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Hello all,
I recently received my great grandfather’s Winchester 69A, which also happens to be the first rifle I ever shot as a young kid, around 5-6 years old. This will also be the first rifle my girls learn to shoot from. And I do believe my brother will teach his sons the same. My great uncle told me that he was a kid when his father bought it. Said “…he paid $16 for it and two boxes of shells”
I have been reading various posts from here and I know there are some people here who are very knowledgeable. I am looking for someone to tell me exactly what type, for lack of better word, of 69A this is.
I would have included several pics here in the hopes that it helped with identification, but I see that I cannot attached pic.
The sights are a blade front, a leaf and wedge rear. The bolt is swept back a little bit, blued. On the barrel, above the wood line you see the address that says its Model 69A – 22 SHORT – WINCHESTER. And below the wood line you see that it also says Patent Pending – LONG AND LONG RIFLE – TRADE MARK. I took it out of the stock and it does not have any date or numbering beneath the woodline or anywhere. It has the original Winchester 69 marked magazine. The receiver is stamped with a star on the left side of the ejection port/receiver opening and a M on the right side. There is also a proof mark of some sort on the top of the receiver, near the receiver face and again on the barrel just behind the rear sight.
I hope I have included enough information for a positive ID of the type of 69A it is, perhaps the number produced, year possibly made, rarity, and value. Thanks everyone.
Hi Sean,
Congrats on your great family heirloom!
I may be able to help you with some additional info. Pictures would really help me out and prevent possible misidentification. You are welcome to email them to me direct and I can post them here for discussion.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Here are Sean’s Model 69A pictures –
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Sean,
Your Great-Grandfather’s rifle is a Winchester Model 69A, catalog number G6902R.
To answer your questions, based on the photos it was manufactured sometime between 1946-1948. It is equipped with a Winchester 75C front sight and Winchester 32B rear sight. It appears to be all correct but has had an extra coat of finish applied to the stock at some point.
There were over 300,000 of the Model 69A sold (not counting the precursor Model 69) and the G6902R was the most common variation.
The suggested retail price on 3/3/1946 was $17.15 and was increased to $20.60 on 10/1/1946 so if your Great-Grandfather’s memory is correct your rifle was likely purchased in early 1946, and is one of the “new” post-war style Model 69A’s. That early 1946 estimate is also born out by the magazine which is a pre-WWII magazine but a few left-overs were supplied with early 1946 rifles.
They are very accurate shooting rifles and yours appears to be in good condition, hopefully it will still be handed down within your family 100 years from now. For insurance purposes I would value it at about $300-$400 but the values have been significantly increasing lately.
Let me know if you have any other specific questions regarding your rifle and I will try to answer them.
There is also a lengthy textbook on the Model 69 which is available under the “store” tab and then “books” tab at the top of the page.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
November 7, 2015
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“69” marked magazine, cool! Congrats on being the current custodian of this heirloom, Sean, hope the youngsters let you shoot this rifle now and then. It’s just as much fun now as when you were a kid. Be sure to tell your kids that $16 will likely buy the two boxes of shells today, but not the gun. Thanks for taking the time to teach the youngsters safe gun handling and appreciation of a fine Winchester.
If your Great-Grandfather’s 69A needs company or you want to know more about your 69A the “textbook” mentioned above will be very useful in helping you pick out a sibling or two and figuring out what an outstanding rifle you have. It not only covers the Model 69 from muzzle to butt plate but gives a fair bit of info on the related models as background info. If you’re more interested in a Winchester more suited for target work a book on the Model 75 is rumored to be in the works.
Mike
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