Brief History of Winchester Rifles and the Model 61

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A Brief History of Winchester Rifles and the Model 61

The Winchester Rifles and Shotguns Co. was established by Oliver F. Winchester on February 20, 1866. The first gun model produced under Winchester's name was the Model 1866, a lever-action .44 caliber rimfire rifle. There had been earlier rifles produced using lever action, including the Rocket Ball and Volition Repeater in 1848, Jennings Rifle (patent 1851), Smith and Wesson pistol, and Volcanic Repeating Arms (New Haven Arms Company and Henry Rifles). When the design was improved by B. Henry Tyler (shop foreman at the New Haven Arms Company), the .44 caliber metalic rimfire cartridge became powerful enough to compete with the single shot (e.g., rolling block) rifles of the day. Winchester Repeating Arms Company established itself as one of the world's leading firearms manufacturers of the world, and the subsequent rifles produced by Winchester are highly prized today by collectors all over the globe.

About Model 61 Winchester Rifles

The Winchester Model 61 was the fourth in a series of Slide-Action rifles that Winchester produced. Unlike its predecessors, the Model 61 had no exposed hammer, an attempt by Winchester to compete with other rifles of the day (e.g., Remington). The Model 61 was the hammerless replacement for 1890, 1906 and Model 62, especially when the former two models were dropped from production in 1932. The Winchester Model 61 was produced from 1932 through 1963 with over 342,000 guns sold.

All Model 61 guns were of the take-down variety and fitted with a 24 inch round and tapered barrel. The gun had a straight-grip walnut stock and a grooved slide handle. The gun was chambered for short, long, and long-rifle interchangeably, continuing the standard set by the later 1906 Model, and this helped to assure the continued success of the Model 61. These guns could also be ordered from the factory in a variety of configurations. There was also a number of Model 61 that were chambered for single caliber .22 bullets, and these guns bring a premium. The Model 61 is often considered the companion to the model 12 and Model 42 Winchester shotguns.

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