Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Offline
Hoping to find out some information on a model 52b that has 3 stock stamps. P stamp on pistol grip, three ? over eagle on bottom grip and cross cannons near rear of the buttstock. Stamps are smaller than I have seen before, about 1/2″ square also the P stamp is small.
Would this have been a gun the military used for matches?
Cmp rifle?
I called and it wasn’t in their database.
There isn’t any US property marks in metal. Gun bluing is 90-95% barrel is a standard looking blue but receiver looks possibly slow rust blued . Stock is thick with beaver tail foreend . Metal butt plate looks like others I’ve seen but strangely is under sized to wood.
Everything looks original and unaltered or refinished. Other than some marks in stock it really doesn’t look like it has been used much.
The trigger guard has 2 holes in the bottom for adjustment and was wondering which trigger this would be.
Barrel is a target 26″.
No idea what inspection stamps (if any) should or shouldn’t be there. What I DO know is that FAKE inspection, acceptance, proof, & every other kind of steel stamp that modern computer-controlled machine tools can reproduce at low cost, are now in the hands of countless unscrupulous dealers & collectors. Moral of the story–you can’t trust any of these markings!
The two-hole trigger guard is for the 52C trigger, not the 52B and the markings you describe on the stock also sound like the markings on the military 52C rifles (except for the crossed cannons). My guess (without pictures) is that your 52B is wearing an ex-military 52C stock and trigger guard.
Pictures would REALLY help in this case.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Is there any research available to show what serial numbers of the Model 52 that the military accepted? Also can you tell me what branches use the 52 s and what exactly they use them for?
[email protected] said
Is there any research available to show what serial numbers of the Model 52 that the military accepted? Also can you tell me what branches use the 52 s and what exactly they use them for?
There is not a comprehensive serial number list of all the Model 52s purchased by the military although I believe one of our members (SEEWIN) can probably give us a range of serial numbers for some of the models. They were purchased in odd lots over a period of time from WWII up to the mid-1960s (and maybe even later) and are serial numbered sequentially with the commercial models. The largest group of 52s were the 52Cs purchased in the mid-1950s and the 52Ds purchased in the mid-1960s. I am not sure anyone has asked the CMP but they would have a record of all of the 52s turned in by the Army and that total number would be interesting to know. Batha estimates about 15,000 in his book U.S. Maritial .22 RF Rifles.
While the Model 52 was one of 4 rifles designated by the Army as the “M12” they were not really used for general marksmanship training. They were purchased by the Army and Air Force for their marksmanship teams, ROTC and some DCM clubs as well as by other branches of service in small amounts.
The article below from the Winchester News dated May 23, 1958 is an example of a small lot purchase by the Air Force.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
1 Guest(s)
