52E Calfee Sporter

[stsbuyer]

I just looked and the post is still under gunsmithing and it is also in the 52 Winchester forum.

Paul

[ultramag44]

Originally Posted by JohnOhio

I agree- I do not know Mr. Calfee personally but I have been reading his material for along time on different forums and precision shooting magazine. His ideas and proven success have almost always been positive in the accuracy of 22 benchrest rifles. If nothing else he has made people think in the way they approach putting together a accurate 22. Why people ridicule this man for that is beyond me. He even built a pistol that was competing with the rifles. If Im not mistaken-I believe that the new turbo actions that alot of people are raving about are built to his specifications. He is the only person I know that found out that some of the 37's have ratchet barrels. I would think people would credit a man for sharing what he knows for the betterment of 22 accuracy. The way I look at it -if you don't share or like his ideas don't use them.

Agreed!

I have Mr. Calfee's book. It's an amazing read! There is more information there on building accurate .22 rifles then I have ever seen.

Some men don't like his writing style. Anyone who has read his book would know Mr. Calfee is not a professionally trained writer. He has never been to writing school. He openly admits he is not a trained writer.
His style is like this: the reader and him sitting by the fire on a rainy night and Mr. Calfee talking about building guns.

Mr. Calfee also admits he has never been to a machinist or gunsmithing school.

Here's the thing: he has built more match-winning .22 Benchrest then anyone else! This is from the national match stats!

How can men who never built a match-winning rifle and never penned an article degrade a man who has done, and continues to do both?? ??

Isn't it hard to argue with success?

Of course Jealously would explain it....

Also, there are people that hate (on principle) anyone who makes it on their own, w/o jumping through the traditional hoops.

Then again, there were people that thought since Wilbur and Orville were bicycle makers, "That contraption will never fly!"

[Don Stith]

Steve
Calfee states that none of theWinchester 52's were d&T for scope bases prior to the E
I thought some of the C sporters were. Can you verify this.
Mine is 87168C and has an Kollmorgen scope on it. I believe that is a forerunner of Redfield

[TEDDY BEAR RAT]

All the 52C sporters had the receivers drilled and tapped.
TBR

[corning]

The D's were drilled and tapped too.

[H. M. Pope]

Originally Posted by corning

The D's were drilled and tapped too.

I don't think so, at least not the 100 or so that I seen were.
H. M. Pope

[JohnOhio]

Originally Posted by corning

The D's were drilled and tapped too.

The only 52's that were drilled on the action are the 52c sporters and the 52E's. Also have factory literture that the 52D internationals came drilled and tapped on the receiver. All other 52's without factory documentation would have to be considered done outside the factory.

[52DH&R12]

I have 3 D's and a E. The E is D&T and I have one D that is D&T, it matches the E as to the distance and pattern. I assumed the D was done afterwards and if so, they must have used a E for the template. I use the same brand bases on both, the scope moves from one to the other without having to move the rings. The D&T D is in the 105000 serial range.

[ultramag44]

That were not D&T'ed

My friend found one in a pawn shop about 1999.

It was totally D pattern! Flat muzzle (heavy barrel), D bolt handle, D stock. BUT it had an E prefix to the serial #!

@ the time neither of us knew how very rare that rifle was. He had me build one of the clamp-to-the-barrel blocks scope bases as shown on the surplusrifle.com site.

He paid $500.00 for that rifle and was dancing a jig the following year when a guy gave him 1K for it.

It wasn't until several years later we found out how extremely rare it was and it's true $$ value. When ever I mention that rifle now, he looks ill & turns green!

[JohnOhio]

Originally Posted by ultramag44

That were not D&T'ed

My friend found one in a pawn shop about 1999.

It was totally D pattern! Flat muzzle (heavy barrel), D bolt handle, D stock. BUT it had an E prefix to the serial #!

@ the time neither of us knew how very rare that rifle was. He had me build one of the clamp-to-the-barrel blocks scope bases as shown on the surplusrifle.com site.

He paid $500.00 for that rifle and was dancing a jig the following year when a guy gave him 1K for it.

It wasn't until several years later we found out how extremely rare it was and it's true $$ value. When ever I mention that rifle now, he looks ill & turns green!

This gun that you are talking about is what is known as a transition gun! It was the transformation from the D's to the E's. I have a couple of these E's in my collection and they are both drilled. They are basically E actions with D parts! There are probably a few that snuck through during this transformation that didn't get drilled but it would be a very low number. There wouldn't be any controversy as these being right and a person could probably get by drilling them and no one would know if he drilled them to Winchester specifictions.

[Seewin]

Any recent news on the Calfee 52E sporter?
Steve

[Thomasm]

Originally Posted by 52DH&R12

Steve, best guess 125000 unless you already have that one. Cool number for sure. 123456 would be cool as well.

At one time I had a pre A # 5199. If it was just one number further down the line I would still own it. 5200 would be neat to have.

[Douglas Rome]

somebody posted on this thread that only a nutcase would butcher
a 52E; you got to remember that at the time, a person could pick up
a new one very easy, much like buying a 10-22 today. And at one time,
a person could order an action/bolt only from the factory. you could
do the same with 40X, it wasn't a big deal. Of course, we look back on
it, well, yeah, those were the good old days. keep things in perspective.
thanks, douglas

[Phillip Smyth]

I think Bill Calffrey has proven he knows what he is doing, and having to justify what he does and why to others in this case is not warranted. I bought a B with magazine to do the same thing, and glad I did.
My Grand dad used to say “People’s opinions are like arm pits most have a couple of them, and it does not take long for them to stink if to actively shared!
Some are Innovators then the others are imitators.