Old Winchester 22 pump

[GunnyUSMC]

I stopped off at one of my local gun shops to pick up a gun on Saturday and while I was there the owner told me that he had two 22 rifles with problems and wanted to know If I wanted to buy them as is.
One was, what I thought was, a Winchester 62 that had it's barrel cut shorter and the crown was flat. The front sight dovetail had been recut, but not that good of a job was done. It looked like someone used a wire wheel to remove some rust and most of the finish. Other then that the little gun functioned and had no cracks in the stocks.
He said he would let my have it for what he had tied up in the little gun, which was under $200. I told him that I would have to think about it.
Know I have more project guns right now then one person should have in a lifetime, but I started thinking, this one could be fun. The little gun has no collector's value other then some parts.
I could picture a 62/97 made from this little gun. I know that some of you are thinking, what the hell is a 62/97
That would be a Winchester 62 made to look like a Winchester 1897 Trench shotgun. How cool would that be?
I could do a parkerize finish on the metal, oil finish on the stocks. I could then modify an old bayonet to fit on the rifle and have a friend make me a vented barrel shroud. It would be a cool little rifle when done.

Well yesterday I went back to the shop and picked up the little rifle for under $150. While in the store looking at the rifle we noticed that the rifle was not a Mod. 62, it was a Mod. 1906. Well that's what I get for not wearing my reading glasses when looking at guns.
Well here are some pics.

























I fired the rifle this morning and it functions great, even with all the crud in it.
I am starting to rethink what I want to do with this little rifle, it's in better shape then I thought.

 

[finfanatic]

YMMV

Man, I would polish that thing up some and keep it just like it is.

Nothing like a nice old rifle with CHARACTER!

 

[airedaleman]

Gunny, I wouldn't do anything with it except to clean it up. I think the 1906's barrel was cut square, and not crowned, and I want to think I remember that the barrel was 21" in length. Might want to look at that dovetail with your cheaters on. It may be factory...

Fifty years ago, I bought a 1906 Expert, which had a pistol grip stock, a smooth bucket handle forearm, and a nickel-plated receiver. They are pretty rare, and of course I wish I still had it. By the way, I paid $25.00 for it.

 

[303tom]

The 06`s had a 20in. barrel & I would restore it !.................

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Gunny, I wouldn't do anything with it except to clean it up. I think the 1906's barrel was cut square, and not crowned, and I want to think I remember that the barrel was 21" in length. Might want to look at that dovetail with your cheaters on. It may be factory...

I think that is what I will do. I started cleaning it yesterday. Talk about the crud that came out of it. The bore has some rust in it, so I'll have to see what it's like once I have it clean.
A friend already offered me $200 for it. When I said no thank you he offered $300. That would be a nice profit, but I told him that I liked the little rifle and planed on keeping it. I will most likely give it to one of my sons.

 

[rcmodel]

Clean it up properly and keep it as it is.

See this about that.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=633232&highlight=1890

The flat muzzle crown is as it left the factory.

rc

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have my Dad's Model '06. It is the first firearm I ever owned.

Here are a few photos















The Model 1906 Winchester was conceived of as a boy's version of the Model 1890. It was also a bit less expensive than the Model 1890, there was some cost cutting involved in producing it. For instance, the wood is not walnut, it appears to be to be birch or something similar, the scratches through the finish are a very blond wood, like birch. Twenty inch barrel, and yes, the muzzle is flat with just a tiny bit of crown. By the way, that is the original front sight for comparison.

My Dad grew up in Mount Vernon, NY, just North of NYC. He had told his Dad that he wanted a 22 rifle. My grandfather did not know anything about firearms, but he worked in New York City and he walked into the Abercrombie and Fitch store in Manhattan one day and bought this little rifle for my Dad. Imagine that? This was the days when Abercrombie and Fitch sold high class sporting goods, not the same company of the same name that today sells clothes to yuppies. They set up a little rifle range in their basement and my Dad used to shoot it down there. Dad went away to college in 1937, so Pop would have bought the rifle shortly before that.

When I was a kid I was rummaging around in our basement one day and I came across the old '06 in a box of old stuff. I brought it up to show my Dad and he said that he guessed it was mine now. Living in suburban New Jersey I really did not get much of a chance to shoot it other than the little range I set up in our basement. I remember buying 22 shorts for it for shooting in the basement.

Your '06, with SN 631249 was made in 1926. My Dad's is a bit newer with a SN of 8177XX. Factory records only go up to 727353 in 1932. My Dad's was part of the cleanup of parts from after that.

The funny thing about this story is my Dad never really liked the '06. It was a boys rifle and he was already too big for it. He had wanted a target rifle, but his Dad had always been impetuous and went ahead and probably bought the first gun he handled. Maybe some slick New York salesman sold it to him.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Gunny, I wouldn't do anything with it except to clean it up. I think the 1906's barrel was cut square, and not crowned, and I want to think I remember that the barrel was 21" in length. Might want to look at that dovetail with your cheaters on. It may be factory...

I think you're right.

I'd do several things with this rifle:

First of all, shoot it. If it shoots well, skip the next step.

Many .22s of that era had their barrels rusted out by corrosive priming. If it doesn't shoot well, Brownell's will sell you a barrel re-lining kit. It's not a difficult chore.

Finally, your tang is tapped for a tang sight -- consider getting one if you intend to hunt with the rifle, or shoot it much.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Finally, your tang is tapped for a tang sight -- consider getting one if you intend to hunt with the rifle, or shoot it much.

