I've been around for a few years, but one thing I never had as a kid or as an adult was any brand of .22 pump-action rifle. Never shot one, either, except for shooting gallery guns at the state fair when I was a kid. The ones I recall were Winchester 62s, chambered for .22 shorts, probably with sintered frangible bullets.

All of that changed a few months ago with me finding a really nice Winchester Model 61, shipped in 1952. The values on these pieces have rocketed skyward in recent years. Here's a pic of what I found:



I enjoyed shooting this little rifle. The action controls the cartridge from magazine to chamber completely, and it's uber-reliable.

And then, not too long ago, I encountered an oddity. It's a Stevens "Visible Loader" pump action. This one loads the shell outside the receiver, completely visible as it is actuated. I had never seen one before, and it was offered at a good price. It works reliably, but I've only fired it with low-velocity ammo, as it's old - made in approximately 1920. Here's a pic:



I was beginning to like this breed of rifle, and at a gun show this weekend I found an excellent condition Winchester Model 62A, a brainchild of the legendary John Browning. I've always been intrigued by operation of the action of this piece, with the breechblock coming back over the top of the receiver and locking back down on top of the loaded round, and the two-tiered lifter acting as the ejector. The mechanics of it are fascinating. Values on these have also increased dramatically in recent years. Here's a shot of this jewel, made in 1946:



All of these guns are fun to shoot. Short of a semiautomatic action, the pumps are next in line for fast repeat shots. They are as accurate as any .22, and have plenty of magazine capacity. I've been missing out on something all these years!

Betcha some of you have one or more pump .22s - I'm sorry I've been late to the party!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

In 1939 my grandmother bought my grandfather a Winchester pump .22 for $12. My grandfather was so mad at her, for awhile anyway. That was the depression era and $12 for them was A LOT of money then. That's the rifle my grandfather taught me how to shoot with. It will shoot shorts or longs, and combined.
My dad now owns it and he told me it will be mine after he is gone.
I will take some pics of it later this week when I go visit him.

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How many guns are too many?

I love them too.
Current pumps include:
Winchester 61 & 62
Remington 121
Marlin 38
Savage 29A
I love .22 rifles of all types.
Regards,
turnerriver

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turnerriver

I have a 61-22. They are loads of fun to take apart and put back together, that first time.
I can send anyone who wants one, a .pdf showing the steps.

I inherited a 62A when my Dad passed away 2 years ago but was never drawn to it - that is until I got it and brought it to the Range. I will admit I have now grown fond of it and it is a lot of fun to shoot. It is made well, easy to maintain, pretty accurate, easy to transport, and I do actually look forward to shooting it from time to time.

I still prefer his 1946 era Marlin 39A, but I now understand why the 62A is liked so much.

Chief38

Better late than never!! Glad you made it. Mine are great fun as well as tools to fill the pot and pan.

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Go big or stay home

I've got a Rossi 62A that I picked up some years back for the princely sum of $60. That rifle with a set of spinners and a brick of .22s amounts to more fun than should be allowed.

Mine is the 06 model..It's the one that shoots short. long or long rifle...The little ole shorts go Phiftttt....Original silencer???? .Lots of fun to open the patio door and be able to shoot out to the woods with it...Good ole iron sights, can still hit some of those long tail tree rats with it.

It looks like a old 50 year old lady of the night...been around, but still works good. I keep threatening myself to have it restored....Nah.....

Also...the .22 shorts are still pretty much in supply for plinking.


WuzzFuzz

A pump is the 2nd thing fastest to a semi auto. I grew up with this model 61 winchester that dad bought in 1937. Its octogon barrel in .22 LR. They are rare in the 61s. Its no doubt the first rifle I shot. Dad put a block of wood for LOP on it and all his long guns as he was a lanky 6 ft 5"s. I had other pumps too.
The secound picture is a 1890 winchester in .22 wrf. Someone before me made it into a pistol grip with a cheek peace. Since it already was worked on I had the chamber lengthend to .22 wmrf.

That's why my grandfather didn't stay mad at my grandmother for too long.......it filled the pots and pans with rabbit, squirrel, and robins.

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How many guns are too many?

I have a 62A. It's pretty nice, and the whole mechanism that slides up over the top and pops out the old shell with the little elevator that puts the new one up... Very clever and neat design. It's fairly worn though, but it does still function.

