I know this is a hated topic......

What is the approximate value of a NIB- Never fired 52B- Late production (like 1996 or so)??

Any other opinions?

I want a nice bolt action 22LR and only have about $600 to spent at most.
PS- I don't like any model where the magazine hangs under the stock line (CZ).

Thanks

Dave

Daveh: A few years ago I bought a wonderful little 22 Rifle made by Kimber!
It is a version of the Model 22 Kimber named the Hunter Silhouette.
It has a 24" medium heavy fluted barrel and a wonderful high comb stock.
This Rifle uses a 5 shot clip giving the Rifles capacity to be 6 shots. The magazine fits flush to the bottom of the action - just like it should!
My Kimber Rifle not only has beautiful wood it has a trigger that is just outstanding!
AND it shoots like a house on fire!
My best group (5 shots at 100 yards) to date with this Rifle and a Nikon 4.5x14 power scope measured .838"!
The Kimber Company has suspended production of 22 rimfire Rifles for now but there are some of these Rifles on the used market.
I highly recommend one of these to you in the price range you are interested in paying.
My close friend and I looked for a couple of years trying to find a modern production BROWNING Model 52 (which is a copy of the original Winchester 52C) for him! These were made in 1991 and 1992 and then again a bit more recently another run of them came out
I don't think Winchester made a Model "52B" in 1996 - and such a Rifle is not shown in my 26th Edition of "Gun Values".
We were able to find many of these Browning Model 52 Rifles - all of them in used condition if I recall correctly and they were priced VERY high!
He may still be looking but I have kind of given up hope finding him one at a reasonable price!
I have heard anecdotal reports from lots of folks who shoot the Browning 52's that they indeed are accurate.
First we have to define exactly which Rifle you are looking for before a value can be placed.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

The tag with the rifle says Winchester at the top and below says 52B. It is a Utah Centennial model. 1996.

I'll try to post a pic.

It will shoot with anything you can buy, or should. I have owned two over the years, have one at present.

I've also had Anschutz's, Walthers, CZ's, Ruger 77/22's, a Kimber of Oregon M82 classic. The 52B's shoot as good as any of the rest.

If it fits, buy it. You'll soon forget the price.

And I found one on Gunbroker.com that shows the top of the red box the Rifle is laying in and in HUGE leters it says "WINCHESTER"!
Aha... I just now found the reference to this Rifle in my Blue Book - it was kind of hidden in plain sight there.
Anyway it says these Model 52B's were re-issued from 1993 to 2002 and they were made by Miroku of Japan.
My book says in 100% condition the price is $500.00 but that may be a tad out of date (low).
The original 52B in that condition is rated at $3,500.00!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I remember in 2001 when some of these rifles were made available through Glen Zanders, a distributor in Baldwin, Illinois. They were Winchester Model 52B's, and they were made in Japan. They are beautiful and well-made rifles. They could be had with glossy or satin finished stocks, and you could choose between sporter or heavy barrel models. They have sling swivel studs that are inletted, the magazines are metal and they don't protrude from the bottom of the gun, they have cut checkering, match chambers, and they are truly high quality rifles. The dealer cost on these rifles was about $599 back then. And they are excellent shooters.

Agreed on the repro 52b's being great lilguns. Accurate and big enough to feel like a full sized rifle.

couple of relatives have them. I love that wide trigger on them. However seems IIRC the bolt was kinda hard to close. Felt like you were cocking the gun on the bolts downstroke. Could be mistaken though. Either way it was a lil annoying thing, but it still wouldnt sway me from buying one.

I have to admit, they are on my short list of firearms I NEED to own before I die....

You want me to send you a pic of one Seafire? I'll even spice it up for ya and include yours truley in the pic as well

The match chamber might be a little tighter, thereby making closing the bolt a little harder.

Another question. I should have this sweety next week but are those mounts I see in the pic as ugly as they appear?

Any other choices? Talley steel or even Weaver??

Dave

On these rifles, the scope normally has to be mounted kinda high, depending on which scope you use, because the shape of the bolt handle can cause it to hit the ocular bell of your scope. It's usually a trial and error exercise. I mounted a Leupold Vari-X II using Leupold STD bases and rings...but it's been a while. The rings had to be extra-high in order for the bolt handle to clear the ocular bell, and the base was a two-piece design.

I've only pulled two of them out of the box to try, both of them at J&G Sales in Prescott. Moving the bolts back and forth seemed vary rough to me. No comparison to my 60+ year old 52 Sporter. I was looking to get one for a shooter. I should have just been looking for the better looking wood and payed the man. My mistake, I think they would make about the best of the newer .22 lr. you could buy.

I've got a Winchester 52B that I got back in 2000 and it will shoot tiny groups. Browning had a limited run of the 52B in the late 90s. If memory serves me correctly, only about 5,000 had the Browning name. I have the Winchester 52B sporter, as does my father, and my friend, who bought the heavy barrel version. I got the gun to shoot with several friends at a private range. We shot everything on the market between the four of us. The reproduction Winchester 52B will hold it's own against the others brands (Remington, Kimber, Anschutz). I've used mine to shoot at informal 25 yard indoor matches and it shoots better than I do. I have a Weaver V24 fine crosshair scope mounted on mine, but I didn't modify the bolt, so I did have to use high rings. Mine loved the Federal Match ammo that is no longer made.