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Today you get 2-for-1. It was impossible to research one without researching the other.
See the Winchester model 62 here
Today's firearm is provided curtesy of an anonymous contributor.
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Winchester model 61
The Winchester Model 61 was an American slide-action .22 caliber rimfire rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1932 to 1963. Winchester's first hammerless slide-action rifle design, the Model 61 acted as a "replacement" for the Model 62.
From the 1890s into the early 1910s, Winchester rifles such as the exposed-hammer Model 1890 were the center of attention in the slide-action, smallbore, rifle market. However, the introduction of hammerless designs by competitors such as Remington and Marlin decreased market shares of the Winchester design. The hammerless designs' more streamlined modern looks along with a better ability to keep dirt from entering the action made them more appealing to consumers.
By the 1930s, the Great Depression was in full swing, and every manufacturer, Winchester included, attempted to capture every last bit of market share possible. It was around this time when certain consumers commented on the Model 1890's design as old-fashioned due to the exposed hammer, and as such, Winchester had to come up with a newer hammerless design to keep up with trends and to attract new customers during the Depression.
This new design became known as the Model 61 soon after and was introduced on the market in 1932 alongside the Model 62 (a redesign of the 1890/1906). Being so confident in the hammerless design's future success, Winchester began manufacturing the new Model 61 rifles while the patents were still pending. This created a short run of “patent pending” guns. Advertised as a rifle for general all-round sporting use, the Model 61 was later advertised as a "boy's rifle" to capitalize on that market as well. Sales of the Model 61 were moderately strong, although sales were not as strong as other competitors as they already had a foothold in that market. Production ended in 1963 with some 343,976 produced.
The Model 61 had a full-length, 24-inch tube, and it was available in either an octagonal or round configuration. Surprisingly, it could even be ordered with a Routledge smooth-bore barrel, where after about 12 to 17 inches the bore opened to 0.375-inch diameter to stop the spinning of shotshell payloads. These special 61s were a favorite of exhibition shooters. Due to their scarcity, Model 61’s with the Routledge barrel in today's market can break a wallet or cause a divorce.
There were three versions of the 61: a Pre-War, Standard and WMR. The Pre-War version had a straight grip and a steel butt plate. The Standard version had a larger circumference forend and a pistol grip stock. The WMR version, as you might have guessed, was chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. All were loaded and fed by a tube magazine, and one of the coolest features of the 61 was the large thumb screw on the left side of the action that made the gun a takedown.
To date a Winchester Model 61 you can use this online lookup tool.
https://oldguns.net/sn_php/windateslookup.php?file=winxx61.dat
(Note: This is NOT the same as the model 62 link)
Specifications:
Produced: 1932 to 1963
Weight: 5.6 pounds
Length: 41 inches
Barrel Length: 24 inches
Sight Radius: 19.25 inches
Length of Pull: 13.38 inches
Chamberings: .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle
Capacity: 14 LR, 17 L, 20 S
Trigger Pull: 4.59 pounds
One of the patents
The box
Parts list
Adverts
------------------------------
Today you get 2-for-1. It was impossible to research one without researching the other.
See the Winchester model 62 here
Today's firearm is provided curtesy of an anonymous contributor.
--------------------------
Winchester model 61
The Winchester Model 61 was an American slide-action .22 caliber rimfire rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1932 to 1963. Winchester's first hammerless slide-action rifle design, the Model 61 acted as a "replacement" for the Model 62.
From the 1890s into the early 1910s, Winchester rifles such as the exposed-hammer Model 1890 were the center of attention in the slide-action, smallbore, rifle market. However, the introduction of hammerless designs by competitors such as Remington and Marlin decreased market shares of the Winchester design. The hammerless designs' more streamlined modern looks along with a better ability to keep dirt from entering the action made them more appealing to consumers.
By the 1930s, the Great Depression was in full swing, and every manufacturer, Winchester included, attempted to capture every last bit of market share possible. It was around this time when certain consumers commented on the Model 1890's design as old-fashioned due to the exposed hammer, and as such, Winchester had to come up with a newer hammerless design to keep up with trends and to attract new customers during the Depression.
This new design became known as the Model 61 soon after and was introduced on the market in 1932 alongside the Model 62 (a redesign of the 1890/1906). Being so confident in the hammerless design's future success, Winchester began manufacturing the new Model 61 rifles while the patents were still pending. This created a short run of “patent pending” guns. Advertised as a rifle for general all-round sporting use, the Model 61 was later advertised as a "boy's rifle" to capitalize on that market as well. Sales of the Model 61 were moderately strong, although sales were not as strong as other competitors as they already had a foothold in that market. Production ended in 1963 with some 343,976 produced.
The Model 61 had a full-length, 24-inch tube, and it was available in either an octagonal or round configuration. Surprisingly, it could even be ordered with a Routledge smooth-bore barrel, where after about 12 to 17 inches the bore opened to 0.375-inch diameter to stop the spinning of shotshell payloads. These special 61s were a favorite of exhibition shooters. Due to their scarcity, Model 61’s with the Routledge barrel in today's market can break a wallet or cause a divorce.
There were three versions of the 61: a Pre-War, Standard and WMR. The Pre-War version had a straight grip and a steel butt plate. The Standard version had a larger circumference forend and a pistol grip stock. The WMR version, as you might have guessed, was chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. All were loaded and fed by a tube magazine, and one of the coolest features of the 61 was the large thumb screw on the left side of the action that made the gun a takedown.
To date a Winchester Model 61 you can use this online lookup tool.
https://oldguns.net/sn_php/windateslookup.php?file=winxx61.dat
(Note: This is NOT the same as the model 62 link)
Specifications:
Produced: 1932 to 1963
Weight: 5.6 pounds
Length: 41 inches
Barrel Length: 24 inches
Sight Radius: 19.25 inches
Length of Pull: 13.38 inches
Chamberings: .22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle
Capacity: 14 LR, 17 L, 20 S
Trigger Pull: 4.59 pounds
One of the patents
The box
Parts list
Adverts
