Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester model 320

Lay it one me. The good bad and ugly... I found a nice example the other day. Priced at $399.99. Some say that is a good deal. Maybe not the best deal, but fair. I really like the looks of it, as it does remind me of the model 70.




I'd post pics, but it looks like most 320's. But with the addition of another sling attachment point. So it has a sling stud plus a sling swivel on the forend. The rifle also used to have a rear aperture, as a small amount of wood was relieved for that on the left hand side of the stock at the rear of the receiver. It also has a front aperture lyman globe type sight. Not a huge one, but one that measures around 7/16" or less.. The rifle is in good condition, with a few scratches on the stock. Metal, bluing and bore condition are flawless. With this rifle being set up as a faux target rifle, I'd expect that it probably shot very well. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!!!

Winchester 320s are great rifles and $400 seems like a fair price to me. Don't lose the magazine! The magazines are expensive because they are the same as the magazine that Kimber of Oregon used in their Model 84s in .22 LR.

I have 2 of them, D64xx and D177xx, that I bought in 2017 and 2023 for $333 and $408 respectively.

IMO they are the 2nd best Winchester brand .22 sporters, not as good as the 52s, but better than all of the others.

Thanks 260Remguy. I appreciate your input.. A little off topic, but since you mentioned "others": I have handled some 69's, and like the 320 better, at first glance. Even though some say the 69 has the same action as the Winchester 75. Yesterday as I was shooting my new to me 52 sporter reproduction, I was thinking that 320 would be better in some ways, as I would not have to worry as much about it!! There is some utility there IMHO. I know if I scratched my 52 sporter while jackrabbit hunting or squirrel hunting, I'd be pretty mad at myself!!

I was thinking of the 69, 72, and 75 sporters.

I might rebarrel one of my 320s to 17HM2. I bought an extra stock awhile back, so I can convert it back to its original factory configuration if I want to at some point in the future.

Yep, I figured you were. I've had a few 69's and 75's in hand, but I've always liked the 52 much better. The 52 seemed to be much more robust. I like that extra rigidity in the receiver/action. Cool if you made that 320 of yours into a 17HM2. I was reading a thread, somewhere where someone else did that. May have been on rimfirecentral..

I was also reading where the 320 shoots on par with the CZ's as well. That got me a little intrigued, but the basic shape and design of the 320 is what's most appealing. Thanks again for the input!

I've never seen a M320... Nice looking rifle.

Well, if you've never had one in your hands, that is a damn good sign they are quality!!! ha ha.. Never worked on one? Hmm..

The same shop had 3 CZ's next to it. The lux model under the 320 is a new one they had today. They were wanting $349.99 for it.

The reason why that CZ underneath the m320 is priced cheaper is because it's not even a 452.

It is a CZ- 513 "Basic" or Farmer model. It has a simplified trigger mechanism ,no checkering on the stock and much more simple sights (like the 452 Scout)

https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-513-basic/

BTW, that Winchester m320 looks a lot cleaner than most I have seen.

Right on the money jk16. I had to research the CZ, but you are right. It is a 513. I had never heard of one, until today. I looked on rimfirecentral and those guys said it has a crappy trigger. Kind of an economy CZ, if you will. Probably a great kids gun though.

I have the single shot version of the Win 320...a Win 310. I like it a great deal, both the design and its performance.

My 310 shoots well, making 5-shot groups of CCI standard velocity bullets in well under 0.7" at 50 yards. It has a nice trigger, and is built well. I am very happy with it, and consider it in the category of: "high-quality, classic 22 LR bolt action rifles."

I own (or have owned) a smattering of "good" (to me) 22 bolt action rifles: Rem 37, 510, 511, 521, 540xr and 580, Win 52c, 69a, 75, Marlin 880 SQ "Squirrel gun", CZ 452 American and an Anschutz 1411. My Win 310 ranks right up there with them, along with having one of the better triggers of the rifles mentioned. I still have the Win 310, CZ 452 American and the Anschutz 1411, if that tells you anything.

The Win 320 you described has two significant modifications that detracts from value: additional sling swing stud, and wood removed for the receiver sight. The replacement globe front sight, while "nice" , is not original. It may provide a higher than normal front sight position, that may be outside the rear open sight's adjustment range-making the sighting system out of whack, shooting lower than can be compensated (but maybe not). "Unuseable sights" may be a harsh term, but may be appropriate (or close enough) This would be another negotiating point for a lower price.

With those cited modifications, I would think $350 would be more appropriate. I would use those modifications as negotiating points to justify a lower price. Even if the rifle included the receiver sight, the stock modification hurts the value. Ask the seller if he has the receiver sight. If so, include it for the asked $400 (it's odd they left the front globe sight on, but not the receiver sight. He may be trying to sell it separately (for more $). That being written, the Win 310/320 rifles are VERY nice. The one your looking at sounds like it has a great bore and bluing, which is the most important thing.