Pump .22's somehow fell thru Gov. Cuomo's gun hater law so I've been on the prowl for one for a couple months. I saw 2 old Winnies at the local GM but they wanted some serious dough for them. Sadly both were one step away from kindling so I never really researched them. Still very high on my gotta have list though.

Beautiful pieces BTW Paladin!

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paws for friendship

I have a Browning Trombone that looks identical to a Winchester 61. Made by FN and from the little research I've done, was sold everywhere but the U.S. Picked it up in a pawn shop about 2 yrs ago for $300. Sweet shooting slender rifle.

I was able to pick up a few of the pumps during the past few years.
Winchester model 61 dates to 1940 and
Remington model 121 Fieldmaster dating to 1938

Both shoot great and lots of fun to shoot. Teaching my grandson to shoot with the 22 pumps.

My first rifle was a Remington 572 Fieldmaster. Got it for Christmas the year I turned 11. Still have it. Twenty five or so years ago I bought a Rossi 62 and it's a fun shooter.

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Big Fred

Feralmerrill's comment on the rarity of the octagon barrel 61's reminded me of something. For some reason, Winchester marked the octagon barrel version for a single cartridge, .22WRF (very rare) or .22 Long Rifle. Obviously, the .22 WRF is unique, but did the ones marked .22 Long Rifle exclusively feed LR's? The round barrels handled shorts, longs, and long rifles. The 1890 was set up for only shorts, or longs, or long rifles; were the 61's wearing barrels originally made for the 1890?

I've owned the Savage 29, Stevens Visable Loader and Winchester 270 but the only one I've kept is the Rossi copy in 22 mag.

WOW, who knew so many S&W guys also owned Pump .22's??

I bought my first one about 5 years ago; a Rossi carbine in nickle plate. What a handy short gun to grab when heading out the back door.

I always wanted a Model 62A as that is the only gun my old man ever had. Alas, when he passed on I discovered he had sold it sometime in the past.

A few months ago I found one at a local gun show that was in very good condition and the price was right.
PALADIN85020.........mine is also a 1946, Serial #172244...........'maybe' close to yours!!

So, now I have two!!

Winchester Model 62A



The Rossi

I have a Win 62 which I enjoy shooting. I also have its cousin, a Remington 25, which is almost identical except its in 25-20, also a lot of fun to shoot.

I also have Win 63, but I guess it doesn't count, its a semi (future assault rifle).

Bigolddave, while my 61 is marked for only .22 long rifle, yes it shoots shorts and longs like a champ and I dont recall one problem with it. I told this before. Dad was a great shot when I was a kid. We went to a local small turkey shoot. I looked around and seen that most, or all of the guys that dad was going to shoot against had bolts with scopes. I expressed my concern to dad about it and he just said, "Well they still have to hold them". He stepped up and won the turkey with open sights! I have seen dad shoot several flying black birds out of the air with it. Dad worked with me often throwing cans , bottels and even medicine bottles at the village dump. Both of us back in the 1950s could hit most anything threw in the air in those days. Dad developed "The shakes" later in life and now I have too. Seemed most of my relatives on my dads side of the family got it when they got old. Kraigway in his post just above mine mentioned a winchester 63. I have one too. I bought mine NIB somehow about 25 years after the end of production. (1957) Mine is grooved (Rare) and numbered right near the end of production. I have been babying it but at my age I have changed my mind and decided that its time to start shooting some of my safe queens.

Here's mine, 1949 62a.

It's been well used and uncared for but still functions and is more fun than most any other .22.

Congratulations on your new addiction.

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Dum vivo cano

I have a 1965 39A and although I would never sell it, I really like the pumps over levers for plinking....

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

If I could find a 39a I'd never sell it either.

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Dum vivo cano

According to my references, my 62A, serial numbered 1684xx, was made in February, 1946; yours was made in April of the same year.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Remington 12C here. MFR 1916. I'd like to get a tang sight for it, but I imagine an original would be very hard to find indeed.

I've always liked the uniquely American favorite, the pump action, whether in .22's or shotguns. As my damaged right elbow gets worse and worse, I like them even more.

I had a friend growing up who got to use his father's Winchester 61 often, and I liked it a lot.

