Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Choices?

Thinking about still another rimfire rifle. Have always wanted a Browning SA.22, and I'd guess that they'll be in production for some years to come.

Most of my adult life I've jonesed for a Winchester 52 sporter. Not in production, and likely won't be again. Modern reproductions are out there, but the dues are steeper for either the Browning or Winchester repro when you find one

Anyone have both the 52 sporter and the SA.22? Perspectives please?

I've never had a Browning SA22, but I did have a Winchester 52B Sporter (reproduction) about 25ish years ago, when they were still available. I didn't think the one I had lived up to the hype, though. It was fairly heavy, and honestly, it didn't shoot all that well. It was handsome, but that's about it.

I liked my Kimber 82 much better, and I'm still kind of sad I let that one go.

Don't have a 52 sporter, mine's a 52C bull gun. Have a Anschutz 54/1700 series sporter which is comparable to a 52 sporter: accurate, superb trigger, feels like a CF rifle. Which means kinda heavy.

The ATD (SA22) is much lighter, compact doesn't begin to cover it.

Correct answer is both.

Nothing like comparing apples to oranges !

The SA's are cute well made rifles. Have owned several of various vintages. I always thought of them as a handy little poachers gun. None were accurate enough to keep. As the afore-mentioned Kimber 82 , not accurate enough to keep.

Have owned 6 - 52 repros. 1 Winchester left. All quite heavy and accurate , after removing the" lawyer pin". Not at all in the same category of the SA.

I have 3 Custom 52 sporters all made form target 52's . Therin lies the fun. The 52 repros can be had for around $ 7-800 .

"Nothing like comparing apples to oranges"

Exactly

I've had a couple of SA-22's. Well made, reliable, neat, trim, svelte little rifles, which are a delight to carry afield. I really like scopes to wring the most accuracy out of a rifle, but I refuse to scope my remaining SA-22, except initially to see what ammo it preferred. Accuracy-wise there are better options, but it does just fine for our ground squirrels as far as my eyes and irons will allow (approx 40 to 50 yards). There are some guns, especially rimfires, that you should just own for the fun of it. For me, that's my SA-22, Rem. 512P (with neat factory receiver sight), my CZ 452 with a nice walnut stock and excellent tangent iron sights. For you, it might be a pump, lever-action, an SA-22 or some other classic rifle that just brings you joy to take it out hunting or plinking.

Jerry

john, kind of off you're OP, but if you're right handed, I'd take a look at the CZ 457's.

Great thread, thus far, with good points made

I actually walked into a LGS last year to order a CZ457, Actually left having bought another Ruger LCR

And i agree that the SA22 has to be one fun little rifle

Was unaware of any "lawyer pin" on repro 52s. Serious chill on that note

I have owned both the Browning and Winchester 52 styles of the Japanese-made sporter reproductions and prefer the stock design of the Winchester to that of the Browning. I don't care for the shape of the bolt handles, as they require a higher scope mount for the bolt handle to clear the occular bell when cycling the action. I have 12 bolt action .22 sporters and would put the 52 reproductions in the middle of the pack, better than some and not as good as others. In general, I like the Remington 541S and Winchester 320 better than the 52 sporter. My current favorite .22 bolt action sporter is a Tradewinds 311A, a German-made version of the Mauser 201.

Actually, the .22 bolt action that I get the most use out of is a Marlin 981TS, a stailess barreled action, tubular magazine, that is installed in a 983S laminated stock. It is rugged, accurate enough, and only $210 when I bought it back in 2010.

I had the memorable experience of hot, just fired, cases being ejected down my shirt sleeve after firing a Remington 241 and have had a strong aversion to all Browning SAs and their clones since then.

I have two SAs, one a grade V, I think. It’s the highest grade, with silver receiver. The other a standard grade in 22 short only.
Haven’t shot a box of shells through the gr V. The short only, maybe has fired 2-3 boxes at the most. It’s pretty accurate for an iron sight semi auto.
Thinking about selling the GrV.

I have an original Winchester 52B sporter with factory receiver sight and quite honestly it is one of the best handling .22 sporters I own and also at the top of the heap relative to accuracy. The reproductions in my opinion (own one Winchester (sold another) and one Browning) and like others have said are heavy, don't handle like an original and shoot OK (IMO). The Browning SA is a new one for me (Pennsylvania until recently didn't allow semi-autos for hunting so I never had much interest in them) and I haven't had a chance to do much with it but it sure is a nice looking and handling rifle - the one I bought is a 1958 Grade II.

There are much cheaper options than either of these that will shoot extremely well, handle well and look good - again as other have mentioned.

PennDog