cmp win 52

[RandomWAguy]

This may have been discussed but i didnt find any threads right away so sorry if this has been covered already. Was on CMPs site saw they have winchester 52 heavy barrel actions for sale. How hard are these to build from and action and barrel only? Are they a drop in fit on stocks like the famed 40x? If anyone has a link that could explain things more it would more than greatly appreciated, i am looking for some advice and knowledge. Thank you all in advance for all the help guys!

 

[lion]

The problem isn't stocks. It is trying to find bolts and triggers. Expensive when they show up on ebay or gunbroker. I just checked the site. They are selling barreled receivers not barreled actions. So yes bolts and triggers will be hard to find. Wayne

 

[n64atlas]

These are 52C's & D's. You would need to find bolts and triggers for those models. As said above, there are not many available. I was lucky as I had a bolt long before
the barreled actions became available. I found a trigger on gun broker for the C model. There are two triggers for these. The D trigger is a better trigger and harder to find.
Even when you do get all the parts for the build, it will not be worth what you have invested in the project. I am still looking for a trigger guard, screws and a few other
small parts. In my case, I don't have that much invested as the bolt cost me around $100 and the trigger, around $200. I will still have around $700-$800 invested in this
project and you can find some cut stock D models in that price range. C's are harder to find, but mine will have a mis-matched bolt and a stock with adjustable butt plate.
I have put mine in my other CMP C stock and it does shoot nice. Head space was minimum. I got lucky there. You might find a bolt that doesn't head space and will need
to set the barrel back or re-barrel entirely.

 

[JG26_Irish]

The real value of those old receivers is to repair early production guns that had cracks form in their receivers near the safety lever. Some of those early Pre-A rifles had been case hardened too deeply leaving the locking tab on the left rear of the receiver vulnerable to cracking. Nicknamed as the crack of death because for all intents and purposes it ruins the rifle. A replacement receiver will with some fitting revive the damaged unit. Later rifles were altered to thicken the metal at this point to better stand up to the stress and to avoid being hardened all the way through.

Irish

 

[n64atlas]

The real value of those old receivers is to repair early production guns that had cracks form in their receivers near the safety lever. Some of those early Pre-A rifles had been case hardened too deeply leaving the locking tab on the left rear of the receiver vulnerable to cracking. Nicknamed as the crack of death because for all intents and purposes it ruins the rifle. A replacement receiver will with some fitting revive the damaged unit. Later rifles were altered to thicken the metal at this point to better stand up to the stress and to avoid being hardened all the way through.

Irish

Sorry, not true. They use a differenta bolt and safety than the Pre-A rifles. The safety causes the crack of doom. These rifles are safe to shoot as
on lug is still good enough to hold the bolt. It had nothing to do with being too hard of steel. The safety put too much stress on the receiver.
Later bolts and receivers were changed. A pre-A bolt will not work in a C or D receiver. I will also note that the safety moved from the left to the right
side on the C and later models.

 

[RTH1800]

64 is correct. Not sure about the last sentence though.

 

[n64atlas]

I can't remember were the B safety is The PreA and A are on the left side, back where the Crack of doom can be found.
The safety on the C, D, and E, is on the right side. I have an early PreA slow Lock, 2 C's and a D. Don't have a PreA speed lock,
A or B model.

 

[dddoo7]

This is a B safety



--Daniel

 

[Frank Green]

Here is a few pics. that I've posted before. This 52D was built completely from parts. The receiver was totally stripped and the bolt lock/plunger was jammed into the receiver as well.









I fell into the receiver at what I consider cheap cost wise. Got the stock for a awesome price as well (had to remove old bedding though) but as stated before getting a trigger and a bolt is going to be the expensive part. I got my bolt and bolt guide for the receiver at what I consider a fair price but expect to pay $250 to $400 for a bolt if and when you can find them and same for a trigger.

The bolt I picked up is out of a 52C (84k s/n range), The trigger in the one picture I used for initial testing and is from my 52C that is in rebuilding mode right now but the other trigger pictured is what's on the gun now. It's a Kenyon trigger. I had to make the new front action screw and is a allen head. Made a action bedding block for it (something I wanted to try).

You would be better off finding a complete gun that needs rebuilding. You usually can get it for less than piecing one together but if you can find parts and are willing to look and take your time than it can be a different story.

I picked up a 52C last year. It had sat in a closet for 30 years! The barrel took the worse of it and was pitted on the outside as well as in the bore. The receiver wasn't to bad but needed to be refinished (getting it back Saturday). Refinishing the stock right now as well. Made a new barrel in the bull contour. Should have it all put back together in 2-3 months.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[Geno C.]

There was one in the classifieds on here yesterday. I believe they called Frank out too

 

[Frank Green]

There was one in the classifieds on here yesterday. I believe they called Frank out too

Yea they did LOL! It's a standard CMP 52D with sights but I already have a nice stock 52D. So I don't need another.

Later, Frank

 

[Geno C.]

It's gone now anyway Frank.

 

[JG26_Irish]

Sorry, not true. They use a differenta bolt and safety than the Pre-A rifles. The safety causes the crack of doom. These rifles are safe to shoot as
on lug is still good enough to hold the bolt. It had nothing to do with being too hard of steel. The safety put too much stress on the receiver.
Later bolts and receivers were changed. A pre-A bolt will not work in a C or D receiver. I will also note that the safety moved from the left to the right
side on the C and later models.

You are right about the safety on the B, C, D being different and I completely failed to notice that the CMP receivers were C's and D's. My bad. The Pre-A's were the ones with the cracking problem and yes the safety was the initial causer but the thin lug with too much hardening was the root cause with that design. With the A's (I think) they simply made the lug thicker. The later models were changed more dramatically. As long as you do not use the safety with the Pre-A's they will be OK and do not crack. I still squirrel hunt with my Pre-A speed lock model and just carry it with an empty chamber until I see a suitable tgt. It is slower but I rarely care if I shoot a squirrel or not. I am not a Winchester expert, only the owner and shooter of one. Thx for the extra input.

Irish

 

[RandomWAguy]

Thanks for all the help guys, as I was afraid just too much of a project for me to take on right now. Now if I could somehow hit the lotto and find a 40x that would be a whole different story...

As always thanks again for all the shared knowledge!