Winchester Model 62a pump action rifle advertisement. This gun would become one of the most widely used gallery guns at carnivals and boardwalks. With roots dating back to the 1890s, the Winchester Model 62 was the best of a long line of pump action rifles. These handy guns put food on the table, taught many a young shooter, and proved the weapon of choice for those who would plink tin cans, clay ducks, or spin the pinwheels at on warm summer days. Why was it invented?
Winchester pre- 6. Winchester pre- 6. Actual load times may take a while as these scanned pictures may be large, &.
In the year 1890, a few things happened at Winchester. The company picked up a new president, Mr. One of the first things that Bennett did was look at and shake his head. They needed new rifles, better rifles and to come up with new ideas he reached out for new blood.
It was then, while making moves to diversify this line, Bennett contracted with a young gunsmith by the name of. That very year the new Model 1890 slide-action.22 rimfire rifle was introduced. Spawned from Browning’s drawing board, this gun was a super simple pump-action rifle, the first of its kind, and it was fast, light, and accurate to boot. This gun was modified in 1906 with a rounded barrel as the logically named Model 1906. The Models 1890 and 1906 combined proved wildly successful with over 1.6-million of the handy shooters made by 1932 and inspiring such imitation as the Colt Lightning. The right hand side of the rifle was very plain Based on Browning’s proven original, the gun that became the Model 62 looked almost identical for many reasons.
Internally, it was the same rifle, using a slide-action worked manually by the user to load and unload rounds from the under barrel tubular magazine into the chamber with each rear-then-forward stroke. A visible exposed hammer was left cocked at the end of the cycle, allowing the user to fire the gun with a very light squeeze of the single action trigger. This minimized trigger slap and, along with the long sight radius on its 23-inch barrel, made the gun extremely accurate. Though there were a few with factory engravings. Unlike the Model 1890, the new gun was made to shoot various.22 rimfire rounds interchangeably. This enabled it to cycle either.22Short (20-shots), Long (16-shots), and Long Rifle (14-shots) cartridges in the same magazine. Also unlike the Model 1890, the gun was never able to fire the slightly longer.22 WRF round, which was the.22 Magnum 1900s-era.
The Model 62 was designed as a. An oversized screw on the rear of the receiver, when removed, allowed the gun to break apart into two pieces for cleaning, storage, and transport. Shooting gallery with Winchester rifles. Replacing both the Model 1890 and the 1906 in production when introduced in 1932, the new Model 62 was sold in a standard commercial and a ‘gallery’ version.
Gallery guns typically were chambered for.22 short only, the breech unable to feed longer rounds. A triangular cartridge-shaped cutout in the top of the tube ensured the rounds were loaded facing the right direction, making them great gallery guns. Winchester marketed these little gatts to carnivals by the crate, and, because they were likely to be seen and handled by thousands, placed a huge rollmark on the left hand side of these receivers so that new shooters who liked the rifle and had no doubt who made it. These gallery guns also had better sights, typically with adjustable rears and a post front. Winchester Model 62 left side receiver. The huge “Winchester” rollmark may mean its a gallery gun.
No less than six generations of the Model 62 were made from 1932 until 1958. Three of these are pre-WWII while the other three are post-1945. The easiest way to tell postwar versions is that they have a 17-groove 8.75-inch foregrip while prewar versions have a 5.75-inch 10-groove grip. After 1940, the Model was modified with an improved hammer spring and dubbed the 62A, so if you see a 62A mark on your Winchester pump rifle, that is an easy way to tell that it was made after that year. The value of standard Model 62/62As start for shooter grade guns and go. Gallery models and pre-WWII guns run much more, with prices over. The differences between postwar and prewar M62 guns is in the pumps.
On former gallery guns, condition is everything. If a Model 62 has the large Winchester rollmark, triangular cutout on the magazine tube, and is chambered in.22S only, you may have a diamond.
However if that gun is also brown instead of blue, the rifling is worn flat, and it won’t cycle, its value is dubious. Another common problem encountered is mismatched forward and rear halves.
This came about when carnival staff broke the guns down at night to clean the gunk out of them, and then reassembled them the next morning with no guarantee that they matched the right forward section to the correct rear. Multiply that by 365 days a year and dozens of years and you see what we mean.
Shooter Winchester Model 62a. These are a great candidate for a “my first rifle”. The Model 1890 Grandfather of the Model 62, as well as the Model 1906 father, typically go for well over $2,000 in complete condition, with very nice early guns reaching several times that amount.
Ruger 22 Rifles
With the fact that these guns, made in much greater quantities than the Model 62, are so expensive and collectable these days, it only stands to reason that their offspring will do the same in coming generations. With this in mind, should you come across a good 62 or 62A that is more blue than brown, cycles well and has a minimum of abuse to it, you may want to consider putting it in the safe and mentioning it in a will. True gallery guns will have a triangular loading port in the magazine tube.
Winchester 22 Rifles
This port can increase the gun value significantly, so be aware of forgeries. Should you have a shooter-grade gun that has seen better days, shoot it some more. They make absolutely great plinkers. Makes new internal replacement parts for 1890/1906/62 Winchester pumps so you are not completely up the creek if you have one that doesn’t go pop anymore.
If you have a Model 62 in any condition, it may be a good idea to stock up on these spares while you still can. Your great grandchildren may thank you. The tin cans surely wont.
Learned something about my 1982 Winchester 94 blueing. Bought the 94 because it had great rifling, stock and not gouges but it had a handprint of rust where someone carried it by putting hand under receiver. Went looking for some one to re-blue it and couldn't fine anyone. Finally went to Midwest Gun Works in Missouri and talked to the finishing foreman that is the expert in that department. He explained to me that Winchester changed the type of steel in the receiver starting in the 70's and only they knew the formula for the blueing of the rifles from then on. When they closed the plant that data all got lost or was destroyed and know no one can re-blue the receivers.
After I heard this from him I also heard it from other gunsmiths. So now what do you do? What I did was to Dura -coat the whole rifle and what a beautiful piece of hardware now. I may Dura-coat a couple of my other rifles. It is outstanding, but if you want to keep it as is rust and all don't do it. The Dura-coat they say will last a lifetime and now is winterized and rain proof forever.
I have one in the safe with the same problem. I touch it up with Oxpho Blue. It doesn't wear well and needs to be done just about every time I clean it. But it does look better than the shiny spots you are left with after you clean off the rust. I have seen one with the receiver polished like chrome. I didn't like the mixed colors, but the owner thought it was great.
Winchester Rifles 22 Cal
I saw one at a recent show that had been blasted. It had a dull grey color, but interesting. A more interesting approach I have seen is to brown/plum it like a muzzle loader.
I've been thinking about trying it. He explained to me that Winchester changed the type of steel in the receiver starting in the 70's and only they knew the formula for the blueing of the rifles from then on. Well that's interesting. Isadora core crackers. I just picked up a really nice 1969/M94 in.30-30. Plain Jane with a stained hardwood stock, but definitely a safe queen looking at the metal inside and out. Very tight, with no brass stain on the carrier.
I swapped a M336/.35 Remington with a Weaver scope, a combination of my buddy needed a scoped rifle, and is going through a tough divorce, and I just wanted that M94. If it shoots like a bow wow, I'll cry, but it's a match for my M336/.30-30 with a scope. I already mounted a Lyman peep, and replaced the front with a white Marbles 1/16' bead. I'll be careful with the rust thing, so thanks for the heads up.