Here's an article I did on the Winchester Model 62 some time ago. You might find it of interest.
John
The Winchester Model 62 .22 slide-action repeating rifle, another in the long list of John Browning’s designs, had its ancestral start way back in 1890. Those early guns and the final model had a combined production span of 69 years. That was a real tribute to John Browning’s genius and the manufacturing skills of the Winchester Repeating Firearms Company. This handy gun was many a youngster’s dream rifle, proving to be affordable, accurate, a lightning-fast repeater, and reliable. I remember using Model 62s in shooting galleries during the 1950s. Gallery guns had to be durable and relatively maintenance-free, so their use in such venues spoke well for them. Good specimens continue to be in demand today as both working guns and prized collector items. They don’t last long when offered up on gun show tables, estate sales, or gun stores.
To begin at the beginning, on June 26, 1888, John M. and Matthew S. Browning of Ogden, Utah Territory successfully secured a patent for a slide-action magazine rifle. Recognizing the potential in this design, the patent was quickly purchased by Winchester in the same year. It was not the first Browning patent utilized by Winchester. The company had enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with John and Matthew since 1883 when they acquired the rights to what became the Winchester Model 1885 single shot rifle.
The invention utilized a sliding forearm, that through an attached rod, first lifted the breechbolt from its locking surfaces in the frame, and then retracted it to the rear, cocking the hammer with the same motion. The forward movement of the forearm brought the bolt back into battery, in the process picking up a round from the tubular magazine and inserting it into the chamber. When the process was repeated, the expended shell was extracted and ejected upward, clearing the chamber for another loading. Movement of the action was easy and could be incredibly fast, surpassed only by semiautomatic designs.
Winchester engineers, on viewing the patent drawings, expressed skepticism that the gun would actually work as billed. Normally, Browning would also send a working model, but because he was busy and in the interest of time, John sent only detailed drawings. The staff at Winchester wrote to him, indicating they thought he should cease work on this gun, because their engineers were convinced that it wouldn’t work. John’s response was to make a working model and send it back to Winchester with a note: “You said it wouldn’t work, but it seems to shoot pretty fair to me.” It certainly did work, and became the Winchester Model 1890. It was one of Winchester’s best-selling products for years.
The Model 1890 was initially offered only in calibers .22 Short, .22 Long, and .22 WRF. While the .22 Long Rifle cartridge existed then and was considered a great target round, it had no place in a magazine rifle. As originally designed, the LR round had no crimp in deference to gaining maximum accuracy in the single shot target arms of the day. This allowed the bullet to be pulled from the case easily. With the quick and positive chamber insertion by a magazine-fed rifle, this sometimes left the bullet in the chamber when a loaded round was extracted. It was not until 1919, long beyond when most LR cartridges were commonly crimped, that the Model 1890 was finally chambered for this very popular cartridge.
In September of 1892, the rifle began to be made as a takedown type, permitting the gun to be easily separated into two major assemblies. The changeover was fully completed in January 1893. This improvement was conceived by Winchester’s talented master mechanic William Mason. It allowed easier cleaning, storage and transportation. The takedown procedure was initiated by loosening a thumb-wheeled and grooved screw located at the left rear of the frame.
In 1906, the locking “ears” of the breechbolt were extended to the sides so they became visible. This modification by Winchester designer Thomas C. Johnson provided more locking surface and simplified manufacture. A good number of Model 1890s were built with colorful case-hardened receivers and trigger guards. These have become highly valued on the collector market today. It was Winchester’s practice to offer special variations on request, so the Model 1890 will be encountered in many different configurations. Special sights, barrels, and stocks could be ordered.
The Winchester Model 1906 was offered as a less expensive version of the gun that would compete with the Stevens Arms Company’s more economical “visible loader” slide action .22 rifles. The new Model 1906 would be priced at $10.50 compared to $16.00 for the renamed Model 90, which remained in production. This lighter-weight gun would be standard with a 20-inch barrel, a gum-wood stock, and a composition buttplate. The newer gun proved to be very popular on the market. It was first chambered only for the .22 Short, but in 1908 it was configured to handle the Short, Long and Long Rifle cartridges interchangeably. This change occurred in the serial number 110,000 range. Early Models 1906 utilized the second variation Model 1890 receivers in which the locking ears of the breechbolt could not be seen from the sides. The receivers and guards were all blued, as the case-hardened option was discontinued.
The Model 62, itself an improved version of the Models 90 and 06, was first offered in 1932, strangely enough when both the Models 90 and 06 were still being sold, and the hammerless Model 61 had came on stream. The Model 90 was discontinued in 1935, and the Model 06 in 1934. The new Model 62 used the Model 90 receiver, the Model 06 carrier assembly, a 23-inch round barrel, and a new buttstock and forearm. The magazine would hold 14 Long Rifle, 16 Long, or 20 Short cartridges. Some early guns were chambered for the .22 Short only. Winchester advertising touted the proven mechanism of the new gun as being already used by 1,500,000 owners. Some minor improvements to the locking system were implemented in 1938. A few serial numbers were suffixed with an “X” to correct inadvertent duplicate numbers.
From late 1938 and through 1939, the change from the Model 62 to the Model 62A took place. The major difference was that the hammer spring was of the coiled type instead of flat as before. Some related minor parts were also modified to accommodate the new spring system. These changes took time, and both Model 62s and Model 62As were made until about early 1940, when the older parts were finally used up. The Model 62A became standard around serial number 120,000. The hammer thumbpiece was changed from checkered to grooved in late 1945. There were some made in .22 Short-only configuration, most of them for gallery use. It’s important to know that the action cannot be opened until the hammer is fully forward, pressing against the firing pin, such as after a round is fired. If an unfired cartridge is still in the chamber with the hammer back, the head of the firing pin can be carefully pressed forward against moderate spring pressure to allow the action to open.
The rifle illustrated is a Model 62A. It left the factory in March of 1946. Interestingly, it has a grooved steel buttplate borrowed from the then-discontinued Model 55 lever-action rifle. It was Winchester’s immediate post-war practice to use up such left-over parts when practical. Over the years, externally-hammered slide-action rifles became less popular, and the internally-hammered Model 61 slide-action rifle became predominant in sales over the Model 62A. As a consequence, the Model 62A was discontinued in 1959. The Model 61 itself survived only a few years more (1963), when manufacturing costs made further production impractical.
From 1890 to 1959, the family of slide actions that culminated in the Model 62A became staples and popular money-makers for Winchester. All can sometimes be found on the used gun market today. The final Model 62As made in the middle of the 20th Century were considered the best of the lot. Those in very good or better condition command ever-upward-spiraling prices. The old-time quality of these carefully-fitted Winchester .22s is in high demand today, and present-day owners treasure them. They will bring a twinge of nostalgia to many old-timers, and the younger set is only now discovering these quality firearms that have become genuine classics.
(c) JLM
