In House Shipping:
Make: Winchester
Model: 52 Pre-A Sporting, Speed Lock
Serial Number: 36102
Year of Manufacture: 1934
Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
Action Type: Bolt Action Rifle with Detachable Magazine
Barrel Length: 24" Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Lyman globe-style sight with a post insert dovetailed to a base fixed to the front of the barrel. There’s a Lyman receiver sight installed, adjustable for windage and elevation; the sight arm and base have matching assembly numbers. The stock is relieved to accommodate the receiver sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is one-piece walnut with a pistol grip, straight comb with cheek rest on the right side (for a left-handed shooter), and a shotgun style checkered steel buttplate. It features hand-cut checkering on both sides of the forestock, three hand-cut checkered “diamonds” on the forestock’s bottom, and hand-cut checkering on both sides of the pistol grip. The pistol grip has a hard rubber Winchester cap marked “WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO”, and the forend has an ebony nose cap. Sling plates are inlaid and screwed to the belly and the forend with Winchester Super-Grade sling swivels installed. The stock has scattered light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. There is a more notable ding in the right-side grip checkering toward the bottom. The checkering is generally well defined. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 5/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has mostly worn to white; there is some good finish in the cuts of the well defined checkering, and there is some minor oxidation. Overall, the stock is in Very Good Condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original, the bolt is serial-matching.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 10 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 92% of its metal finish. The barrel and receiver have only a few minor marks and infrequent spots of faint oxidation. The bolt has stubborn dried grease. The balance is almost entirely in the bottom metal which shows scattered wear, some minor oxidation, and light nicks and scratches. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in Very Good Plus Condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with one vintage original Winchester blued 5-round magazine stamped "MADE IN U.S.A. / WINCHESTER / TRADE MARK / PAT. NOV. 25, 1919" on the bottom floorplate. The two-rib design and presence of the patent information denotes pre-1945 manufacture.
Our Assessment: The Model 52 bolt action .22 target rifle was introduced by Winchester in 1920, and for many years, it was the premier small-bore match rifle in the United States, if not the world. Known as the "King of the .22's", the Model 52 has been called by Winchester historian Herbert Houze “a perfection in design”. In 1929, Winchester engineer Frank Burton introduced an updated lock mechanism known as the “Speed Lock”, which provided almost instantaneous cartridge ignition when users pulled the trigger. Winchester altered the design in 1935 for safety concerns, and marked all subsequent rifles with the letter “A” after the serial number. The Model 52 “Sporting” was introduced in 1934, boasting a shorter, lighter weight barrel, and a lighter, “sporter” style stock of "extra finish" fancy grade walnut with cheekpiece, hand-cut checkering, a capped pistol grip, an ebony nose cap, and inletted "Super Grade" sling swivels. Thus, there was only about a one year window in which Model 52 Sporting rifles were made with the “Speed Lock” before the design was changed, making any surviving examples very scarce today.
This Left-Hand Stock, First Year, Speed Lock Winchester Model 52 Sporting Rifle was made in 1934 and is in Very Good Plus Condition. It features a 24” barrel, 92% of its original blued finish, a gorgeous “sporter” style stock of “extra finish” fancy grade walnut with cheekpiece, elegant hand-cut checkering on both sides of the forestock, three hand-cut checkered “diamonds” on the forestock’s bottom, and hand-cut checkering on both sides of the capped pistol grip, an ebony nose cap, inletted "Super Grade" sling swivels, Lyman sights, an original Winchester blued 5-round mag, and a bright bore with sharp rifling and no erosion. Of particular interest to collectors will be the stock, which bears a cheekpiece on the right side for a left-handed shooter. This is a particularly uncommon feature that will not only attract the southpaws, but also those collectors who want to have one of each example of the variations in the Model 52. This is a rare opportunity for either party, and there's no telling when another may become available. Make this one yours.