Without question, these two Model 52 rimfires are my favorite 22 LR by a long mile.

Even though both come from the Miroku Firearms Factory and not a true Americana Pre 64, Model 52 Sporter. They’re fairly close, imo.

I enjoy shooting and hunting with them over other 22 LR’s that I have. They’re both accurate, not as accurate as my Kimber Silhouette Hunter, but they just feel really good in my hand and shoot well enough to not be stored in the safe forevermore.







Top is the standard Sporter model. The bottom is a heavy barrel, that was a limited run for Zander Sporting Goods.

If you got a Model 52 Sporter, let’s see em.

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Damn sweet rifles Beaver. You want to see more 52's? Here's mine. It's an old one. Made in 1949. Sorry, it's not a sporter though:






This one shoots pretty good too:

10 shots..

I didn’t even have to look at the target to know those 52’s were built for accuracy.

Cool, oldie model 52

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Some 52 action..

Beav, I have come very close to buying one of those at least a hundred times. There's a gun show in Kerrville this weekend. Seems they hover around $1.2K around here.

The prices on them have been nutty since 2020.

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I’ve seen nice examples of the mirokus for about a grand. I think they are one of the better values out there in the used rimfire market.

That are a lot of rifle for the money

A few years back, a guy could fairly easily find one in, as new or lightly used condition for around a grand or less.

I still occasionally look at GB and Guns International to see how many are being tripped and the asking price.

I haven’t seen as many being sold, and those that are seem to be within a range from $999 to $1300.

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I don't know about you guys, but when I shoot a 52, I get a true sense of quality craftsmanship.

There’s something about them, mechanically, and with the feel of holding something substantially made that appealed to me.

My Kimber Hunter and Browning A-Bolt lock up nicely and feel solid. But not in the same way the mod 52 does.

I do like my A-Bolt an awful lot. I think both Sockpuppet and JackMountain may still have one for sale. Both were in mint condition.

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I've owned 3 of them, one of the Brownings and two of the Winchesters. I like the stock design of the Winchester better than the Browning, so I let the Browning go.

The bolt handles have a rather high lift, so I bought an extra bolt handle to modify for a lower lift that would allow me to mount my scope lower. The Leupold Alaskan 7/8" scopes are a nice aesthetic match for these rifles, smaller action, smaller scope.

Here's mine along with my S&W K22!

Winchester




Browning/ Winchester

LGS had a Miroku 52 when I was in there last week, in the box, unfired. No price on it, the owner was thinking about keeping it for himself.

I have wanted one of the Winchester/Browning 52's for a long time. I think that I will do my best to make that happen.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1011047650


https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1003929634


https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1000616879

Winchester

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1012714052

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1011274872


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Thanks, I am watching these

Aside from me always looking, hoping to find a ‘Hope Diamond’ for a 1950’s, in the box, never fired, Win. Mod 52 Sporter for $3k or less. Ain’t happened yet. Lol.

The only other Winchester I’m constantly searching for is a Miroku made, Mod 52, that was a special run made for Zander Sporting Goods.

Supposedly, Miroku only made 500 rifles in a satin finish and 500 in the gloss.

I might be incorrect, but I believe the HB model 52’ Miroku ever made was for Zander Sporting Goods.

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Miroku also made a run of Utah Centennial 52 Sporters with a unique serial number range, 100UT0001 thru 100UT0500.

I have had 6 of the Jap 52's....this is the last one . I had a old Balvar 6 X 24 laying around
Put it on for fun.

Now, if a guy's gonna shoot these , you have to remove the lawyer pin. Maybe mentioned in this thread.

I saw 2 at Gun Show yesterday. $ 900>1000.

Was the Monte Carlo comb the only difference between the Browning and the Winchester models..? I've had one of the Miroku Winchesters for some years now and love it! It just exudes quality in my opinion.

To my knowledge, yes. I owned both guns back in the 1990s.

The Browning was a copy of the 52-c which had the Monte Carlo stock and the Micro motion trigger. The Winchester marked replicas are 52-B sporters with the straight prewar style comb. They also have the micro motion trigger of the Browning- C model replicas which of course was never on the original B model 52s.

Reportedly, the main differences are…The Browning has a higher cheek comb and doesn’t have a barrel lug.

There isn’t a front tension screw on the forearm of the stock as well, that the Winchester 52’s have. The recoil plate on the Browning is made of some type of plastique, where the Winchester is a metal.

That’s my understanding of the differences.

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Those are really nice, Beav.

I had one of the Winchester 52 remakes several years back. it was my first real smallbore silhouette rifles. it then got changed to a Kimber HS which went to Anschutz 1422 . then my last step was a Remington 40x. shelin barrel ,Jewel trigger..

I sold the only 52 I ever owned. It was a 52b. Sold it last year and for the sale price I couldn’t have bought the Browning sporter.
There is a guy who brings a Browning sporter to the local show, he walks it table to table if I remember correctly he wants $2000 for it.
I will have to settle for 513 sporter for now

I almost bought a mint condition 1950 52 sporter at a gunshow about 6 years ago. It was priced very low, at $500.00. However, I found a 1937 Winchester model 71 deluxe for $900.00. Didn't have enough money for both, so sadly left without the sweet azzed 52. One day I'll run across a good deal on another one. Hopefully it will be as nice as the one I left behind.

I've had a chance to shoot several of these and they are very nice to shoot and usually quite accurate, though there are some that are slightly disappointing in the accuracy department. The Winchesters were supposedly patterned after the original B models with the english style cheekpiece and the Brownings were supposedly modeled after the 52C models with the Monte Carlo cheekpiece...

I will say that my Winchester 75 Sporters will shoot as well as the 52 repros IMO and are a little lighter to carry into the woods. Funny thing is they are commanding just about the same prices now as the 52 repros are getting...

I regret not buying an original M52 sporter when they were under 2k. But Earlier this year I picked up 2 NiB M52 Miroku made rifles for $900 apiece and the first shoots very well