Winchester Model 62

DocB

DocB

Member
Joined
May 24, 2015
Messages
2,331
Reaction score
5,577
Location
Middle Georgia
My wife gets annoyed when things come up in the yard and she can't run them off with the BB gun. Two days ago she told me to bring up her Nylon 66. It's just too loud with neighbors and all. Semi-auto 22's are about worthless to me, and I have them stacked up to the ceiling. Every rifle and pistol ever made. All they will shoot is Long Rifles and that's not good for backyard shooting where I live. So, off to the LGS knowing exactly what I wanted for her. These are very pricy, but it's for the wife, so who cares. . .right? This one was made pre-war in 1939. It is a machine! You could probably shoot it 1000 times and never have to clean it. Not at all like guns made today. It is unmessed with. . .all original finish and internals. The wood is absolutely perfect. The metal is maybe 90%. I took her out to shoot it. Usually she will shoot one or two shots, and say that's enough for now. She shot this rifle as long as I would let her. For now I'm settling on standard velocity 22 shorts. The CBees were a bit long for easy chambering as were the Quiet 22's. The short CB caps were silent which she didn't like even though they chambered perfectly every time. She liked the ones that were running around 1000 fps. I had to pay a big old $600 for it which is about half of what they sell for. As usual, I never pay the prices that everybody "thinks" their guns are worth. Not even for the wife.
 

Attachments

  • M62 Pix 2.jpg
    M62 Pix 2.jpg
    148 KB · Views: 187
  • M62 Pic 1.jpg
    M62 Pic 1.jpg
    153.6 KB · Views: 187
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
Nice rifle and, from what I can see of the condition, a good price. Model 62s and 61s are getting hard to find and becoming more pricey all as time goes on. I was lucky I just purchased a 1957 model 61 for $400. I hope that was a good price because it's really dirty from just sitting in a closet for a long time. I'll find out just how bad when I can finally pick it up and begin working on it.
 
Why don't you buy some subsonic 22LR ammo? The stuff I've shot out of a rifle is a quiet as a pellet gun.
Jim
 
Nice! Love the build and the quality of those old rimfires. Recently saw a old Mossberg Model 41 or 46 I think that was a target model. Looked more like a howitzer compared to .22s built these days.
 
The gun was originally designed for 22 Shorts. When they lengthened the chamber to accept 22 Long Rifles, the Browning action was not changed. This makes chambering a little rough with longer cartridges as they pass from the action into the chamber. It works OK with them, but you can see the longer cartridge struggling to make the move from action to chamber. With 22 Shorts, it is so slick, you can even slam fire it. That's why I am sticking with a "short" length cartridge for the wife. The same LGS had a 1903 Winchester automatic rifle in 22 Winchester Rim Fire. I could have had it for $400. . .factory peep sight and all. I have a bunch of 22 WRF ammo that I shoot in my 22 Magnums. Problem was that another guy who I sort of know was drooling over the gun and trying to save up the money to buy it. Otherwise, I would have bought it too. I'm going to give it a week so he will have a fair chance to get the gun he really wants. After that, I will have to re-evaluate and reconsider buying it based upon his circumstances.
 
Careful!
Be very careful..... the Winchester .22 Automatic is not the same as the .22 WRF. They are totally different cartridges. Also, the .22 WRF made by CCI is not to be shot in revolvers/pistols!!!
 
Shouldn't be any struggling at all in feeding any length of the 22rf's in a 62 or 62A. They all have the cartridge stop fitted to the carrier so as to accept any of the lengths in any order from the mag tube.
The Model 1890 orig design didn't have that feature and were caliber specific.
Great rifles,,hard to put down at the range once you start plinking with one.

Aguila has recently made runs of 22 Winchester Automatic ammunition.
But it's still hard to find. Usually priced about $18 or $20/box 50.

You can still sometimes find some of the more recent mfg Winchester 22 Automatic ammo that was run maybe 12 or 15 yrs ago. But it isn't just lying around on shelves that's for sure. Pricey too.
Original old stock boxed ammo is collectible as is and better sold that way.
22WRF is different from 22Winchester Automatic as stated.
There's a 22Remington Automatic also For their Model 16 semi auto.
Same odd type RF cartridge. Similar but not identical to the Winchester 22 Auto. The Remington 22 Auto being just slightly smaller in dimensions all around will chamber and usually work reasonably well in the Winchester 1903 rifle,,but not the other way around.

