S&W Model 52

[Neil Foster]

I am curious, has anyone every used a Smith and Wesson Model 52 (52-1, 52-2) for ISSF center fire matches, it uses a flush seated .38 Special wad cutter. I do not know if it will fit the measurement requirements?? I would be interested in any comments both pro and con. I am surmising a lot of folks use a .32 because of the milder recoil, and faster recovery. Thanks,
Neil

[F. Paul in Denver]

Neil,

I spent two years shooting a M52 in CF events. From a rules perspective, the stock 52 will pass equipment check. Mine is fitted with Morini palm shelf grips and fits perfectly in the ISSF regulation box.

One word of caution - if you intend to compete in a match where triggers will be checked, make sure your trigger weight is set to at least 2.75 lbs or even a little more to be on the safe side You may already know that making weight adjustments to the M52 is awkward and time consuming so its best to make them at home when you have plenty of time. The last place you want to try to do this is at equipment check time. This is where euro guns with adjustable triggers excel - ease of adjustment.

The M52 is an outstanding gun. Trigger quality and accuracy right out of the box is nothing short of outstanding. It is one of the only US made guns that is truly international match ready right out of the box. Reliability on mine has been flawless. It's a shame they arent still made.

However, the M52 has a reputation for being "unforgiving". I never knew what that meant until I started shooting the 52 seriously. The best explanation I can offer is that the 52 will punish you much more severely than other CF guns for what seem like relatively minute errors either in trigger control or sight alignment. The 52 is one of the most frustrating and difficult guns I have ever tried to compete with.

As to the recoil differences between .32 and .38 - given the course of fire in the CF event which lacks a sustained fire component, I dont think the reduced recoil of the .32 provides any real advantage. You probably already also know that in CF events, a .32 hole is measured using a .38 gauge so you dont lose any points by going with the smaller caliber.


I finally gave up on the 52 and went with a .32 Pardini which I am very satisfied with so far. I still make errors but at least now - the punishment fits the crime.





F. Paul in Denver

[Ernie Rodriguez]

Hey Neil-I used to shoot and reload Mdl 52 extensively.Everything F.Paul says is true.From a RR they were deadly,but much harder to shoot than a 45 frame.Went back to Colt frame and Kart conversion.Ernie.

[Tom]

Hi,

I have used a 52 for years, it's unforgiving but it goes bang every time. I call it the X8 because I either shoot an X or an 8 with it. It lets you know right away if your mind wasn't in the shot all the way through. I have found the best way to shoot it is to treat it like an AP and consider the trigger break as the middle of the shot and continue to hold after the shot is gone.

Some other points to keep in mind;

1) If you reload, don't use any powder that leaves a lot of unburnt flakes or grains, the trigger rebound stop is right in the mag well opening just waiting for crud to drop right on it to keep your trigger from resetting. (been there, done that)

2) See above for the problems with stray bits of lead from ammo. (yep, been there too)

3) Don't fall into the trap of loading down reloads until it just cycles, keep the FPS up where they should be.

4) If you use spray sight black run a brush over the sights before every time you spray more "soot" on them, they are rather tight and you could end up with too little light on the sides of the front.


Other than that, it's stone ax reliable. I also like it's results at 50 yards outside in the wind, I find shots don't follow the wind direction as much.


Tom

[Guest]

Neil,

I have been shooting a S&W 52 for International CF for over 10 years now and my experience is that follow through is critical for shooting a 52 sucessfully. The lock time seems to be on the slow side due to low spring pressure on the hammer, in my opinion. A firm grip and a locked wrist seem to help this.

My hands are large and the grips I use are anatomical with a fixed palm shelf. The palm shelf is only 1/4 inch thick. I had to thin the palm shelf to get the 52 to fit in the dimension box. The verticle dimension of the 52 doesn't leave much extra room for an adjustable palm shelf.

The biggest problem with the 52 as CF gun is that I easily lose the front sight in the duel stage using a center hold on the target. The rear sight does not let much light on either side of the front sight. This is ok for precision stage because I use a sub 6 hold on the target, but for duel, the rear sight needs to be wider or the front sight should be a different color.

The trigger weight from the factory is about 2.5 pounds and needs to be increased to meet ISSF specification. I had a gunsmith increase my trigger weight, since I do not know an easy user adjustment for this.

[Rob]

Smith and Wesson makes or made a "thicker" or heavier sear spring thats bumps up the trigger pull weight to three pounds. The spring is about the size of a small fingernail. It needs a little fine tuning by bending it a little, but thats the way S+W gets the trigger legal for International. I liked alternating between my K-38 with Morini grips and my Model 52. I shot precision better with the revolver, but liked the duelling stage better with the 52.

[Neil Foster]

Thanks for all the responses. I also shot a Model 52-1, years ago, but I was curious to see if anyone shot it in International CF. It appears that a better choice would be a pistol that was designed for the competition like a Pardini, FWB, Hammerli, etc. I appreciate the feedbback guys.
Have a great Christmas, regards,
Neil

[F. Paul in Denver]

You're welcome Neil.

One final note - parts are hard to come by and fairly pricey now that the 52 is out of production. Finding a competent gun smith to work on them is even more of a challenge.

Take care,

Paul