Howdy
Is this discussion only about Centerfire rifles or does it include Rimfires too?
When I was a kid, if you went to a shooting gallery at a county fair, the rifle you shot was most likely Winchester Model 1890. John Browning patented it in 1887, but it did not go into production until 1890, hence the name.
The Model 1890 was chambered for 22 Short, 22 Long, 22 Long Rifle, or 22 W.R.F. Because of the feed system, the Model 1890 could not feed Shorts, Longs, and Long Rifles interchangeably the way later 22 Rimfire rifles could. The Model 1890 was chambered for each specific cartridge, and that was all it could feed. 24" Octagon barrels were standard.
This one is chambered for 22 Long Rifle.
This one is chambered for 22 Long.
And this one is chambered for 22 Short.
The greatest number of Model 1890s were chambered for 22 Short. Next was 22 W.R.F., then 22 Long, and finally, the least common chambering was 22 Long Rifle.
Winchester experimented with chambering the Model 1890 mechanism for the old standby WCF 'pistol length' cartridges; 32-20, 38-40, and 44-40, but while the action was plenty strong for a 22 Rimfire, it was not strong enough for the larger cartridges.
The reason is the 1890 action was only locked in battery by a small triangular shaped lug on one side of the bolt. The firing pin return spring kept the lug in the rear position where it engaged a recess milled into the frame. This little lug was attached to the firing pin. It may even have been part of the firing pin, I don't recall. There was only one lug and it was only on one side. When the hammer fell and struck the firing pin, it shoved the little lug forward, freeing it from the recess in the frame. This allowed the slide to be pushed back, cocking the hammer and cycling the action for the next shot.
The large lug on the front of the bolt dropped down into the open area of the frame as seen in this photo, but in fact, the action was unlocked when the rifle fired. None of this was of much concern with 22 Rimfire cartridges, but it was not good enough for 32-20, 38-40, or 44-40.The three years between Browning patenting the action and Winchester actually producing the rifle were taken up with experiments to chamber the action for the more powerful cartridge. That never happened with the 1890 action.
In 1906 Winchester introduced the Model 1906, or '06 as it was popularly known. The Model '06 was a less expensive rifle than the Model 1890. Other wood than walnut was used on the Model '06, I believe it may be birch. Barrels were 20" long and they were all round.
Most important of all, the feed system of the Model '06 was redesigned so it could feed 22 Shorts, 22 Longs, or 22 Long Rifle interchangeably.
As an aside, that Model '06 belonged to my Dad. One day he told his dad that he wanted a 22 target rifle. My grandfather commuted into New York City every day, and one day he went into the big Abercrombie and Fitch store on Madison Avenue. This was long before Abercrombie and Fitch became a yuppie clothing store. The store had an entire floor devoted to guns and there was a shooting range in the basement. So Pop bought the little Model '06 and gave it to my Dad. They set up a little target range in the basement of the house they were living in. Although my granfather was an avid fisherman he did not know anything about guns. I don't think my dad had the heart to tell Pop that the little gallery rifle was not what he wanted.
Here is a photo of my Dad shooting the little Model '06 on the shore of Lake Katahdin in Maine in 1931. Dad has been gone for t long time now. Needless to say, his little Model '06 is one of my most treasured possessions.
In 1931 Winchester introduced the Model 61 to compete with other manufacturer's hammerless 22 Rimfire rifles. Experiments were conducted with the Model 61 action for larger caliber cartridges, but they were never produced.
Took me a whole second to find it. Doing your own research before posting something like you did will reduce the appearance of ignorance. You wouldn't happen to be from Missouri, would you? 