I bought this 62A a few years ago, and it's great:


But my favorite is my old Remington 121. Must be me, I like the Remington 870 better than a Winchester model 12 also.

I have owned several 62As. They are nice as it gets. One was stolen from me along with a number of other guns about 10 years ago. I also bought my daughter a rossi 62 for her first rifle about 25 years ago. The only drawback to a 62 that I can think of is you cant mount a scope on it like you can on a grooved 61. I dont like scopes on a plinking rifle anyway. Peeps are good on stationary targets but not on aerial shooting. Only a open sight for that. I also have owned a marlin 39A and also a mountie. I also lost a beautiful winchester 9422M on that theft. If you ever shoot off the bench or prone, you will appricate a pump over a lever. With a lever on the bench or ground you have to twist it sideways to work the lever after shooting. I once also owned a marlin 62 levermatic. That is a great gun too but not as pretty as the winchesters and marlin 39 or mountie.

I have my late dad's Winchester 62A. First gun I ever shot.

I haven't owned a pump .22 but I had a lot of fun shooting a friend's
Remington in high school. I had a Glenfield M70 .22 auto and it took
a while for me to remember to pump the Remington when I switched
over to it.

Used to plink out back of town just a few blocks from my dad's house.
People still hunt out there but I think mostly with bows for deer.

I have two Winchester 62A's. I love the sound they make when you work the action.

Winchester 61s in good shape routinely sell for $600 and up on Gun Broker. It's amazing that GM had a big price on them, the book value isn't nearly as high as the current "I want one" value, and GM usually just sells for book value.

A friend of mine who was kind of my teacher in old guns from when I was about 20 for a few years was a huge .22 collector among other old guns, and his favorites were Winchester 61's. He had several of them, all near mint. He had a pre-war, a post war .22 Long Rifle and I .22 Magnum version. He had Remington pump .22's, a Marlin, a Stevens visible loader, and some rare oddballs like a little Remington 14 1/2 in .38-40. He had a .32-20 pump as well in the collection, he hunted small game with the Model 61's though and they were beauties. I have been given a Remington Model 12A with a Lyman tang sight to keep an eye on, I am caretaking for it but I have permission to use it. Since it had been in storage for the better part of thirty years it needed a thorough cleaning to get all the old gunk out but it is still in excellent condition for its age. I will love giving it a try.

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Vaya con Dios

Pump action 22s? I fell in love with them as a kid who couldn't afford
one. I now have nine; three Winchester 62As, including one in 22 short only, three 1890s and one 61. One Remington 12A and one 12C. Back
when they were in production the 61 was regarded as the higher grade
and higher priced gun compared to the exposed hammer models. My
experience with them is that the 61 does feed more reliably than the
62 or the Remington 12s. The Stevens "Visible Loader" acquired the
nickname "Miserable Loader" due to problems with feeding and broken
parts. My favorite is the 62A in short only even though it is less
accurate than my 62s that fire the LR cartridge. The exposed hammer
22 rifle has that old fashioned romantic quality that harkens back to
calmer times in our society.

I have a Winchester 1906 my dad gave me!

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Mafuta54

My Grandpa Mason bought it for her before they went out West. It was her rabbit gun. I guess she did well with it as I have a picture dated 1922 where she is holding 6 rabbits in one hand and the .22 in the other.

When I got it in 2000 it hadn't been fired in 40 years. I hit a soda can from 30 feet every time so it still is my rabbit gun.

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HIS Trains 'a LEAVIN

Love the .22 pump rifle! Here is my Iver Johnson.


Jack Wagon

I got a Model 61 in 1954 when I was 12. Great gun. I still have it.

I look no find, someday I find.

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Doesn't hasta call me Johnson

Great guns, very fun to shoot.

In 1939, when my folks got married, Mom gave Dad a Model 62 for his birthday. After I wore out my Daisy Red Ryder BBgun, Dad let me use his 62 anytime. I always scrounged up my pennies to buy ammo at the hardware store. I completely eliminated pigeons from our farm(damn near impossible) but when I left home they came right back.

Years later just before my Dad passed he told me to go down in the basement and get that rifle. It was ruined(rust, mold etc.) but I still have it!

