Under-Barrel Tubular Magazine 22

[22-rimfire]

Saw a Winchester Model 1890 (pump 22 rifle) in a gun shop today and it occurred to me that I don't know what the first 22 rifle that had the under barrel tubular magazine that you see on many 22 rifles made in the last 50 years???? What rifle had the first?

 

[StrawHat]

Winchester Model 1873 was one of the first, chambered in 22 Short.

 

[mainmech48]

Don't know about the "first", but the Hepburn-designed "Marlin Safety Rifle of 1891 " (direct ancestor of the M39) had it. The very first models produced used a port in the right side of the receiver for loading, but that was quickly changed to the same system we see today.

 

[22-rimfire]

Been searching for info on this, so far it appears that the Winchester 1873 which was the first rifle to have a metallic centerfire cartridge designed for it. It was also chambered in 22 rimfire. (What we know as the 22 short now.) This follows the Spencer rifle which had tubular magazines in the stock which proved dangerous at times (so I read). The underbarrel tube magazine may be the result of the problems with the in stock version with the magazine a little further away from the shooter. Feel free to disagree with me or offer other possibilities.

 

[Tommygunn]

The Spencer was made by a different company than the Winchester, so I don't know that anyone moved the magazine from the butt to the barrel for that reason. The Spencer came out at about the beginning of the Civil War and the Henry Rifle at approximatly the same time.
I don't recall anyone having problems with the Spencer, but I do recall Benjamin Tyler Henry using a 1860 Henry Rifle in Winchester's firing range and having the magazine blow up due to a supposedly rimfire cartridge blowing up due to recoil. At that time the primer was basically applied to the base of the cartridge and the firing pin struck (in the Henry) opposing points on the rim, but the point of the round behind a cartridge in a tube mag had set off the primer in the gun Mr. Henry was using. From this experience he decided that the bullets should be flat-nosed and the round was named the ".44 Henry Flat."
Also, some 1866 models were later made in a centerfire round and sold primarily in South America.

Wish I could find myself an 1873 in .22. If I could find a Uberti in .22 I would be a little happy. Now I will have to make do with my Winchester 9422.