Both are early smokeless rounds in RF specificly to avoid the common at the time BP loads in 22rf that would bind up the semiauto rifles actions.
 
They're great little guns. I have a circa 1986 Rossi M-62 which is a faithful clone of the Winchester.

Over the last 32 years it's devoured countless numbers of .22 shorts, longs and long rifles with so much as a burp.

It's a keeper that will be passed down to my great grand son.
 
I didn't know that the 22 Winchester Auto was unique. . .now I do. This is probably why the 1903 doesn't command a really high price. I will have to check it out next week, if it's still there.
 
love those sliders. i have a win. 61 and a pair of rem. model 12's. i shoot em in the yard with CCI quiet

KEA4Uri.jpg
 
From the OP's photos I would say the old Model 62 is in very nice condition, perhaps 90%. In my opinion the $600 price is very good for a 62 in the condition shown.

I have a 62A made in 1940, condition is excellent (95%-plus). Great rifle for small game and pests (as the OP noted). I wouldn't take $1000 for mine because I know how difficult it would be to replace it, even with one in lesser condition.
 
Back when I was in the pawn business I had a customer bring in an absolutely mint 62. I mean MINT. He needed to borrow $50.00. I told him I would easily loan a lot more. He told me "No the more I borrow the harder it is to pay back, I just need $50.00". He had been a pretty good customer and never left me with anything until then. 90 days later I owned that gun. Never saw him again.
 
Mod 61

DocB said:
The gun was originally designed for 22 Shorts. When they lengthened the chamber to accept 22 Long Rifles, the Browning action was not changed. This makes chambering a little rough with longer cartridges as they pass from the action into the chamber. It works OK with them, but you can see the longer cartridge struggling to make the move from action to chamber. With 22 Shorts, it is so slick, you can even slam fire it. That's why I am sticking with a "short" length cartridge for the wife. The same LGS had a 1903 Winchester automatic rifle in 22 Winchester Rim Fire. I could have had it for $400. . .factory peep sight and all. I have a bunch of 22 WRF ammo that I shoot in my 22 Magnums. Problem was that another guy who I sort of know was drooling over the gun and trying to save up the money to buy it. Otherwise, I would have bought it too. I'm going to give it a week so he will have a fair chance to get the gun he really wants. After that, I will have to re-evaluate and reconsider buying it based upon his circumstances.
Click to expand...

Doc, it's too bad someone had your rifle re-chambered for the longer .22s. The rifles chambered for .22 short bring a premium price. Then again, since you just purchased it, maybe it a better deal re-chambered! Anyway, I can't wait to get mine so I can begin working on it. Here in my area of California, I have to wait until the city allows the shop to put the rifle up for sale (consignment) and then the 10 day wait after I do the state paperwork. I may get it by the middle of next month.
 
Last edited:
I have had 63's and 61's and one 62 that was NIB so didn't get to shoot it.
Just bought one from a friend at the gunshow in Jan. Really nice condition, 1953 gun. It eats shorts, long, lr, and CB caps with equal aplomb (my word of the day). Has the best trigger pull of any of those winnies I have had. It is right up there with my Rem 12c. These winchesters were very pricey but have come down in last couple years ... corresponding with the high cost of 22 ammo. The Rem 12 and 121's have seem to increase during that time, where nice ones have caught up with the winnies. I got my 62 for $700 and well pleased.

Charlie
 
Doc, are you saying your particular rifle was originally chambered for the short, or the design going back to the 1890 ?

Charlie
 
It's chambered for S, L, and LR. Marked specifically on the barrel. I wish it was one of the gallery guns in short only. I just like the way it runs on shorts. Much quicker with less cartridge to chamber.
 
Here are the markings on the barrel.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0703.jpg
    IMG_0703.jpg
    59.8 KB · Views: 34
There has always been a lot of confusion about the model 1903 chambered in Win. .22 auto. Many know it is not chambered in .22LR so it is assumed to be WRF.

It looks like you have acquired a very nice Model 62, for a very fair price. If you want to be shocked take a walk at Tulsa and look at asking prices on 62s and 61s.

