Winchester 52D US training rifle

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    -God I've wanted one of these forever. But tightwad me couldn't stomach paying more than $1k for one. Then a pile of CMP sourced Garands, M1 Carbines and a couple of .22 training rifles comes up for auction up in Harford county. The .22s were a H&R M12 and a Winchester 52D.
    -I watched pre-auction bidding and it was tame, stopping @ $550. So hop into the new GTI and prepare to bid live. Got lucky as that day was crazy busy for gun sales. You had an auction in Glen Rock PA, Redding in Gettysburg and the gun show at the HOCO fairgrounds. So I was thrilled to see only about 25 people left in the room when the guns came up. Checked online bidding and it hadn't moved from $550. When the lot goes live I'm shocked to find I'm the only person to put in a bid, live or online. So it hammers to me for $600. With the vig and tax we're talking $680. Throw in another $45 for the FFL who's doing the transfers. I'm thrilled as I expected to see nothing less than $900 get the job done.
    -She's a 52D w. heavy barrel and Redfield International sight set. SN dates production to 1963. The 52D is single shot and features a full length accessory rail. It sports an electro penciled "US" in the left side of the receiver which surprisingly was done at the factory (go figure, but verified by a Winchester engraver). Rubber Winchester butt plate. Missing a hand stop but I've got a nice Al Freeland example inbound along with a Cumberland Highpower 1907 sling (IMHO a steal at $55 w. free shipping, love the quality and craftsmanship of these things).
     

    Attachments

    • IMGP9450.jpg
      IMGP9450.jpg
      27.8 KB · Views: 389
    • IMGP9453.jpg
      IMGP9453.jpg
      40.3 KB · Views: 383
    • IMGP9451.jpg
      IMGP9451.jpg
      48.8 KB · Views: 385
    • IMGP9452.jpg
      IMGP9452.jpg
      40.6 KB · Views: 397
    • IMGP9454.jpg
      IMGP9454.jpg
      41.8 KB · Views: 394
    • IMGP9455.jpg
      IMGP9455.jpg
      44.2 KB · Views: 386
    • IMGP9456.jpg
      IMGP9456.jpg
      29 KB · Views: 382
    • IMGP9457.jpg
      IMGP9457.jpg
      67.6 KB · Views: 384

    joppaj

    Sheepdog
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Apr 11, 2008
    46,466
    MD
    Beautiful rifle Sir. I susepct that you may have one of the prettiest gun collections around here.
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,712
    The 52D is single shot and features a full length accessory rail. It sports an electro penciled "US" in the left side of the receiver which surprisingly was done at the factory (go figure, but verified by a Winchester engraver).

    whuh.... you learn something new every day :)

    Super find and deal, you'd be hard-pressed to find a beat-down old 52 of any kind for that nowadays!!

    The second sentence partially answered my next question - Is there a registry or way to look up in factory records?
     

    FrankOceanXray

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 29, 2008
    12,028
    I enjoy your enthusiasm. This trainer collection of yours is fascinating. These were really used by all incoming members of the armed forces for a period of time? Or what is "military trainer" about them? Intended audience?

    Very cool stuff. Never knew of them and surprised to see so many manufacturers.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    I enjoy your enthusiasm. This trainer collection of yours is fascinating. These were really used by all incoming members of the armed forces for a period of time? Or what is "military trainer" about them? Intended audience?

    Very cool stuff. Never knew of them and surprised to see so many manufacturers.

    -These were purchased and inventoried by the US military. Hence the CMP sales after they were retired. The Winnie 52 was probably the finest quality .22 training rifle fielded by the US military though I do love my Springfield M1922.
    -Originally there was a musket version of the Winnie 52 that was designed and built in tiny numbers to gauge interest by the US military who were looking to replace the aging Winchester Winder Muskets. But that never materialized and they went with the Springfield M1922. I've only ever seen photos of the Winnie 52 musket, never held or seen on sell. Beyond unobtanium. It's ironic that Winchester didn't get the contract in the early 20's for the official training rifle but sold later commercial versions to the government when they were desperate for .22 trainers during and after WW2. Go figure!
    -Then there are the other designs that never made the cut for military trainers like the Savage 19 or Stevens/Springfield 87M. They're commonly called trainers but were never used in that official capacity.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    That was a steal, about what I paid for my near mint B which I love!

