A pair of .22s - The Firearms Forum

LeSabreUltra · 04-21-2011, 04:25 PM

Been a while since my last visit!

So, a few questions about a new to me .22 that I just acquired. The rifle is a Winchester Model 250 made in the 60s and 70s apparently.

I've always had my beloved Marlin 39A Golden Mountie, which came from the factory pre-drilled for a scope mount so I added one on. The rifle is more accurate than I am, and has sent many a squirrel to it's premature demise.

Recently I went on ********* out of curiosity to see what one of these bad boys is selling for these days. I figured not much since .22s have always been on the low end of the scale value wise, it seems. Maybe a little bit more than a new one since 39As, especially old ones like mine are pretty highly regarded. What I found was really shocking...especially considering that ********* is usually showing the low end of the gun's value...and made me question whether or not I should be hauling it out in the woods risking the possibility of wear and dings which I've been lucky enough to avoid so far.

So I decided to see about finding another .22 for my squirrel shoots. I wanted an old one because like a lot of things...they just don't make them like they used to. I wanted all wood and steel solid construction, and reliability. Then I came across a Model 250 from Winchester, from the 60s or 70s. The gun was in really bad shape visually, it had been sitting in a closet inside a leather bag for at least two decades. The previous owner said it didn't work. I got it for free.

The good news is, inside the gun was flawless...the owner had literally dunked everything in motor oil before putting it away. Outside, and on the stainless parts it didn't fair so well. Lots of corrosion. No rust, just a lot of black corrosion was present. The wood was dull and looked shabby. I wish I had taken some before shots.

I went to work on it, and ultimately came out with this (My scoped Marlin is on top, my 'new' Winchester on the bottom):

The Winchester has a unique lever action that I haven't personally seen before.

Well, as you can hopefully see...my efforts weren't in vain. Under all that corrosion, dirt, and neglect was an absolute gem. It's mint.

As another plus...I will be extremely surprised if it doesn't work. It loads and extracts rounds perfectly and extremely smoothly. The trigger system works and I can feel the internal click. The internal firing system is intact, and so is the firing pin and firing pin spring. I haven't gotten to try it out yet, but I can't find anything mechanically wrong with it. Maybe all that motor oil inside of it was causing misfires, who knows.

I was curious to know if anyone else either owns, has owned, or shot one of these. Reports from around the web are sparse, but those that I have seen are positive. I was curious to see your thoughts. I'm hoping to go try it out tomorrow, and if it works and is accurate maybe see about getting it a scope of it's own.

Any thoughts are welcome! I think I came out pretty well for free.

EDIT: oops...looks like that online gun auction site is censored. That's what the ********'s are for.
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millman · 04-21-2011, 05:18 PM

Very nice. That rifle should get plenty of squirrels.

I have a Win 270, which is the pump version of that action.

LeSabreUltra · 04-21-2011, 06:46 PM

Good to hear, and nice 270! Really nice looking grain patterns on your stock.

I managed to find an old 4x15 air rifle scope that fit perfectly on the 'new' Winchester's built in dovetail scope mounts. That scope coupled with the air rifle it came off of did a lot of squirrel menacing back in it's day too, so I know it works.

Here's a pic just cause:

That big Bushnell makes the Daisy scope just look tiny.

I found the dovetail mounts for the Bushnell I have on the Marlin (which uses Weaver) so I could swap the scope over to the Winchester if I wanted, but I'll wait until after I see if it works. And even then, I'm not sure I'd swap over...I love zooming way in with the Bushnell/Marlin and shooting the tape off my friends' targets at the range when they're not looking. It's a tack driver, that rifle/scope combo.

Here's another closeup...this whole surface and the wood were literally almost the same color when I got it...sort of a brownish black.

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Sheffieldshooter · 04-25-2011, 10:42 PM

And the semi-auto version, a 190:

bmpeele · 04-25-2011, 11:35 PM

If what you say about the outside appearance is true then you did a FANTASTIC job. Congrats on the find.