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Interesting............I've been searching for an "affordable" pump action .22 for several weeks now and just found this thread a moment ago. I really like the Henry but, they are WAY too proud of it. It seems there are several brands to chose from and different styles as well.
I currently have a Henry Survival AR-7 and while it does have a certain "cool" factor to it, the novelty that originally attracted me is long since gone.
The pump action .22 rifles peaked my interest once I learned that they can shoot just about any size .22 which will come in handy since 22LR is still hard to come by around here.
I did find one that is designed for 22WMR and will shoot LR, L and S as well but, it's way out of my budget at $799.
I'm heading to a local gun shop tomorrow to see if he can locate a reasonably priced 22LR version for me.

I have always wanted a Winnie pump but never found the right one.
Plus, I have three of the Rossi copies, and I doubt there is much shooting difference between them but the Rossi’s stock looks like it was made out of old pallets.
Anyway, first I bought a octagon barrel Blued model, then ran into a nickel one, finally found the rarest one, a 22 Magnum Blue, wish that was nickel.
I paid the most for it, but its like new, and I got 600 rounds of ammo with it.
A lot of plinking fun !
I do also have a couple of Winchester levers,I bought a standard one on here on the forum from a member then I was lucky to find found a Trapper Model very well priced at a local gun store so picked that up too.
But, I think I like my Mountie most of all.
One of the things I like best of all about my 22 rifles is hoping to be able to enjoy them with my three grandsons, oldest is now six, so it won’t be too long now !

A lot of fine pump guns on this thread. I got tired of looking for a decent used one and settled on a Henry. I have been happy with it, the one fault it has IMHO is the straight stock. I think it would be better with the pistol grip stock, like the one on my Marlin 39a.

When you lift the gun to pump it the hammer jabs into your wrist. If it were an enclosed hammer the straight stock would be fine. It is a little stiff, but I am sure it will loosen with time. The lever action guns get far more range time then the pump, or the bolt actions.

I can't afford to feed the 10/22 these days, but it is a favorite with my kids. Ed

I don't know how I missed this thread last year as I am a .22 rimfire nut. I am always drawn to Paladin's good threads.

My first love is Winchester .22s in all shapes and sizes, especially pump guns. After that it's the boy's rifles and the bolt actions.

Here are a few.

1906s and 1890s



61 S,L,LR and 62A


61WMR


A few of the SS boy's rifles. Models 56S, 57, 59, 60A target, 60A


Thanks Paladin

The greatest .22 pumps ever made, in my humble opinion.

They are the bottom two, obviously.

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I was made caretaker of a couple of guns and one is a Remington 12A pump. I have been a fan of pump .22's over the years and I had a Winchester 1906 once and a friend of mine collects .22 rifles and his favorite are .22 pumps. I loved the Winchester 61 and he had one in .22 Long Rifle and the other was in .22 Magnum. He also had a Remington 12, a Stevens Visible Loader and a few others. I took the Remington out last fall to see what I could do with it and have permission to use it whenever I want. I might take it out squirrel hunting, plus I have a few rabbits here and there to think about.

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Vaya con Dios

I would drool if Henry would produce that pump in .357. I'd even live with tube-front-only loading!

Ok so...............I went to my local gun shop yesterday and he had 2 Henry's in stock. Unfortunately, they were both 22WMR which is not what I want and over $100 more than the 22LR version.

The supplier he orders from only had 4 in stock.............2 WMR's and 2 LR's. He ordered 1 of each but, they sent him 2 of the same. He tried to order the other 2 but, they were gone already. If the other one ordered 1 of each, I bet they are ticked off.

I don't think this is possible. If it is I would be a buyer even at $800. What make and model?


You should know that almost any .22 rifle that is not semi auto, will shoot shorts,longs,or long rifle cartridges. Not just the pumps. I bought a henry youth lever for my son, it is not as nice as my Marlin, but if I had to choose between it and my Henry pump, I would take the lever actions. Ed

Not sure, can't find it again. It was on gun broker or armslist or something and it may have simply been misquoted. I just checked the Henry website and it states that the 22 magnum version of the pump action, only shoots magnums.............nothing else. Again, this is NOT what I want. 22 magnum ammo is entirely too expensive at this point in time and I like the versatility of the 22LR version.


Yes I know but, I've tried both bolt action and lever action. I just like the pump action more. Personal preference, I guess.