Winchester Model 52B Sporting

About the Winchester Model 52B Sporting

The Winchester Model 52B Sporting is a .22 LR bolt-action sporting rifle built on the refined Model 52-B target action, differing chiefly in that the receiver top was left round rather than milled flat for target sights. Introduced on the B action in 1937 (the Sporter having first appeared in 1934), it pairs the match-proven 52 action with a slim 24-inch lightweight barrel and an elegant, gloss-finished figured walnut stock with a slender tapered forearm, pronounced pistol grip, high comb, cheekpiece and fancy checkering. Weighing only about 3.3 kg and fitted with a Lyman 48-F aperture sight as standard, it fed from a five-round detachable box magazine and could be single-loaded for precise shots. The costliest and rarest of the line, it is today the most collectible of all Model 52 variants.

A blend of Winchester's championship-winning smallbore target action and a graceful hunting stock, the 52 Sporter earned a reputation as one of the finest sporting .22s ever built. Its scarcity and craftsmanship make the Sporting Model the crown jewel of Model 52 collecting.

Winchester Model 52B Sporting specifications

Weight approximately 7.25 lb (~3.3 kg). Overall length approximate. Sporter production spanned 1934-1959 across the A/B/C actions; the specific 52-B Sporting configuration dates to the B action (introduced 1937) and was superseded by the 52-C Sporting after WWII. Retailed for $88.50 when new. Total Sporter output was a small fraction of the ~125,000 Model 52 rifles built.