I think the 61 winchester was the finest pump 22 ever built. Sure wish I bought a few in the late 50s to hang on to. I recall them being $55 to $65s new. I told this before. Back around 1955 when I was 14 or so, I went with my dad to a local turkey shoot. I noticed guys were dragging out scoped bolts. I mumbeled something to dad about it as he was going to use the open sighted 61 I showed. Dad just said, "yeah?, well they still have to hold em. Dad won the turkey shoot! Dad always was a great shot with any type gun. I several times seen dad knock off flying blackbirds with it! When I was young he would throw medicine bottels in the air at the town dump and had me hitting them regularly in the air. Thats something you have to keep up, I know I couldnt do it now.
The 61 handels great. At the same time I had several marlin levers in 39A and the hamerless model 62, they werent as good for that type shooting. The winchesters 61, 62 and 63s were built for instict shooting I always thought.
I also had a single shot winchester model 67 with the rarer longer barrel than the shorter more common ones. I left that one home with dad. Actualy I think he shot that more around the place than his 61. I noticed he had written on tape on the stock telling where it hit at various distances. He was a practable man that way.