique DES 69U, Pardini HP, and Match Guns MG4. Not to mention all the 1911 form pistols that have been "converted". And of course for the lovers of recoil, the Coonan .357 mag version.
ain't impossible, just a little difficult
 
Win lists match load 148 hbwc but I have not seen any in any stores I have been in. I have talked to a few stores and they would order in but could not give any kind of time frame. So when I can get back to reloading thats what its going to take to shoot my 52
 
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