doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Winchester 52 Salvage

I doubt that you would have gotten a better match if the cut off portion of the buttstock had been by some miracle preserved and you had reattached it.

My only question concerns why you chose to retain the white pistol grip cap after removing the white inlays.

In any case a marvellous job of resurrection!

John - As the owner of several early Model 52's that resemble your rifle before you restored it, I salute you sir. I agonized over bidding on that particular rifle when it was on the auction block. I decided I just had one too many projects going at the time you bought it or I might have been bidding against you. Being on a retiree's budget I am sure you would have out bid me. But fate was on that rifle's side. You have done a wonderful job and if that rifle were mine, I would be very proud to own it. I envy the talent that you definitely have for working with wood. Thanks for sharing and the great pictures. Bob

LOL, my brother asked me the same thing about the pistol grip. It probably would look better with a steel cap. I kind of wanted to keep the existing one out of respect to whoever it was that reworked the stock originally. But, who knows I may get a wild hair some day and change it out.

GRH, we would love to see some pictures of your 52 project rifles. Thanks for letting me slip this one past, I probably would not have bid much higher. The Winchester collectors turn there noses up at rifles such as this so you can usually get the at a decent price. To me they have a lot more character than a like new factory rifle. But I guess that is just me.

John

That Winchester Target stock reshapes into a nice looking sporter. The original bbl looks fine on it too. I'd have thought the contour would have been too heavy to look good.

Now I'll have to drag that project of mine out for another look. I'd forgotten about it till this. I do remember someone had converted it to a speed lock though and the safety did not engage...

Nice job. Looks like it'd be a fun shooter. I like the looks of the sight on it, but I'll take the word of others that older eyes would probably have problems with it.

As far as sling swivels go, I'd probably leave them off entirely.

An update on this rifle. Several people asked why I didn't change out the grip cap. I kind of had it in the back of my mind that a little scrimshaw might look good on the Ivory or whatever it is. At the local gun show a few weeks ago was a lady displaying her engraving and scrimshaw work. Ben and I decided a squirrel and bunny might look good on a .22. We left the cap with her and a couple weeks later this is what we have. I think it suits the rifle very well.

Well, I sure like it. Nice job. It really completes your rifle, except for maybe a little squirrel blood dripped on it here and there.

Gorgeous work on the gun! And the scrimshaw fits it perfectly too!

Icing on the cake! Well played.

What's the length & diameter of that barrel? I have a 52C barreled action it may be fun to do that with. It too was bubba'd, I found a target stock, but mine has a 28" barrel that's 11/16" at the muzzle, pretty heavy.

This still has the original 28" target weight barrel. These are lighter than the C barrel I believe.

John