Winchester Model 1906

[heySkippy]

As I paw through the stuff I brought home from dad's, next to catch my eye is a Winchester Model 1906 .22 cal rifle. A google search for that returns quite a number of hits including a site that says this one was manufactured in 1913 (based on the serial #).

It seems to be in pretty good shape with a couple glaring exceptions. First, whatever that tube under the barrel is called has been broken and then braised to the barrel with half of it gone. Also, the barrel is loose. I can easily twist it about 1/2" either direction. I don't know much about how rifle barrels fit, so I don't know exactly what this means.

Despite this, the slide action works smoothly and seems quite tight.

I would like to look around and see if I can replace the under barrel thing (what is that called?) and have it more professionally attached. Not so much to have it professionally restored, but to make it a nice looking heirloom rifle. In all, it's a really solid feeling little rifle. I'll bet it made some kid really happy about 90 years ago.

Pics:




What do you think? Anyone got any special insight into this rifle?

 

[6_gunner]

Welcome to the High Road!

The tube under the barrel is the magazine. It should have another tube which fits inside of it and contains a spring, which feeds the cartridges into the gun.

Parts are available through www.e-gunparts.com. Replacing the magazine could be tricky, especially if its soldered in place. A gunsmith would probably replace the magazine for pretty cheap, if you just want it to look good as a wall-hanger.

Those rifles are fairly collectable and it may be well-worth restoring to working order if you have any interest in shooting it. The loose barrel could represent a very serious problem, and you definitely shouldn't try to shoot it as it is. A gunsmith would be able to tell you what the problem is and can tell you how much it would cost to restore.

I have a Winchester 1890, which is very similar. I acquired it through a family member, much like you did. Unfortunately mine is too worn to be worth restoring, but it looks great hanging on the wall!

 

[heySkippy]

The tube under the barrel is the magazine. It should have another tube which fits inside of it and contains a spring, which feeds the cartridges into the gun.

Okay, it's official, I am an idiot. I have other .22 rifles that feed through a tube like that, but for some unknown reason I thought this rifle was a single shot that one loaded while the slide was open. It never occurred to me to question why a single shot would have such a complicated action. Now that I look at it again, it's obvious.

Thank you for the enlightenment and for the link to e-gunparts. I'll study their diagram and seek the expertise I need to put it back right.

 

[rcmodel]

Go here for high quality parts.
http://www.wisnersinc.com/rifles/winchester/rfpump.html

Hard to tell what you will get from e-gunparts any more. I gave up on getting decent 06 parts from them several years ago.

The loose barrel can be fixed by peening around the shoulder until it will tighten up in the right place. (If the bore has not been ruined by the blacksmith who welded the magazine ring on.)
If it has been ruined, you can have it re-lined here:
http://redmansrifling.com/relining_prices.htm

Or, this guy probably has a good original barrel, and all the other parts you need:
http://twoponies.home.mindspring.com/gunparts.htm

The original magazine ring dovetails are not really dovetails.
If someone drove the rings out, the circular dovetails in the barrel have been ruined.

The original rings should be rotated in place to remove or replace them from the slots in the barrel, not driven out sideways like a normal dovetail.


rcmodel

 

[Sistema1927]

Looks like you have a "Franken-carbine". I think that the butt stock is from an 1890. The magazine/magazine tube are going to be problematic to replace at the least, and the loose barrel may require substantial work.

 

[eliphalet]

Looks like you have a "Franken-carbine". I think that the butt stock is from an 1890.

I have a 1906 with the same buttstock. I thought it was from a 1890 also but have been told some '06's came with that stock as new. Does anyone have data to support either or?

 

[heySkippy]

In the last couple days I have found a lot of information on the web about this rifle. This page probably describes the various incarnations the best of what I've found.

http://aaa-webs.com/aaa/webs/homestead/courses/1906/1906-2models.htm

I'm trying to find a local gunsmith that likes to talk and fart with old stuff like this. I am motivated to fix this and a couple other old pieces up but I'm more likely to do it if I can find a local guy to work with. If I have to box it up and ship it off to a stranger, it's less likely to get done.

I'll get something done (I always do). I've been asking around at work to find the gun guys who I figure can help me with local connections. Found one and am going to the range with him tomorrow to put some rounds through an old Marlin Model 39A and my dad's .38 special.

Thanks again for the links to the parts dealers. My bookmarks folder for guns is growing every day.