04-21-2011, 04:25 PM	#1
LeSabreUltra V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alabama Posts: 102	A pair of .22s Been a while since my last visit! So, a few questions about a new to me .22 that I just acquired. The rifle is a Winchester Model 250 made in the 60s and 70s apparently. I've always had my beloved Marlin 39A Golden Mountie, which came from the factory pre-drilled for a scope mount so I added one on. The rifle is more accurate than I am, and has sent many a squirrel to it's premature demise. Recently I went on ******* out of curiosity to see what one of these bad boys is selling for these days. I figured not much since .22s have always been on the low end of the scale value wise, it seems. Maybe a little bit more than a new one since 39As, especially old ones like mine are pretty highly regarded. What I found was really shocking...especially considering that ***** is usually showing the low end of the gun's value...and made me question whether or not I should be hauling it out in the woods risking the possibility of wear and dings which I've been lucky enough to avoid so far. So I decided to see about finding another .22 for my squirrel shoots. I wanted an old one because like a lot of things...they just don't make them like they used to. I wanted all wood and steel solid construction, and reliability. Then I came across a Model 250 from Winchester, from the 60s or 70s. The gun was in really bad shape visually, it had been sitting in a closet inside a leather bag for at least two decades. The previous owner said it didn't work. I got it for free. The good news is, inside the gun was flawless...the owner had literally dunked everything in motor oil before putting it away. Outside, and on the stainless parts it didn't fair so well. Lots of corrosion. No rust, just a lot of black corrosion was present. The wood was dull and looked shabby. I wish I had taken some before shots. I went to work on it, and ultimately came out with this (My scoped Marlin is on top, my 'new' Winchester on the bottom): The Winchester has a unique lever action that I haven't personally seen before. Well, as you can hopefully see...my efforts weren't in vain. Under all that corrosion, dirt, and neglect was an absolute gem. It's mint. As another plus...I will be extremely surprised if it doesn't work. It loads and extracts rounds perfectly and extremely smoothly. The trigger system works and I can feel the internal click. The internal firing system is intact, and so is the firing pin and firing pin spring. I haven't gotten to try it out yet, but I can't find anything mechanically wrong with it. Maybe all that motor oil inside of it was causing misfires, who knows. I was curious to know if anyone else either owns, has owned, or shot one of these. Reports from around the web are sparse, but those that I have seen are positive. I was curious to see your thoughts. I'm hoping to go try it out tomorrow, and if it works and is accurate maybe see about getting it a scope of it's own. Any thoughts are welcome! I think I came out pretty well for free. EDIT: oops...looks like that online gun auction site is censored. That's what the ******'s are for. . . . __________________ -->

04-21-2011, 05:18 PM	#2
millman V.I.P. Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 80	Re: A pair of .22s Very nice. That rifle should get plenty of squirrels. I have a Win 270, which is the pump version of that action. Attached Images

04-21-2011, 06:46 PM	#3
LeSabreUltra V.I.P. Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Alabama Posts: 102	Re: A pair of .22s Good to hear, and nice 270! Really nice looking grain patterns on your stock. I managed to find an old 4x15 air rifle scope that fit perfectly on the 'new' Winchester's built in dovetail scope mounts. That scope coupled with the air rifle it came off of did a lot of squirrel menacing back in it's day too, so I know it works. Here's a pic just cause: That big Bushnell makes the Daisy scope just look tiny. I found the dovetail mounts for the Bushnell I have on the Marlin (which uses Weaver) so I could swap the scope over to the Winchester if I wanted, but I'll wait until after I see if it works. And even then, I'm not sure I'd swap over...I love zooming way in with the Bushnell/Marlin and shooting the tape off my friends' targets at the range when they're not looking. It's a tack driver, that rifle/scope combo. Here's another closeup...this whole surface and the wood were literally almost the same color when I got it...sort of a brownish black. . . . __________________ Last edited by LeSabreUltra; 04-21-2011 at 06:52 PM..

04-25-2011, 10:42 PM	#4
Sheffieldshooter Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: North Alabama Posts: 45	Re: A pair of .22s And the semi-auto version, a 190:

04-25-2011, 11:35 PM	#5
bmpeele V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: The grand old state of North Carolina Posts: 492	Re: A pair of .22s If what you say about the outside appearance is true then you did a FANTASTIC job. Congrats on the find. __________________ It's not the size, it's the placement of the bullet.