If you want to be really confused there was at one time a .22 cartridge called .22 extra long. It is often confused with .22 Long rifle. I have a pretty nice group of single shot Winchesters and a few are chambered .22 short, long and extra long. Last fall I finally saw a nice full box of extra longs and they only wanted $400.00 for the box. I still don't have any.:)
A fellow collector told me that was cheap.
 
You can shoot Win 22 Auto in WRF and 22mags. I don't think there is anything except 22 Auto that will fire in 03s. So you are
not going to accidently fire WRF in a 03. I don't know about Colts
in WRF but I saw a H&R or IJ revolver in WRF that chambered 22
mag. This resulted in a cracked chamber in cylinder. The owner
claimed he had been shooting 22 mags for years before cracked.
I don't encounter very many 03s but 22WRF is fairy common in
Win & Rem pumps, occasionally a Marlin. Sometimes at a bargan
price off individuals who have no use for it since it's a obsolete
ammo. I've had people bring them with a box of LRs telling me
it's worn out, could I fix it. The 1st one brought to me that way
I hate to admit it but fooled with it for several minutes before it
dawned on me it was a WRF. Same type of thing happened to me
when I bought a single shot bolt action Stevens. Got it home before I found out it was a 25rf. As a matter of fact just recently
me and a forum member due to not paying attention found out
that a pocket pistol we both had considered a 38S&W turned out
to be a 41rf. You get a mental block when you assume, and we
all know what happens when we assume!
 
Research indicates that this rifle was one of the last Model 62's manufactured in late 1939 incorporating some of the Model 62A features to be introduced to the market in 1940. SN is 887XX. It is a transitional gun indicated by the new beaver tail/longer forearm which was standard on the 62A first cataloged in 1940. A lot like Smith & Wesson revolvers during the transition in the early 1980's. . .a mix of old and new features. It took quite a while to gather all this information. The rifle appears to have been fired very little. The wife and I have probably shot it more this past week than it had ever been shot before.
 
DocB said:
All they will shoot is Long Rifles and that's not good for backyard shooting where I live.
Click to expand...
Remington 552 will shoot shorts and standard velocity long rifles quietly.
I have Remingtons and a Rossi 62. Love them all. Good for possums and feral cats.
_______________________
I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.
 
If it uses the coil spring main spring set up,,it's a 62A
If it uses the earlier flat spring main spring,,it's a Model 62.

Look at the lower tang. The Model 62 (flat spring main spring) will have along with the tang screw coming through the extreme end of it,,the mainspring attachment screw and mainspring tension screw showing.

On the 62A (coil spring main spring set up),,other than seeing the end of the tang screw , there won't be any other screws in the lower tang.

The 62A uses a different hammer to match up with the new coil spring set up. Outside the gun they look the same as the earlier Model 62 hammer though there are variations in hammer spur grooves and the like.

Early Model 62A rifles made use of old stock Model 62 marked bbls to use them up. So you find some guns with that Mod 62 bbl on them but they are actually a 62A by mechanical variation & changes and serial numbering.
I have one upstairs like that. Someone drill & tapped the bbl for a Weaver side mt but other than that a very nice condition rifle. Better the bbl than the side of the frame I guess. Easy fix, I'll get to it sometime.

The stocks and forends changed style and weight from Model 62 to Model 62A

Great pump 22's as are all the 1890 variants.
 
It does have the old flat spring. I am going to have to go back and look at some of the others he has out for sale. They are pretty common around here. One I do remember seeing last week was the same gun in a 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire. . .a 62A I think. They must be really rare. The price was $2000. Since they discontinued the rifle shortly after the introduction of the 22 WMR, I guess they didn't make many. Too rich for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
It's all just stuff...
2 3
Replies
70
Views
3K
flash60601
F
P
The Hebrew Hammer
Replies
24
Views
1K
Just_Me2
J
A
43 years ago…..
Replies
1
Views
745
SGT ROCK 11B
SGT ROCK 11B
wundudnee
Winchester model 60As
Replies
7
Views
626
wundudnee
wundudnee
olfart
MORE Tales from the East Texas Outback
Replies
12
Views
897
Major 2
Major 2

Latest posts

Back
Top