Rimfire Central Firearm Forum banner

Help dating a Model 67

8K views 36 replies 10 participants last post by  ClarenceAnderson 
#1 ·
I have been trying to date my Model 67. I believe it is post war.
• Barrel is marked
MADE IN NEW HAVEN. CONN-WINCHESTER-Model 67-
--- U.S. OF AMERICA---- --TRADE MARK-- 22 S.L.ORL.R-“
• STOCK SCREW IS RECESSED
• BOLT IS CHROMED
• Trigger and trigger guard are blued

When did the rifles start to be stamped Model 67A?

I believe I have read that there were not many Model 67s made after the war. Would this one be considered a hard to find variation?

Thanks in advance, Keith
 
#8 ·
Keith

OK, here's the information I have:

First, regarding the dating of your rifle, my first response is my best guess. Pre-war the barrel marking was 'Short, Long and Long Rifle'. Starting in 1949/1950 Winchester used the 67A marking. So some time between the post-war start up and 1949 is when your gun was produced. There may be documentation out there that more definitively says when the change to '22 S,LorLR' happened.

Second, regarding how many guns were produced post-war/pre-67A:

The only documentation I know of regarding yearly production of the 67 is listed in Herbert Houze's "To Dreams Of Youth." His sales tables report pre-war sales of 499,208. Post war until discontinuance in 1963 he lists as 3,587. I'm awfully sure his pre-war numbers are very, very high and his post war numbers are very, very low.

So my anecdotal evidence is all I have. The time frame you are talking about looks to me to be about 15%-20%. That is VERY much a guess.

Rob
 
#11 ·
. . .JWA may have more detailed documentation on all of this.

Rob
The drawing change from 67 to 67A and the updated barrel roll-marking occurred on June 3, 1949.

Rob is correct in that the Houze production numbers are way off. There are some pre-war production records at Cody but I have not seen any post-war Model 67 numbers (but then, I have not specifically looked for them either).

Best Regards,
 
#10 · (Edited)
Rob, thank you! Great info. So it dates to the 46-50.

My dad taught my gun safety course back in the mid-60s. I remember using this model 67 for the shooting portion of the class. I'm sure thousands of young boys learned with these 67s.

I have two other .22s rifles, a Nylon 66 Apache Black and a Savage-Anschutz 54 Sporter; honestly, the 67 means more to me that the other two ... fond memories associated with the 67.
 
#12 ·
I did a google search last night looking at Model 67s. I looked at 40 total, tallying up what looked like pre-war vs. postwar using the caliber markings and/or the shape of the forearm 37 pre; 3 post. I"m not sure if some of the 3 were 67As. That's a very rough/small sample but it works out to 7.5% of sample post-war.
 
#13 ·
Interesting. I've thought about doing something like that but never have. Those numbers would validate Houze's numbers to some extent.

Like I said, someday I'll go to Cody and really try to find some hard info on 67 production. When I get tired of studying I'll go catch some trout.

Rob
 
#18 ·
The red lettering is most likely not factory. Houze, in To Dreams Of Youth, mentions a red or bronze W on the trigger guard right after WWII. I've never seen one of those, and it's possible (maybe likely) none were made. This looks more like someone highlighting the barrel markings so they show up well on pictures.

I've never seen a year stamped on a 67 barrel. I know that was pretty common for Winchester to do with several models. I've just never seen it on a 67.

Rob
 
#25 ·
I have my Grandpa's model 67 in my collection. Grandpa was born in 1925 and said he traded a pair of geese to another fellow when he was a teenager to get it. So it must be an earlier production but that doesn't matter to me. Grandpa would have been 96 this past 9/12. I took his rifle out for a walk that day. I put some rounds through it, gave it a good cleaning and put it back in the cabinet with my other "grandpa guns". None of those guns are particularly valuable, but they're priceless to me.
 
#30 ·
I've got my hands on one that looks like it has been beat to death. Wondering how to be able to put a scope on it. With a 27 inch barrel, it should really reach out and touch some critters.
I imagine it would have to be drilled and tapped with some sort of raised mount so you still have room to load it and work the bolt. I saw a different gun pictured somewhere earlier today with a raised mount someone had added. It looked like the rail was set up on pegs about an inch tall. Honestly it didn't look like it belonged on that gun and I'm not sure it would look good on the 67 either.
 
#29 ·
Thanks Clarence. It does look good in the pictures and I suppose it is in good shape for its age and the use it has seen. I wouldn't have it any other way though. Grandpa put the wear and tear on it so all the blemishes make me wish I knew the story behind each of them. The gun still shoots and functions wonderfully.
 
#33 ·
I've never tried this myself, but I've read here on the forum of people attaching scope bases with shoegoo or something similar. Then if you want to remove the scope bases later just use a heat gun. Does not harm the gun, but I would do it to a "used" example, not a pristine gun.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top