• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

Winchester 62

Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
I've had this sitting in my closet for a couple of years now and finally decided to use it. I inherited this from my paternal grandfather. My dad would shoot this as a kid growing up, so I want to lube it up and get some ammo before next weekend when my parents visit for Christmas so we can go out and he can shoot it again after so many years.

Based off the serial, it looks like it was made in 1939 or 1940. It's a straight 62 and not an "A" model. The action works and the bore looks clean. I just don't have any ammo to make sure it feeds.

Which brings me to my question... Doing some reading, it looks like using High Velocity .22 LR is the way to go because it's jacketed. I'm basing this off of my internet research, so course corrections are welcome. I'm leery of putting lead down the barrel since it's supposed to leave a lot of residue behind compared to a coated bullet. It looks like the only way to get that is to buy a HV or HyperV round. Am I reading this right?

I just want to make sure I can keep shooting this thing for another 70 years....
 

Attachments

  • Winchester62.jpg
    Winchester62.jpg
    268.6 KB · Views: 75
BlkPny

BlkPny

Registered User
pilot
Any modern .22 LR round will work just fine. The .22 doesn't generate heat or pressure to leave anything damaging in the barrel. Just clean it well with Hoppe's or CleanBore before you fire it, and of course before you put it away,

Those old Winchesters function flawlessly. They were made to fire thousands of rounds. Its just hard to find any in good condition, since they were used so much, and usually by kids who ddidn't take good care of them.

I really like your plan.
 
Floppy_D

Floppy_D

I am the hunted
As an aside, 22 lr isn't jacketed, it's plated. Since the bullet itself is "heeled" to fit it inside a case of the same diameter, the swaging process to fit a lead core inside a cup would be impractical (I'm aware Remington manufactured FMJ bullets for AR7 survival rifles, but you'd be hard pressed to find it.)

22lr lead bullets are lubed, and are of a Brinell hardness that prevents leading. Low velocities need softer lead, so the base will "bump up" to bore diameter. Higher velocities need a harder lead (such as linotype or with antimony and tin alloys) to prevent gas jetting. I cast bullets for 44 mag and 45 Colt, and I can shoot them all day without leading... so long as I'm casting the right hardness for the velocity.

To echo what BlkPony said, any modern 22 ammo will do just fine. You've got a hell of a rifle there, it's going to outlive you. :)
 
Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Thanks guys. And yeah, jacketed/plated...I used the wrong terms. The "heeled" process is what I meant. Thanks for the correction. I'll pick up some rounds in the next few days then. The gun's all cleaned and lubed. Some minor corrosion and a little powder residue, but otherwise it was surprisingly clean (just lots of "gray" on the wipes w/ M-Pro 7). From talking w/ my dad, it sounds like it's had less than a 1000 rounds through it over its lifetime.
 
Flugelman

Flugelman

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Piece of crap... Please let me do you a favor and take it off your hands...:icon_tong:)

I've lusted after one of those off and on for some time but it seems everyone thinks they are worth their weight in gold. Enjoy it.
 
Floppy_D

Floppy_D

I am the hunted
From talking w/ my dad, it sounds like it's had less than a 1000 rounds through it over its lifetime.
Click to expand...
Damn... It should be well over 50k by now. The question is... what are you going to do to fix that? Enjoy that rifle. If you're looking for accuracy, Wolf Match Target and Eley Black box work well, as well as Green Tag. For small game, CCI Minimags and Velocitors have always worked well. I doubt it's gonna be picky.
 
Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
A fantastic day at the range today with my mom and dad (visiting for Xmas). Started off with the Winchester, moved on to my AR (and a piece of glass I shouldn't have bought but hey, I'm stimulating the economy), and finally ended with my dad and I playing w/ my 1911 (M1991A) on steel. However...

The Winchester liked to shoot high and to the right at 25 yards. I'm not familiar w/ the .22LR trajectory, but I'm guessing some of this is the rifle. Tight groups but off target at the 1-2 o'clock and a couple inches. I've moved the sight "up" as far as I can for elevation, but obviously there's nothing for azimuth. Any recommendations? Good, fun shooting, regardless.
 
Rocketman

Rocketman

Rockets Up
Contributor
Gatordev said:
The Winchester liked to shoot high and to the right at 25 yards. I'm not familiar w/ the .22LR trajectory, but I'm guessing some of this is the rifle. Tight groups but off target at the 1-2 o'clock and a couple inches. I've moved the sight "up" as far as I can for elevation, but obviously there's nothing for azimuth. Any recommendations? Good, fun shooting, regardless.
Click to expand...

How is the rear and or front sight mounted to the barrel? If it's mounted in a dovetail cut in the barrel (I'm pretty sure the front sight is) maybe you could try pressing the sight base and moving it that way. I'm not sure how to do that safely but a local smith should be able to help. Try Midway. I swear I think they have a tool for everything
 
Floppy_D

Floppy_D

I am the hunted
Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
If it's a dovetail (as I suspect,) a wooden dowel and a mallet; use gentle raps until you drift it over enough. If it's stubborn you could move up to a brass punch, but don't use anything harder than that or you'll mar the finish. I'd coat the areas where the sight fits into the barrel with chalk, so I could see how much I moved it over... you just need a hair of drift. If it looks like a spotweld was used, then remove the elevation adjustment and gently bend the spring a hair to the left. If it's high you want to drop the rear leaf sight a notch or two from where it was.

A tight group that's consistently off is an easy fix... it's the "all over the place" groups you gotta worry about. Glad to hear it's runnin' well!
 
Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
@Rocketman and Floppy,

Thanks for the pointers. It looks like the front sight may be welded in there, but it's hard to tell. I cringe when I think about "bending" 70 year old metal, but I'll have a look. The sight is along the lines of this: http://compare.ebay.com/like/400141638914?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar


Bevo said:
You need to trim your toenails.
Click to expand...

I was surprised it took this long for a response. I actually made sure I didn't have talons before I posted that.
 
Floppy_D

Floppy_D

I am the hunted
The rear dovetail sight shouldn't be welded, and will be easy to drift over a smidge. Definitely don't bend it.
 
Rocketman

Rocketman

Rockets Up
Contributor
Gatordev said:
@Rocketman and Floppy,

Thanks for the pointers. It looks like the front sight may be welded in there, but it's hard to tell. I cringe when I think about "bending" 70 year old metal, but I'll have a look. The sight is along the lines of this: http://compare.ebay.com/like/400141638914?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

I was surprised it took this long for a response. I actually made sure I didn't have talons before I posted that.
Click to expand...

You can drift the front sight too if you want to. May be harder though.

Me thinks it wouldn't take long to find a pic of Bevo's feet somewhere in the Firearms forum. I had to crop mine out the last time I posted a rifle pic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top