Leupold optical sight mount for S&W Model 52

My new M52 came with one of these Leupold sight mounts.  I'm curious if anyone else here has any experience with them, and if so, how useful they are.

It will make the grip a little wider, but it's much lighter than it looks.  Do lots of people already use these?

They work really well. I think they may be the best choice for a mount for the 52 without drilling. They don't feel any wider either. Did it come with the 2 long/little screws?


The 2 screws go in from the left side. One through the trigger and the other replaces the main spring housing pin.

Keep all of the screws tight to avoid rubbing on the bluing.

Yep, it came with the screws, taped to the back.

Is that your gun?  It looks much better on the gun than I expected it to look.

Do shell get ejected properly, or is that ever an issue?

The shells don't even come close to the mount and yes this is mine.

OldMaster66 wrote:They work really well. I think they may be the best choice for a mount for the 52 without drilling. They don't feel any wider either. Did it come with the 2 long/little screws?

The 2 screws go in from the left side. One through the trigger and the other replaces the main spring housing pin.

Keep all of the screws tight to avoid rubbing on the bluing.

Do you by any chance have a copy of the installation instructions?  I hadn't really thought about the screws yet - is this something obvious once I take the grips off?

Yes, it is obvious. The two extra holes in grips line up with the 2 pins you need to remove. I gently tapped them out with the screws I put in. I got them moving freely first. Tighten all the screws at the same time evenly.

How is this different than the aim tech mount?

Wobbley wrote:How is this different than the aim tech mount?

There are several good reasons for choosing Leupold over Aimtech. 1. They use a higher quality aluminum. 2. The 2 screws that pass thru the trigger and mainspring housing have stainless steel inserts to screw into instead of threaded aluminum. 3. The Leupold are still available in retail outlets.
You have to ignore the generic picture.  http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-52143-quick-install-bases-for-smith-wesson-matte-black-finish.html

Here are the factory instructions, for anyone else interested in buying the Leupold optical sight mount:

(As noted up above by 'OldMaster66', they are still in stock at OpticsPlanet, at a price that seems to be ancient.)

Mine go all the way in flush. They are tight and rub a little. It is very important that you tighten all of the 4 screws a little at a time to bring the mount down square and aligned. There is another small thing to consider. M52 grip screw heads measure .265" and a random measurement of several 1911 grip screws measured .271-.2725. They would not fit in the mount.

LenV

I will check mine when I get back.  If the head size is too large, I guess I'd clamp them in a lathe or a drill, and try to remove a little bit of metal from the OD of the screw heads. 

If you read the instructions I copied above Leopold is very specific about how to deal with the screws. 

If you buy another one from OpticsPlanet, you'll get two more screws, which hopefully fit.  Their price seems very low for what you get, considering it is custom made for the M-52.  Leopold doesn't even remember what they were, so when OpticsPlanet runs out, they might as well be made from unobtanium.

I've searched Opticsplanet website and could not locate this mount. Would someone please steer me in the right direction?

LenV (OldMaster66) posted a long time ago that the image you see is something 'generic'.  I called them, and described what I wanted, and they found it.  

Quoting what LenV wrote:

"The Leupold are still available in retail outlets.
You have to ignore the generic picture.  http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-52143-quick-install-bases-for-smith-wesson-matte-black-finish.html "

The tech person said to ignore the image you see on the website.

Thank You

I need to measure the original screws it has at this moments. I did check the screw and it doesn't even go in or looks flush in the mount before installing it. So I'm thinking that maybe the screws are oversized, because they don't even look nice. They protrude at the exterior of the mount and it doesn't look right. That's why I ordered 4 screws to check if they do align to the base. If not I will stick one on the lathe and shave off some metal. BTW I bought the Leupold Base here. richiespng  for $38.15 plus shipping

Thank You

Victor Reyes wrote:I need to measure the original screws it has at this moments. I did check the screw and it doesn't even go in or looks flush in the mount before installing it. So I'm thinking that maybe the screws are oversized, because they don't even look nice. They protrude at the exterior of the mount and it doesn't look right. That's why I ordered 4 screws to check if they do align to the base. If not I will stick one on the lathe and shave off some metal. BTW I bought the Leupold Base here. richiespng  for $38.15 plus shipping

Thank You

Well. I received 4 new screws for the grips from Numrich and a new Leupold mount to replace the one I messed up. The screws go in perfect and snug, compared to the ones I have on my 52. Heads are a little oversized compared to the new ones. Now its just a matter of installation and fit and were good to go.

Mike, I turned traitor to the Leuplod mount. It may go back on if this new system doesn't work. I picked up one of the Holosun 403a and was impressed. The small size got me thinking about being able to use my Custom Herrett grips on the 52. I knew BME made a good mount for the 52 that all you have to do is slide (not beat) the rear sight out and slide the mount in. It comes with 5 set screws to really lock it in. I will take it to the range soon and give a report.

That is the same mount I use on my M52 and it has worked well.

I have a BME mount  # S&W 52 RR that doesn't seem to keep zero, seems like the front of the mount bounces around some.   I've tried 3 different UltraDots on it and while I can keep the shots in the black they are a pattern more than they are a group.  Just ordered a Leupold mount to see if things change. A freind has BME S&W 52 UntraDot LT and it works very well for him.

I'm thinking that the shorter BME mounts might be a better option for the 52 over the longer ones that take a full sized UltraDot.


Virgil

I should also mention that I was disgusted when I took off the Leupold mount. I followed all of the instructions and had it mounted tight enough that there was no movement. It left a very visible mark on my 52. I don't know if it is aluminum that has moved onto the frame or bluing that has come off. There are no marks of any kind on the mount just the pistol. It almost looks like a chemical reaction. Anyone know?

Steel and aluminum will corrode each other, but without seeing the marks it's hard to tell.

Made it to the range today. The pistol shot nice with the new dot. I even cleaned a couple of rapid fires. Sorry no pics. I know, no pics it didn't happen. I wish it all went as good as the shooting. The pistol would not go into battery every time when I dropped the slide. The extra weight was just enough drag to stop the slide from going in the last 1/8". It ran great after pushing it forward for the first round. It was throwing the brass pretty good so I know I can get by with a tad more spring. I have a Wolf extra power kit for the 52. When I got home I checked the recoil spring against the 8lb (standard) spring in the kit and the old spring (40 yrs?) was pretty wimpy. Just replaced the old with the new 8lb and will try it again soon. Last outdoor match of the season coming up the 19th. BTW. The shiny spot on the frame was rubbed off bluing.

how in world did the bluing "rub" off Len.

I would think the way the leupold is made their would be no way for it to move around

The only time I have ever seen bluing come off like this before I had accidentally got a drop of orange juice on the pistol. I never noticed until a couple of days later and when I wiped it down there was no blue left. Since there was no way to clean under there I wonder if something else was present that didn't like bluing. That's right on one of the bolt down points and I also can not imagine how there was any possibility of rubbing off in the short time the mount was on the pistol. I know soda pop will do the same thing. I lightly steel wooled (not really a word) it and there was no aluminum clinging to it. There was nothing visible on the mount either. I guess I should change my report to say the bluing is gone for reasons unknown.