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I won the bid on Wards Auction for a very nice and scarce, M1900 Winchester 22. That leaves me a M03, M04, and a M1873 in 22 to complete my collection of all the standard models of 22 Winchesters. Not to include the pre war scoped M67, M68, or the M69’s of which I have no interest. It will be interesting to see the M1900. There was only one pic of it, but it looked real sweet. Big Larry
Big Larry said
Not to include the pre war scoped M67, M68, or the M69’s of which I have no interest. Big Larry
I have no interest in the rifles themselves (or any other boys rifles), or the scopes themselves, for that matter, but I think the combination is quite interesting, being the first time (to my knowledge) that such a “package” was put together by any mfgr.; an enlightened marketing approach, assuming the “boy” could figure out how to adjust the scope properly, which I suspect many could not. Much more interesting to me are the 677 & 697 models, made without sight slots in the brl.; I could even overcome my strong aversion to chrome-plating to acquire one of those with its original scope!
Clarence,
I agree, the combination is quite interesting and even Townsend Whelen reversed his initial dislike of the boy’s rifles with economy scopes. He decided the cheap scope was a training tool just like the simple rifle and prepared a person for a better rifle/scope combination later in life.
If it helps with your purchase decision, the 697 had no chrome plated parts.
Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said
Clarence,
He decided the cheap scope was a training tool just like the simple rifle and prepared a person for a better rifle/scope combination later in life…
Certainly it could be, but without knowledgeable guidance, I think the average kid might have some trouble understanding the importance of adjusting the scope from a stable shooting platform. I had no access to any range or bench-rest when I was that age, but (since I’d been reading outdoor mags from the age of 10 or 11) I’d seen an article showing how to make a crude “bench rest” out of a cardboard box of the right size, and that was what I used to adjust the first scoped .22 (a genuine J. C. Higgins!) my father gave me. My father knew less about it than I did, and I suspect the same was true for many grown-ups in the ’30s.
(It was, by the way, in one of those newsstand sporting mags I picked up from time to time that I first saw Whelen’s name (Outdoor Life, maybe?), though I’ve never seen his remarks on these scoped rifles. Then I little later I became a charter subscriber to Guns & Ammo, where of course he had a monthly column.)
Here is the Thumb Trigger. Not in keeping with my standards of collecting, but the best I could find after searching for so long. No cracks, nice markings and nice bore. 22 Short, Long, and Extra Long. Very hard to find with any condition remaining. Big Larry
Looks damn nice to me, although I’m pretty sure my standards fall way short of yours. Particularly the stock looks good, which of course is the part most subject to being abused.
Next, let’s see a test target!
November 7, 2015
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Big Larry said
Here is the Thumb Trigger. Not in keeping with my standards of collecting, but the best I could find after searching for so long. No cracks, nice markings and nice bore. 22 Short, Long, and Extra Long. Very hard to find with any condition remaining. Big Larry
Congrats the thumb trigger (and the M1900). Funny how guns sometimes come along in clusters, what’s next?
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