I am looking at an otherwise excellent Smith Model 52-2 that has some feed ramp damage. There is a small gouge out of the left side of the ramp. Can anyone tell me if this will present any feeding issues? I will not have an opportunity to fire the gun before I decide if I want it. I am a Bullseye shooter.
Thanks,
George
Smith Model 52-2 with slight feed ramp damage
Moderators: pilkguns, m1963, Isabel1130
Wow, how did that happen? Barrel get dropped while cleaning?
I would think that the gouge isn't a bid deal because of the single stack magazine the 52 uses and the middle of the ramp is where the bullets hit not the edge. But because of where the gouge is I think that anybody that can weld could hit that spot with some material and it would be simple to file/grind it back down to the original shape. I'd see if the seller could come down a bit on his price with knowing that you would have to get it fixed. Model 52 barrels are somewhat scarce. The good thing is the gouge isn't on a locking lug or other important area.
Kirmdog
I would think that the gouge isn't a bid deal because of the single stack magazine the 52 uses and the middle of the ramp is where the bullets hit not the edge. But because of where the gouge is I think that anybody that can weld could hit that spot with some material and it would be simple to file/grind it back down to the original shape. I'd see if the seller could come down a bit on his price with knowing that you would have to get it fixed. Model 52 barrels are somewhat scarce. The good thing is the gouge isn't on a locking lug or other important area.
Kirmdog
If it was on a gun that shot something other than wadcutters I'd be concerned but not with the 52. Just make sure there aren't any sharp edges and shoot it.
Dave
Dave
Certified Safety Instructor: Rifle & Pistol
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Levergun59
- Posts: 251
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- Location: Silver Lake WI
I wouldn't touch that barrel with a ten foot pole. It looks like someone has changed the feed ramp angle and done a poor job of polishing it up. That angle is there for a reason. The bullets are stripped from the magazine and bounce against the angled feed ramp, bounce up and are shoved into the chamber. If you cut more of an angle, your loaded round might stovepipe. Polishing is all that should be to a feed ramp, if that. A few gunsmiths back in the 90's promised that their feed ramps would feed empties when the angle was steepened and polished, trouble was, they wouldn't feed loaded bullets reliably. Just my take.
Chris
Chris
I have manually cycled many rounds through the gun and they seem to climb the ramp with no problem. It looks like the rounds stay away from the edges and run in the center of the ramp. That said as I am hand ejecting, all of the rounds eject nicely except 90% of the time the last round hangs up in the chamber. The round hangs up rear to the lrft and the front right of the round caught on the slide opening. What is causing this problem? Unfortunately I cannot shoot the gun at this point.
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Last edited by GeorgeG on Fri Feb 07, 2014 5:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Model 41
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C. Perkins
- Posts: 480
- Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:31 pm
- Location: Was a Bullseye Master
GeorgeG;
I have looked at a few M52's.
Owned three, a M52-1 and two M52-2's.
I currently own just the one, M52-1 that I shoot for Bullseye centerfire.
They are all fine firearms and very accurate in the right hands but very unforgiving on the days you are not totally focused :)
I looked at all three pic's of your barrel and even magnified them.
I would venture to guess that it came from the factory like that.
Reasoning is that it does not interfere at all with the function of the pistol, period.
The last M52-2 that I owned was missing the dimple on the bottom of the dust cover to hold the weight on in position.
S&W said "there was no design change that we note, so it must have been missed during the manufacturing process".
Shot fantastic with or without that dimple :)
The ramp looks fine, to me.
I wish you could fire it,(I know some inspection periods do not allow you to fire it, but...) but hand cycling a slide with dummy ammo or just empty casings or whatever does not in any way make a conclusion of how it will operate when live ammunition is used...ie...how are you cycling it by hand, fast, slow, hard, soft, etc...
I do not know the price, but firing it for a function test would be the bottom line.
I personally never fired any of mine prior to purchase and they always functioned as they should.
It is the chance you take.
Good luck.
By the way, are you using factory magazines with the steel follower.(the ones made a while ago and not the ones for sale by S&W currently ?)
Wolff makes a spring kit with a factory 8# recoil spring and a firing pin spring.
Something to consider if you buy it.
By the way, unless you are good with smithing, do not try and replace the firing pin spring yourself.(it is a little touchy, if you know what I mean).
Clarence
I have looked at a few M52's.
Owned three, a M52-1 and two M52-2's.
I currently own just the one, M52-1 that I shoot for Bullseye centerfire.
They are all fine firearms and very accurate in the right hands but very unforgiving on the days you are not totally focused :)
I looked at all three pic's of your barrel and even magnified them.
I would venture to guess that it came from the factory like that.
Reasoning is that it does not interfere at all with the function of the pistol, period.
The last M52-2 that I owned was missing the dimple on the bottom of the dust cover to hold the weight on in position.
