Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester Model 61s and modern ammunition?

I've never once heard of any .22 LR having an issue with the available LR stuff. They might not be as accurate or feed those slightly longer hotter CCI's. I feed my 61 just plain hv 36 grain Winchester hollow points and if anything, I think a 61 is pretty stout compared with some of the cheaper rifles out there. I've had a few flatter nose hp loads want to hang up going up into the chamber, but they function fine once they get there. Solids might feed better, but those hps really wreck a red squirrel and that is mostly what I shoot.

That's a good question. One has to be cognizant that HV ammo didn't come into being until the late 20's/early 30's. At that point arms makers scrambled to make sure their guns were safe with it, and effect any changes in metallurgy if warranted. Colt made some changes in their Woodsman at that time, for example.

I know not about 61's specifically but if I owned a pre-1930-ish .22 repeater I too would ask (or more likely do a bit of personal research) on the subject.

Another aspect of the question: What are SAAMI pressure specs for regular/HV/hyper velocity .22 rimfire ammo? I never bothered checking that out as I only shoot standard vel and match ammo in my guns. It's been years since I bought any HV stuff. (And yes I hunt with standard vel and match ammo and notice that small game gets dead just the same.)

I only shoot standard velocity ammo in my 22’s.

Nowadays, I shoot CCI SV in all my .22s, rifles and handguns because it's generally accurate in everything and functions reliably in semi-autos. However, I used a good bit of HV ammo in my Model 61 in years past without problem. My rifle was made in the late '40s, maybe early '50s. High velocity ammo had been around a good while by then.

Introduced in 1932, its lockup is stronger enough to handle HV ammo. I don't use it in mine to avoid battering the gun.

I read an article on the 9422 that said the lockup on it was copied from the 61, that the 9422 was essentially a lever action 61! Don't know if that was accurate, but my 61M handles all the .22 WRM that I've fed it for 40 years just fine. Accuracy is a sometime thing with the light bullets though. Likes 40 gr.

9422M was made in .17 and .22 WRM, so it has a relatively strong lockup, too. Just sayin'.

I love the Winchester pump guns , now.

There was time when I was much younger and allI had to shoot was a borrowed 1890 in .22 "Special". Couldn't wait to get a bolt gun.

Now the pumps each my eye and wallet. The 61 is a sturdy design and the 61 .22 Mag . was beefed up a little more.

Never had any trouble with any of them. However, like most here I ain't shooting Stingers in 'em.

I grew up with a 62A as my first .22 and enjoyed watching the action cycle looking down through the top of the receiver. The down side was a side mounted 3/4” Weaver scope that it came with, but as a ten year old, I was in no position to quibble. I always wanted a side ejecting 61 and found one at a collector show. A great walking around .22 with the iron sight, but a little less so with a scope. I could never get the trigger pull adjusted down to what I wanted, so alas it no longer is my preferred .22 LR. well made little pump gun that it is. If I had a need for the hyper velocity .22’s, that I would just opt for a .22 magnum.

Never had any issues with ammo in any of the M/61's that I've owned, though like others I shoot almost exclusively CCI Standard Velocity ammo now.