These rifles were really small. The stock is cut more for a boy than a man, they are not as big as a Model 1890, which were very popular gallery rifles. I can't imagine going to the trouble of putting a tang sight on it, you would be scrunching up your the grip to see through it anyway.

 

[eastbank]

my 62 winchester along with my winchester 94/22, i,m not sure which one i like better. they both have their pluses, but being able to put a scope on the 94/22 is one i like. eastbank.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

My Winchester 1906 is an Expert model in half nickle. I got it over 50 years ago when I was 12 just as my dad had when was 12. I don't know when my grandfather got the rifle but he had it rebarreled with a factory replacement one sometime before giving it to my dad. The old Winchester has had heavy use over the years and has almost no rifling left but still hits what I aim at. She is a semi retired shooter now, I bought a Taurus 62 as a replacement for most of my .22 rifle shooting. The old Winchester has never failed and I haven't replaced any parts in the last 50 years that I have owned it. I do like the longer barrel on the Taurus though. Update: my 06 doesn't have a walnut stock, mght be gumwood. Whatever it is dents easily.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I do like the longer barrel on the Taurus though.

Yeah, but I'll bet your Winchester is much smoother. I looked at one of the Taurus or Rossi, don't really remember which, replicas of the '06 a few years ago. I am spoiled by my old '06, I was not impressed with the replica. Rough as a cob.

 

[armsmaster270]

I have my grandmothers model 1906, my grandfather bought it new for her and she was a crack shot with it.

 

[Hillbillyz]

Clean it and shoot it. Looks like it will be a great gun.

 

[rcmodel]

These rifles were really small. The stock is cut more for a boy than a man,

Actually, that is an optical illusion.
There is only 1/8" difference in LOP between an 06 and an 1890.
And the 06 has the longer LOP!

The thing that makes the 06 so small feeling is the 4" shorter and lighter round barrel.

The principal difference is, the 06 has a flat hard rubber butt-plate.

And the 1890 has a curved steel butt-plate.

Standing side by side, the LOP is nearly the same, except the 1890 is standing a very little taller on the point of the curved steel butt-plate.

Actual measurements of LOP from trigger face to center of butt-plate:
1890 = 12 5/8".
1906 = 12 3/4".
62A = 13 1/4".


The other thing I disagree with is that 06 stocks are all stained birch.

A few may have been birch.
But all of the numerous ones that have came though here for refurbishing were black walnut, just as good as that seen on 1890's.

rc

 

[BCRider]

I like the idea of your '97'ish pump but maybe not to this one. Mind you I see that you are already onside with a restoration instead of a conversion project. And I fully agree with that idea since this one isn't all that far gone or that badly mistreated.

But since it HAS been subjected to a wire wheel at some point I'd say you won't lose a thing by doing a nice polish and re-blue job. It should be quite outstanding when done.

 

[airedaleman]

RC, I believe the 06's had gum wood furniture. The Expert I had certainly did not have walnut.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

Driftwood
Great story and great information thank you very much.
Your rifle looks great as a wonderful piece of family history.

Thanks to all others for comments, suggestions and information.

I plan to cleaned it up using an electrolysis tank to remove any rust. I only plan to clean the wood without refinishing to see how it looks.

 

[KevininPa]

I recently bought........

..........a '90 and a Savage 21 takedown shotgun from my 96 year old uncle. The 21 needed a new buttstock, got that from Boyds and still need to finish. The Winchester'90 scared me at first. Broke down and looked down the barrel and couldn't see out the other end! Broke out the cleaning kit. Turned out to be dust and cobwebs. Wheww! What a relief! Beautiful bore. Groups well, but I need to play with that front site to get it to the right some. Everything else is decent, wood, bluing (worn but actually not bad). Fun .22 all around.

If I were the OP, I wouldn't do anything but clean it up and enjoy.

 

[Gordon]

FWIW when my NYPD det uncle bought his Model 1955 Mannlicher Schonauer 30-06 in Abercrombie and Fitch in NYC in late 50's , they sighted it in with the Kahles 4x scope they sold him for it in their basement range! He told me it was sighted in at 25 yards and he resigthted in at the upstate New York hunting camp he and his chronies went to every year at 100 yards with 220 grain Silvertips !

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

FWIW when my NYPD det uncle bought his Model 1955 Mannlicher Schonauer 30-06 in Abercrombie and Fitch in NYC in late 50's , they sighted it in with the Kahles 4x scope they sold him for it in their basement range! He told me it was sighted in at 25 yards and he resigthted in at the upstate New York hunting camp he and his chronies went to every year at 100 yards with 220 grain Silvertips !

Howdy Again

Yup, the current Abercrombie and Fitch is the same in name only. Not the same outfit my grandfather bought the old '06 from in the 1930s, nor the same outfit your uncle bought his gun from in the 50s. A&F was founded in New York City in 1892, and they catered to hunters and outdoorsmen. Abercrombie and Fitch went bankrupt in 1977 and closed the Manhattan store in 1978. The name and mailing list was bought by an outfit from Dallas and they operated it for some years, then it was sold to The Limited. Just another yuppie clothing store now.

But if you go to their website they have the audacity to proclaim 'Authentic American Clothing since 1892. Original apparel and lifestyle brand with a history rooted in the great outdoors and East Coast Ivy League…'

Reminds me of the baloney some other companies sling.