Advice on old Winchester mod 61 & 62s

[mase1b]

I have a couple of old .22 Winchester rifles.
The first is a model 61 that has a pretty good finish but the stock is cracked in a couple spots, one being up near the receiver where a little spring is popping through.
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So what does everyone think about repairing/replacing the stock? Will it kill the value of the gun?

On the model 62, the finish is a little rough, including a bunch of scratching on the side of the receiver where it looks like someone got a little crazy trying to clean it. Again, would this be worth refinishing, even it's done by Winchester, or would it just ruin the collector value?
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I'd appreciate any thoughts from the wise CalGuns members. And, no, I won't be adding any tactical enhancements.

[003]

What you decide to do with your two rifles really depends on what you want to do with them. Wall hangers, then of course nothing is required. If you want to shoot them then you will have to insure they function correctly and are safe to fire. While I do appreciate it when someone obtains a family heirloom and decides to keep it as original as possible, just because a firearm is old does not automatically mean it has high collector value. I certainly do not mean to imply that a firearm must be museum quality to have collector value, but often time restoring an older firearm enhances its value. Check out Turnbull restorations for examples of what a quality restoration can do to the value of an old gun.

http://www.turnbullmfg.com/store.asp?pid=32018

While I suspect you may not be interested in spending the kind of money necessary to do a full museum quality restoration, repairing or replacing the broken stock, and a quality refinishing will give you a fine old gun with lots of life left and hours of shooting pleasure.

While there are some folks that believe it is a sacrilege to refinish an old firearm, I am not in that camp. While I would not recommend having a “quick and dirty” reblue job on any old gun, I do believe that a quality refinish will enhance your shooting pleasure and pride of ownership.

http://www.gunbluing.com/

I do think one of the first things you do need to do is establish the current value of these two guns, which will then allow you to make an educated decisions as to the appreciation in/loss of value as it relates to any work you may have done. While I am not in any position to estimate their current value, I suspect it is not much more than a few hundred dollars each in their present condition.



In closing, let me say that those two guns, the Winchester model 61 and 62 are two of my all time favorite .22 rifles.

[Spirit 1]

That green stuff on the 61 looks like remnants of a Scotchbrite type pad. Those can be real abrasive to the finish.

One potential problem with Winnie 61 & 62 guns is that many years back they were used a lot in carnivals as gallery guns. You paid your money & took your chances shooting the little moving targets, firing CB caps or .22 shorts. The carnie folks were there to make their living so those guns had the bores reamed out, no rifling! You literally couldn't hit the broad side of the barn. These carnival gallery guns still show up and if a guy doesn't check the bore it can mean a gun that looks good & not much else.

I had a 62A with a peep sight & bore looked okay but it was never accurate. I did like the take down feature where one thumb screw broke down the whole gun into 2 pieces.

These guns certainly do have significant collector value so do some shopping for them on the internet to get a feel for current value, you may be pleasantly surprised! They used top quality materials & workmanship back then and may be worth the extra to restore them right, especially with two in consecutive series.

The scratches on the 62 receiver could be a result of a rifle scabbard, using it on horseback. The break & crack on the 61's American Walnut stock could be easily repaired by a skilled woodworker, like a company that does furniture restoration & repair. Sure not worth anything as is. Good chance of finding a stock or a parts gun on Gunbroker, maybe the best solution for that one? That might give extra parts for both guns.

[Mike A]

I'd look for a replacement stock for that 61; it's worth fixing for sure. There used to be a company that made replacement Winchester stocks called Precision Arms or Precision Gun Stocks or something like that. It was in Texas. They made excellent replacements that were near to "drop in" inletted. And the 61 isn't hard to fit.

You should also troll all the companies that make replacement stocks and look for a factory stock in decent shape at the various parts houses.

A full restoration will cost a small fortune, but if you want a quote, I'd try a company called Nuline Guns that specializes in Winchester .22 pumps and has for years. Personally I'd just get them shooting again and leave it at that. They are excellent, but ordinary, .22s.

BTW, I don't think "Winchester" will do any factory refinish work on these old models. I put "Winchester" in quotes because the name now belongs to a large multinational gun company and is really just a brand, not a company. Their guns are made all over the world, including a few in the USA.

[mase1b]

Thanks all!

Based on my 2009 Blue Book, these are both worth a little bit of $ (like maybe $500-1500ea), but probably not enough to warrant full restoration, although still collectible. It seems like the best course is to fix/replace the stock on the 61 and not do much else.

BTW- the 62 is a "gallery gun" with a triangle loading port. Probably explains why it wasn't exactly treated with care.

It's funny though, even with all the issues, both guns shoot well and have a really slick action...way nicer than say my 10/22 (which I love). They just don't make 'em like they used to!