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February 6, 2010
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Did both models have WMR calibers?? Was going to look for one but if they are really rare not so sure I can afford one.
Steve
April 15, 2005
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The Model 62A was not commercially made for the 22 WMR cartridge (Winchester discontinued that Model in the year 1959, just before Winchester first put the 22 WMR cartridge on the market). There might have been an “experimental” rifle or two made for it when Winchester was developing the 22 WMR cartridge.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
February 6, 2010
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So was the 61 made in WMR and if so was it rare ?
June 1, 2023
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The Model 61 was indeed made in .22 Win Mag, and since it was only produced in that caliber quite late in production, they are much less common than those chambered in .22 S. L. & LR. I wouldn’t call them rare, but less common for sure.
BRP
April 15, 2005
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Definitely not rare. Winchester manufactured a pile of them in the late production years.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
July 3, 2020
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While the Win 61’s in 22 mag may not be “rare”… they are very desirable. As such, I’ve found prices run typically double a standard .22 lr. in comparable condition… this is my own personal observation, your mileage may vary. 😛
February 6, 2010
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Did they make them in WRF also ? I just saw a pic of one on armslist that had a barrel stamping of 61-WRF
June 1, 2023
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The early pre-war (and briefly post-war) Model 61 was chambered in .22WRF.
BRP
January 20, 2023
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The OP had asked whether the Winchester Model 62 was ever made in .22 WMR caliber. This is a peripheral point to the discussion but Amadeo Rossi, S.A. of Brazil once made a pretty good copy of the original Model 62 that was imported here by Interarms. It was available in .22 WMR as well as the original .22 S/L/LR chambering. The standard and the magnum were available in blue or nickel finishes and the standard could be had in a 16″ barrel as well as the normal 23″ length.
Rossi was eventually acquired by the other Brazilian manufacturer, Taurus Armas S.A., that continued making the same Model 62 copy for American import until about 2007.
I once shopped for one of these little ersatz top ejectors enough to have an opinion: The ones I saw and handled were quite accurate reproductions, mechanically. and Ken Warner, a late former editor of Gun Digest tested one and reported it functioned reliably. However, their fit and finish quality would never allow anybody to confuse them with a Winchester original.
When I first saw a 16″ nickel specimen on a dealer’s rack, a .22 S/L/LR model, it looked really appealing and I asked for a closer look. In a couple of minutes I handed it back.
If I live long enough to get bored with my 1949 vintage (reblued) Model 62A
, I’ll have the receiver and magazine tube nickel plated.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
November 7, 2015
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Ben said
While the Win 61’s in 22 mag may not be “rare”… they are very desirable. As such, I’ve found prices run typically double a standard .22 lr. in comparable condition… this is my own personal observation, your mileage may vary. 😛
I understand they were very popular 60 years ago. I’ve heard or read that following the introduction of the WMR in 1960 approximately half of the 61’s were made in that chambering. I can’t recall if I’ve seen documentation of that mix ratio but it’s supported by the guns I see at shows. I sold a very nice 1960 vintage WMR recently and the chambering certainly made it easier to sell.
Mike
January 20, 2023
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The M61 magnums are money in the bank as collectibles but it takes a rich man to shoot one a lot. The 22 Hornet for mine and the long rifle M61 for squirrels. The one rat I shot with a WMR departed this World as vapor.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
November 7, 2015
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Zebulon said
The M61 magnums are money in the bank as collectibles but it takes a rich man to shoot one a lot. The 22 Hornet for mine and the long rifle M61 for squirrels. The one rat I shot with a WMR departed this World as vapor.
Yep, no such thing as cheap WMR plinking ammo. I laid in a modest supply awhile back after a temporary shortage but I only have a couple of firearms so chambered these days. It’s an impressive little cartridge with loadings built around some very good bullets. I’ve found the rule about different rifles liking different ammo is especially true for rifles in WMR. None seem to be especially accurate but some are dramatically better than others.
Mike
January 20, 2023
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John Barsness delved into the WMR accuracy question in a HANDLOADER article sometime back. I don’t recall his conclusions why accuracy was so variable even between rifles of the same model (e.g. the 9422) but an unnamed ammunition industry executive said magic was involved.
The only specimen I have is an old Kimber of Oregon 82B that shoots a lot better than I can. Of course it’s scoped. Decades ago, several Rio Grande turkeys fell to the 50 grain load once produced by either Federal or CCI, I think the latter.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
March 20, 2009
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TXGunNut said
I understand they were very popular 60 years ago. I’ve heard or read that following the introduction of the WMR in 1960 approximately half of the 61’s were made in that chambering. I can’t recall if I’ve seen documentation of that mix ratio but it’s supported by the guns I see at shows. I sold a very nice 1960 vintage WMR recently and the chambering certainly made it easier to sell.
Mike
Based on the data I have collected in my survey of the Model 61 rifles 67% of the total production were chambered for .22 Mag after their introduction in 1960 through the end of 1963. Total production of this variation is around 43,750 rifles.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
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