I think they were used in some of the shooting galleries in the past. I have my Dad's with a 4x El Paso Weaver scope on it. Have used for rabbits, squirrels, etc. It still shoots darn good.

 

So many Winchesters and so little time

 

I've had my 74 since the early 80's. A friend of my dad left it at our house when he moved. You're right they shoot surprisingly well. Mine will cycle everything...except that junk marketed as Browning. Enjoy the gun.

 

Odd that Browning markets itself as a upper middle class brand but allows their name to be slapped on this garbage ammo that nobody likes.

 

I always found the Winchester Model 74 as sort of homely, as a kind of ugly duckling---- BUT, they can sure shoot! I knew an old Montana rancher who used a Model 74 in 22 Short as his general ranch pest control rifle. I know for a fact that he had killed more than a million ground squirrels (aka "gophers" in these parts) and the rifle, while very worn, still functioned flawlessly and shot very accurately. So I guess "beautiful is as beautiful does." By that yardstick, that old 74 was an absolute beauty.

BRP

 

I love the Winchester 74.

 

I picked up a cosmetically hideous but functionally solid 74 at a pawn shop about 6 years ago for I think $89. After giving it a modest makeover, the 74 became one of my favorite rifles and in the running for my most accurate. It makes me feel foolish to think of how the 74 will shade newer rifles for which I paid 3 to 5 times - or more - what I paid for the 74. Call me a sentimental geek, but there is also a certain feeling to walking the woods with a vintage "real" Winchester in my hands.

I'm not sure what my 74 will do at 50 yards with iron sights, but I am sure what my eyes will do - squint, strain, and still not see the bullseye. With a scope, my 74's typical performance is such that I complain about 5-shot groups if I need a nickel to cover them instead of a dime. The 74 ain't fancy, but in my eyes, it's fabulous.

 

I picked up a cosmetically hideous but functionally solid 74 at a pawn shop about 6 years ago for I think $89. After giving it a modest makeover, the 74 became one of my favorite rifles and in the running for my most accurate. It makes me feel foolish to think of how the 74 will shade newer rifles for which I paid 3 to 5 times - or more - what I paid for the 74. Call me a sentimental geek, but there is also a certain feeling to walking the woods with a vintage "real" Winchester in my hands.

I'm not sure what my 74 will do at 50 yards with iron sights, because I am sure what my eyes will do - squint, strain, and still not see the bullseye. With a scope, my 74's typical performance is such that I complain about 5-shot groups if I need a nickel to cover them instead of a dime. The 74 ain't fancy, but in my eyes, it's fabulous.

I'm 57 and I've wondered what my 74 could do with some decent glass on top. The design isn't really conducive to a scope and I never wanted to get it drilled and tapped. But I've wondered for about 45yrs. Back then lots of rabbits and squirrels found out what it would do with irons. I agree with a few others it's not a pretty gun, but they shoot.

 

The model 74 is a good rifle. I have one myself. Mounted a 3x9 scope on it for squirrel hunting. Cool old gun… I love the old Winchesters.
Pictured here with a model 69. Both nice shooting old guns

 

what a beautiful pair of winchesters!
BYW, I think the 74 is good looking in it's own unique way.

 

Back in 1964 I bought a 74 Shorts only. At that time these rifles were, more or less, a dime a dozen. No body really wanted them because they were kind of "old school".

We lived on a farm just west of town and the entire area was rather unpopulated, unlike now which is wall to wall houses for miles in any direction. One morning I was out looking to shoot something and a black bird landed on the power line going into the house. I aimed at it and sure enough, hit the power line right under where the bird was perched. The bird flew off but there was a perfect "U" in the line where the bullet hit. I have always suspected that had the round been a long rifle, the power line would have come down. The "U" was still there a few years later when I went back to visit the folks that then lived there.

Another time I was out on a very cold morning with that 74, temperatures in the teens, and a bunny took off so I chased it with a couple of shots. I only fired a couple of shots because all of a sudden my right eye was all watery. What the heck??? I wiped my eye and proceeded to see if I could roust out the bunny. A bunny took off, maybe the same one or another one, didn't really care but chased it also with a couple of shots before I could not see again because of a watery eye. DOUBLE WHAT THE HECK??? After a bit of thought it dawned on me that the rearward movement of the bolt was pushing a small amount of air out the back of the receiver and into my eye, and with the air temp being quite cold, it was making my eye water. The next time I went out under those condition I wore my Raybans, which I still have and use regularly, and had no problem whatsoever with watery eyes.

I no longer have that 74 but have one in LR which will be among the last to go away. Although mine is no where near as accurate as the ones you folks have, it will do 10 shot in an inch and a half or so at 25 yards, most of them under an inch but always a couple or three sneaking out of the group, with the 1990s Wildcat ammunition. It absolutely will NOT feed any type of round that has a ledge,(think semi-wadcutter shoulder with a round nose) but the traditional RN configuration runs like a top.

Love that old rifle!

 

Back in 1964 I bought a 74 Shorts only. At that time these rifles were, more or less, a dime a dozen. No body really wanted them because they were kind of "old school".