    -I was fortunate to snag a near perfect 52B with Wittek-Vaver sight set back in Nov. 2008, in the shadows of the Great Recession. A member of the AGC who was an avid small bore shooter passed and his collection was auctioned off at the Timonium Fairgrounds. Dealers scooped up most everything dirt cheap as I believe most collectors were still reeling from the market crash and President Obama's less than inspiring leadership. I felt confident enough to budget around $800 in spending money and took home the Winnie and a Schmidt Rubin M1911. I still cringe at the memory of pre-Speedlock Winnie 52s selling between $250-300 that day, along with at least a half dozen Unertl and Lyman SuperSpot target scopes that all sold for under $400 ea. Crazy bargains in crazy times.
     

    Augie

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 30, 2007
    4,504
    Central MD
    Great pick up Mawkie, you stole it, sights are worth 300. Those rifles were also used by the sons and daughters of service members through the Junior NRA, we shot indoor 22 competitions with those rifles, they had a room full of 52's, 75's, 513T's, etc. It was funny if we found one that shot lights out we would make note of the serial number and try to check it out every time. The rich kids had their own Anschutz rifles while us poor kids used the military loaners.
    This was on Ft Meade in the 60's and 70's, they had several Quonset huts that were indoor small bore ranges.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    whuh.... you learn something new every day :)

    Super find and deal, you'd be hard-pressed to find a beat-down old 52 of any kind for that nowadays!!

    The second sentence partially answered my next question - Is there a registry or way to look up in factory records?

    -I've been using Herbert Houze's reference as it has SNs listed along with a slew of information.
    -From that book, The Winchester Model 52 - Perfection in Design, here are a couple of photos of the musket that I mentioned. The author doesn't list production numbers and considers the full stocked musket "not uncommon" but damned if I've ever seen one before. Compare the Winnie 52 Musket to the Savage 19 from the same era and you can see a strong resemblance in appearance but certainly not quality or performance.
     

    Attachments

    • IMG_20210531_091534358.jpg
      IMG_20210531_091534358.jpg
      80.8 KB · Views: 131
    • IMG_20210531_091320101.jpg
      IMG_20210531_091320101.jpg
      24.2 KB · Views: 134
    • IMG_20210531_091326480.jpg
      IMG_20210531_091326480.jpg
      82 KB · Views: 150
    • IMGP8564.JPG
      IMGP8564.JPG
      43.8 KB · Views: 143

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,338
    Catonsville
    -Back in Nov. 2008, on the heels of the market crash, I attended an auction at the State Fairgrounds. I was there for a Swiss 1911 rifle but there was a slew of fine .22 target rifles along with a dozen nice military rifles. The action was selling the collection of an avid shooter and collector who had served with the Screaming Eagles in WW2. Amidst the pile of goodies were about a half dozen Unertl and Lyman TargetSpot scopes.
    -Me, I had about $750 to play with that day and the 1911 went to me for $220. So I had roughly $500 left which was spent on an immaculate Winchester 52B. With nothing left in the kitty I watched as lot after lot sold for about 60 cents on the dollar. Pre-Speedlock Winnie 52s selling for under $300 and all the target scopes for between $250-300. Bidders were just too rattled and frightened over the marked crash that had just happened 2 weeks prior to open their wallets. Dealers scooped up the vast majority.
    -Of all the auctions I've attended this was the one I wish I could go back to and have a do-over. For the scopes if nothing else. So for a dozen years I've been stalking quality vintage target scopes, looking for a prize. These days a nice Unertl or TargetSpot will set you back $600-1000. So 2 weeks ago I run across a nice 15x TargetSpot in an auction filled with ammo and accessories. I've just snagged the 1900 Luger and don't have a ton of cash in the fun account so I throw a cheap $450 bid at it. You can't win if you don't play! The next day I'm shocked to get an email with my invoice: $375 plus the vig and shipping. So for around $450 OTD I net a uber clean TargetSpot which goes onto the Winnie 52D heavy barrel. Yet again patience pays off!
     

    Attachments

    • IMGP9516.jpg
      IMGP9516.jpg
      52.4 KB · Views: 95

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,937
    Messages
    7,259,635
    Members
    33,350
    Latest member
    Rotorboater

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom