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Winchester Mod 63

H Richard

H Richard

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I was lucky to find a really nice Mod 63 last fall, about a 1946 vintage. The top of the receiver and the barrel has been drilled & tapped just two holes each (with filler screws) that appear to be factory. I am thinking this is to accommodate some kind of scope mount. Does anyone know what mount this might be and where (if) I could find one? Pictures attached.






I tried to show the 5" separation between the two sets of holes.
 
It's not uncommon to to see older 22 rifles with tapped holes in both
the receiver and barrel. I have a few myself. 1946? I doubt the holes in
your 63 are factory. Especially considering the location of the holes in
the barrel.
 
During that period there were around 20 (not an exaggeration) makers of different types of scope mounts. Things today are considerably more standardized and nearly all of the mount makers from the 1940s-50s are just memories today. I hope someone recognizes from the screw hole arrangement what mount it might have been. My guess would be Stith, but it is only a guess. Even if the maker were known, finding a mount for your specific gun would be a challenge.
 
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I have seen that saddle mount. If you look at one of the repro Stogers
Bibles you can probably spot the mount Fiding one won't be a snap but
not impossible once you find out what it is. I notice original rear sight
has been replace with a Marbels a better sight for shooting purposes.
You might get some info off the Rimfire forums that would be helpful
IDing the mount.
 
The scope mount holes are not factory and may be for an Echo mount. An easy way to tell if holes are original is to remove a filler screw. Winchester drilled and tapped the holes before bluing, so the thread holes would be blued if original. Aftermarket holes would be in the white.

The rear sight isn’t the stock 63 rear sight either. It’s not marked, but it looks like a Marble’s or King.

It’s still a great looking rifle and I buy that in a heartbeat if the price was right!
 
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I have written about this before, but about 12-13 years ago I bought a new Taurus Model 63, a very good knockoff of the Winchester Model 63, which I improved greatly by refinishing the stock. Its receiver also had no provision for a scope mount, which I added so I could use a red dot sight. It's a well-made .22 and reliable as it functions well with every brand of LR ammo I have tried in it. A shame it is no longer made. The last one I saw at a gun show had a $600 price tag on it.

I bought the Taurus because when I was a kid I wanted a Model 63. I had a friend who owned one which I always coveted - it was so Winchester-ry. Back then I had to settle for a Remington 550-1, which was a somewhat less expensive option, but in retrospect was probably just as good as a Winchester 63, maybe better. I have one of those also.

"There scope mount holes are not factory and may be for an Echo mount."
I am no expert on Echo mounts, but the only ones I have seen have been side mounts, and on center fire bolt action rifles. Not to say that Echo mounts of a different design for the Winchester 63 weren't made. With such a flat-side receiver, it's a little surprising the original owner did not have a scope side mount installed, as it would have been much simpler to locate and drill the screw holes.
 
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My 63 with a Stith scope mount. Stith was probably the best at using the least added holes. Two holes in the receiver and the rear sight slot for the front scope mount.
 

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The Stith mount was one I mentioned earlier. I have seen some, but never owned a gun equipped with a scope in a Stith mount. They were made here in San Antonio back in the 40s and 50s in the basement of a downtown building. They have somewhat of a cult following.
 
Echo made a number of strange mounts; that's why I initially thought of them. I did a bit of digging in Stroebel's book (Old Gunsights and Rifle Scopes) and came up with a more likely suspect - the Weaver Type "U" top mount. Here's a close-up from a late 40's advertisement:

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Here's another Model 63 with an oddball mount and scope. Stith was famous for their "Install-It-Yourself" mounts, but this one required drilling lots of holes in the barrel and receiver. The elevation adjustment on the Noske scope was calibrated out to 800 yards for a 220 grain .30-06 bullet!

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Here is my 63 that appears to be factory scoped. It is a 1953, non grooved and it has been drilled and tapped. It has no dovetail cuts in the barrel for iron sights. It has a Redfield mount and the scope has been replaced according to the man I got it from. The proofs are on the top of the barrel and receiver, not rolled to the side like many Winchester scoped rifles.

I wish this rifle could be lettered because the roll marks are all correct and the lack of iron sights. A Winchester mystery.

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