We lived on a farm just west of town and the entire area was rather unpopulated, unlike now which is wall to wall houses for miles in any direction. One morning I was out looking to shoot something and a black bird landed on the power line going into the house. I aimed at it and sure enough, hit the power line right under where the bird was perched. The bird flew off but there was a perfect "U" in the line where the bullet hit. I have always suspected that had the round been a long rifle, the power line would have come down. The "U" was still there a few years later when I went back to visit the folks that then lived there.

Another time I was out on a very cold morning with that 74, temperatures in the teens, and a bunny took off so I chased it with a couple of shots. I only fired a couple of shots because all of a sudden my right eye was all watery. What the heck??? I wiped my eye and proceeded to see if I could roust out the bunny. A bunny took off, maybe the same one or another one, didn't really care but chased it also with a couple of shots before I could not see again because of a watery eye. DOUBLE WHAT THE HECK??? After a bit of thought it dawned on me that the rearward movement of the bolt was pushing a small amount of air out the back of the receiver and into my eye, and with the air temp being quite cold, it was making my eye water. The next time I went out under those condition I wore my Raybans, which I still have and use regularly, and had no problem whatsoever with watery eyes.

I no longer have that 74 but have one in LR which will be among the last to go away. Although mine is no where near as accurate as the ones you folks have, it will do 10 shot in an inch and a half or so at 25 yards, most of them under an inch but always a couple or three sneaking out of the group, with the 1990s Wildcat ammunition. It absolutely will NOT feed any type of round that has a ledge,(think semi-wadcutter shoulder with a round nose) but the traditional RN configuration runs like a top.

Love that old rifle!

I discovered the blow back by over oiling, got an eye full of oil.

 

My father bought mine for my mother in 1947 (six years before I came along). She shot it very well, but didn’t really care about shooting anything. When I was nine it became mine. For the first two years my father kept the magazine tube rod making it an auto single shot. After he felt I had some responsible experience I got to shoot it semi auto. I never was attracted to the 74’s looks but to this day I shoot it better than any other rimfire i own. My friends kind of decided it looked like a pellet gun and made fun of me until we shot for dimes or quarters and I’d take their money. Lost track of the squirrels and rabbits I took with it long ago. I was also a terror on frozen Brussel sprouts stolen from mom’s freezer. I could vaporize them from 25-75 yards (kept me from having to eat them).

 

Great story,thanks for sharing..... the brussel sprouts part had me laughing.

 

Noce rifle from back in the day!!!
Odd as it may be, I handled and cleaned the only Model 74 that I've ever seen a few weeks ago. It belonged to the father-in-law of a friend and he wanted it cleaned. As with the OP rifle it dates to 1941 and I've only seen a few rifle bores that were as nice as this one after a single dry patch was pushed through. I could hardly believe the bore scope! His rifle is missing the rear sight elevator but I'll come up with one for him.

 

Interesting rifles, often can be had reasonable.Brits purchased many for training purposes.

 

They are fun rifles. Picked up a first year 22 short a few weeks ago. That was the first one i have seen in a while. After i got that one, it seemed like every shop i walked into had an overpriced lr in the rack. Was just banging steel with cb shorts

 

You're not kidding! I've seen them locally for well over $400. Not pristine but not gross.

 

Here's the set of 7 photos from the British Imperial War Museum showing the receipt & unpackaging of "Lease-Lend" Model 74 rifles:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486113

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486114

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486115

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205403313

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486116

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205198290

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205403312

Also, just for fun, here's one of the photos colorized (yes, the rifle boxes should be much more colorful, and the Winchester logos on the crates should be bright red!):

 

Here's the set of 7 photos from the British Imperial War Museum showing the receipt & unpackaging of "Lease-Lend" Model 74 rifles:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486113

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486114

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486115

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205403313

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205486116

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205198290

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205403312

Also, just for fun, here's one of the photos colorized:

Neat pictures. I screen shot them so they can be viewed without having to click the links.

 

I was at the Imperial War Museum in 1978. Really cool place to visit. I've handled a few .22LR 74's for cleaning, and repaired some minor problem on a couple. The only one I ever owned was a .22
Short. It was really a sweet rifle in near mint condition. All the older Winchesters were very well made compared to some guns now days.

 

This one’s been in the family for at least 65 years. It’s been drilled and tapped and has worn a scope of some sort as far back as I can remember. It was mainly a critter getter so nobody ever second thought d and t at the time. A few years ago I replaced some springs and the magazine throat as it had started jamming fairly frequently. Hard to imagine the lead wearing down the steel enough to cause issues but over many years it had happened. She’s back and functions flawless now and still a great shooter

 

My 74 from 1954 is a pretty nice example...with a period Weaver K4-C3.

 

I have owned three model 74s. They get funny looks at the gun club, but then folks see what accuracy they are capable of with just regular ammo and I end up going home with $$ instead of my rifle.

I had one targeted on the auction sight last week, but let it go to another bidder when my wife asked me to find her a cabin gun that she could carry when walking in the woods. So my $$ went for a walk about gun for her...I'll keep my eyes open for another 74...