British made Winchester 52 clone ?

[Fast996]

British made winchester 52 clone ?

 

Were 52 clones ever made in England?

 

Why would anyone build a clone when they were imported and sold in the UK

 

I am trying to identify the maker and possible owner of this barreled action .He probably shot at many high level meets in the 50's.

 

Hi,
I came across a model 52 single shot barreled action.The action is unmilled on the bottom as in a repeater.The bottom is solid and is a single shot .The seller say's it was manufactured in the UK.It has British proof marks from the London & Birmingham houses.
It has an Eric Johnson 5 star barrel on it .He was a famous barrel maker in the USA .The barrel was made in 1953 so the action was from that period maybe.Did anyone in England make clones of the 52 for shooting at Bisely?
The action is strange in that it has the features of a 52 Pre A but hasn't been milled for safety on the rear tang.The only number or letters are "997" and "CJH" . IT has a round top receiver which if a real Winchester is rare.
What do the proofs tell if anything as to it's originality?

You can see the rifle here :

http://www.gunauction.com/buy/13288112

thanks,
Gary

[Simon J]

American rifles had ( and still have) to be proofed on import to the UK, so this could easily account for the UK proof marks - it would therefore not have to mean it was actually made in the UK.

[Fast996]

American rifles had ( and still have) to be proofed on import to the UK, so this could easily account for the UK proof marks - it would therefore not have to mean it was actually made in the UK.

 

Are the London proofs from the same time period .Could the action be proofed before the barrel ?

[Simon J]

Ask the London proof house, they are on the www.