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November 7, 2015
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Been wading through Rule’s M70 book and part of the fallout is a listing of “extras” for the M70 and M52 including select walnut and pistol grip cap. Must admit that was a bit distracting as a fancy M70 is regularly encountered while I can’t recall seeing a fancy 52 other than a Sporter. I don’t spend a lot of time looking at either model but a fancy 52 Target would be pretty cool. Some of the M70 Target rifles had fancy wood, did Winchester build a 52 Target with fancy wood?
Mike
TXGunNut said
Some of the M70 Target rifles had fancy wood, did Winchester build a 52 Target with fancy wood?
Checkering with pistol grip cap were standard options for 52s at moderate cost, but few target shooter were interested. Likewise extra cost wood & high-polish finish. At least up until WW II; after the war, many things changed.
Winchester did make some presentation 52 Targets. Some consisted of rifles with nothing more than fancier wood with a silver presentation plaque to fully engraved examples. Here is a 52D that was presented to Lones Wigger for his 1st Camp Perry smallbore prone National Championship in 1963. It has a fully engraved receiver, breach end of barrel, trigger guard along with some pretty decent wood. I only recall seeing one early 52 with upgrades other than checkering and grip cap. It was supposedly engraved by George Ulrich and was more like a cross between a target and Sporter. I am not convinced that it was a Winchester factory original rifle. As mentioned prior, most Winchester upgrades to these rifles consisted of checkering and occasionally a grip as well.
Steve
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