52 winchester with Unertl scope

snowshoe

I just picked up a 52B winchester made in 1946 with a scope I am not familiar with. It is a 19 1/2 inch long Unertl 8 power. Where were these made and were they produced with the 52s. Thanks,

He Dog

The Unertl was probably the best scope made in those years. Your scope likely post dates the rifle by some years and was not originally sold with it. Cannot tell from the information given just which scope it is, but it certainly has collector value in excess of $100 and maybe somewhat more.

Herschel

The Unertl scopes were in production prior to WWII. Three models were listed in the 1939 Shooter's Bible. The original company closed 2 or 3 years ago and has been bought and is back in business. The scopes came in several sizes, most frequently measured by the objective lens diameter (measured inside the metal ring). The model 52 Winchester came equipped with blocks for mounting the Unertl and the several other brands of target scopes available in the 1930's and 1940's. The scopes are obsolete but bring very high prices on the internet auctions. I have seen them sell for $600+. In general, the larger the objective lense size, the greater the value of the scope.

He Dog

Unertl began producing scopes in 1936, but I find nothing among the earlier models to correspond to a 19.5 inch length, thus I guessed the scope post dates the rifle. It is, none the less worth more than you might have guessed and may go substantially more than the $100 minimum I mentioned. Unertl was a German and came to the U.S. after WWI. He worked for *, and became plant superintendant, before starting his own company in his basement in 1936. During WWII he produced scopes exclusively for the military. Many of his scopes were of lengths that seem extrodinary today, some exceeding 24." if the two work well to gether keep them together, you will be hunting with rifle and scope your grandfather might have used.[This message has been edited by He Dog (edited 03-11-2002).]

Rembrandt

You didn't mention if the 52 is a Sporter or a target rifle...I would assume it's a target version. The 52's were by far the best mass produced .22 made in it's time period. If you have a serial number I can give you much more info on it.

snowshoe

Herschel I measured the inside ring and found it to be 1 and 3/8 inch.Rembrandt the 52 is a target model serial number 555XX B Thank you guys for all the great information.

Rembrandt

Here are the serial number dates....November 11, 1938 55455November 14, 1938 55515December 6, 1938 55605

snowshoe

Rembrandt please email me at ldegraw@trib.com I have a few more questions