S&W said "there was no design change that we note, so it must have been missed during the manufacturing process".
Shot fantastic with or without that dimple :)
The ramp looks fine, to me.
I wish you could fire it,(I know some inspection periods do not allow you to fire it, but...) but hand cycling a slide with dummy ammo or just empty casings or whatever does not in any way make a conclusion of how it will operate when live ammunition is used...ie...how are you cycling it by hand, fast, slow, hard, soft, etc...
I do not know the price, but firing it for a function test would be the bottom line.
I personally never fired any of mine prior to purchase and they always functioned as they should.
It is the chance you take.
Good luck.
By the way, are you using factory magazines with the steel follower.(the ones made a while ago and not the ones for sale by S&W currently ?)
Wolff makes a spring kit with a factory 8# recoil spring and a firing pin spring.
Something to consider if you buy it.
By the way, unless you are good with smithing, do not try and replace the firing pin spring yourself.(it is a little touchy, if you know what I mean).
Clarence
D.R. badge #99
Ramp mark
I realize this is an old thread, but for the benefit of future readers, I'd like to say that I agree with Clarence. That ramp is fine.
I have a Model 52-2 with a similar mark in the exact same place on the ramp. When I bought my gun, it was essentially new and the mark was already there. Until I figured out the cause, it worried me. All of my magazines are of the old style, with metal followers. It turns out that one magazine's follower canted forward just a tiny bit more than the others. After the last shot, that extra movement allowed the very tip of the follower to kiss the ramp. The contact would worsen when I let the magazine get a little dirty. Overall, though, the resulting "problem" dent is just cosmetic.
Other people report that their 52s are picky eaters. Mine is not and has never been that. Despite the ramp dent, my gun continues to feed flawlessly. I've put thousands of rounds through it without a single alibi. And the little dent is still there to remind me to clean, check and lubricate my magazines on a regular basis.
So, for anyone else who sees a dent on the edge of a Model 52 barrel ramp and is curious about the cause, I'd suggest taking a close look at their magazine followers. After that, if the gun continues to function well, make peace with the ramp flaw and resist the urge to rush out and alter the barrel just to make it prettier.
I have a Model 52-2 with a similar mark in the exact same place on the ramp. When I bought my gun, it was essentially new and the mark was already there. Until I figured out the cause, it worried me. All of my magazines are of the old style, with metal followers. It turns out that one magazine's follower canted forward just a tiny bit more than the others. After the last shot, that extra movement allowed the very tip of the follower to kiss the ramp. The contact would worsen when I let the magazine get a little dirty. Overall, though, the resulting "problem" dent is just cosmetic.
Other people report that their 52s are picky eaters. Mine is not and has never been that. Despite the ramp dent, my gun continues to feed flawlessly. I've put thousands of rounds through it without a single alibi. And the little dent is still there to remind me to clean, check and lubricate my magazines on a regular basis.
So, for anyone else who sees a dent on the edge of a Model 52 barrel ramp and is curious about the cause, I'd suggest taking a close look at their magazine followers. After that, if the gun continues to function well, make peace with the ramp flaw and resist the urge to rush out and alter the barrel just to make it prettier.
GeorgeG wrote:I have manually cycled many rounds through the gun and they seem to climb the ramp with no problem. It looks like the rounds stay away from the edges and run in the center of the ramp. That said as I am hand ejecting, all of the rounds eject nicely except 90% of the time the last round hangs up in the chamber. The round hangs up rear to the lrft and the front right of the round caught on the slide opening. What is causing this problem? Unfortunately I cannot shoot the gun at this point.
Have you checked the OAL of the cases? I trim mine back .010 from MINIMUM length suggested. The case head-spaces on the rim so no harm no foul.
I find that I have feed issues if the OAL exceeds 1.175". Nothing wrong with 1.170" or 1.165" to 1.175". I don't have to trim cases to achieve this, so far.Kirmdog wrote:Have you checked the OAL of the cases? I trim mine back .010 from MINIMUM length suggested. The case head-spaces on the rim so no harm no foul.
I have several magazines that I have modified to hold 6 rounds. As long as this is done correctly and OAL is not to long I have zero feed and extract issues even with 6 in the mag. I do have one mag I can't make reliable (still a 5 shot mag) and can't seem to diagnose the problem. The other 7 mags that I have run perfectly.
Spence
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RandomShotz
- Posts: 553
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I trim all cases to 1.136-1.139 (SAAMI spec: 1.155 +0.00/-0.020). My 52-1 has no problem feeding cases as supplied by Starline Brass, but trimming them narrows the spread and lets me get a consistent crimp. I also use a taper crimp; I haven't tested taper vs. roll, but from reading a variety of shooting and reloading forums, it seems that most 52 shooters prefer a taper crimp. Also, it flexes the rim less and that puts less work-hardening stress on the case mouth.
Roger
Roger