Good luck with your buying decision, and price negotiation.

Yes, my Kimber of Oregon 82 mags can be used in the Win. 320. I believe that Jack Warne who with son Greg started Kimber of Oregon also designed or otherwise had something to do with the 320s and 310s. Great guns.

Another great old Win. 22 is the 490 lever action.

Great info guys. I appreciate it!! I guess I should explain that I'm not buying it because it's a collectors piece, and 100% original, because we all know it isn't. It's a great little rifle for what it is. A very seldom seen sleek little rifle, that reminded me of the model 70 (which I love). It also may have been built the year I was born. I also bought this because it will fit in well with my other misfit rifles. ha ha.. and because I'm on a 22lr kick right now.

I also already pointed out all the items that are not original, as buttstock reiterated in his post. However, some of these mods make it more appealing to me, hence the reason I bought it: I moved the sling stud, so I can use my bi-pod with it, and then installed matching sling swivels. It had a stud in the butt end. This may change to all sling studs, in the future, but I'm not sure about that. But for now, I'm happy it has the extra sling stud on the forend, as that is my preferred method of attaching my Harris bi-pod. It's also a shame that a small bit of wood was removed to allow for the rear aperture. Upon asking the shop if they had the rear aperture, the young guy looked at me like i was smoking crack. Keeping in mind, this shop has young kids working there, and they don't know a lot about these older rifles, like we do here. I am very sure that the guy that brought it in, pulled the rear aperture sight off and sold it on ebay. Smart move on his part IMHO. I just filled the 2 holes in the rear with the appropriate filler screws, and will probably find a rear aperture sight down the road. As for right now, it's getting a scope. I am a fan of the globe front sight, and yes I realize that is a detraction from value, it's there and it's going to be more useable than the factory sight, if I decide I ever want to use iron sights. I much prefer aperture sights. A lot of this is dependent on how the rifle shoots though.

We are having a nice little snow storm right now, or I'd probably already have it at the range. This is a users rifle, and it's very reasonably priced for what it is. I like the design, and the smoothness of the action. Cross my fingers on how it's going to shoot, but all indications point to it doing well. Maybe not as well as either of my 52's, but it may surprise me? The bore is very nice looking, and the trigger is not as bad as I was thinking it would be. Set at around 2 3/4 pounds. If it doesn't feel good while shooting it, it may need to be addressed, but as of right now, it doesn't feel bad. She's cleaned up and ready to hunt right now though.

Thanks to all that commented. I'll keep you guys posted on how it shoots.

Is that like the wildcat?

Not sure what the Wildcat is earlybrd. Unless you are talking about the newer semi auto? This is a bolt action 22lr. They only made them from 1971 to 1974. The 320 has the factory 5 round magazine, and some of them were made in Australia, by Omark. It's just as fun researching and learning about these guns, as it is working on them and shooting them. I am trying to find out when my rifle was made right now, but my google fu is not strong today!!! Serial number in the 30xxx range. On the lower part of the receiver it says "Made in Australia" by Omark, or something like that. Had it torn all apart last night, cleaning the hell out of it. Blue loctited some screws, and checking it over real well. I also used some green loctite on the action screw boss, that slides into a dovetail in the barrel. Rifle checks out, now I just need to have a good day to get to the range. Winds are supposed to be 24 to 42 MPH today, so I probably won't go, but if I do, I'll have an excuse if it shoots poorly. ha ha..

Jack Warne in an interview said around 25,000 320’s were made. The actions were made in Australia by sportco and fitted with barrels and stocks supplied from Winchester. When sportco went out of business Jack Warne bought the tooling and as they say the rest is history. Also from my readings they say the Sportco Model 66 magazines will work in the 320.

Thanks J. What year do you think the 30xxx serial # rifles were made? As for the magazines, it's nice because they seem to be pretty easy to find. 5 and 10 round mags.

Here is a good thread talking about the SN’s as you will see there is no rhyme or reason to the SN’s. For a total production of 25,000 for both the 320 and 310 there are sn into the 65xxx range. I don’t think Winchester would have DOM because we can assume these actions never made it into Winchester polishing room. As you know all of the best DOM records were from the polishing room at New Haven. Also you will see conflicting stories. Some say the actions were shipped to Winchester , Winchester completed them at New Haven and some say the rifles were built in Australia using Winchester supplied barrels and stocks. What I posted earlier about being made in Australia seems to be the consensus. Good luck on your search on the DOM.

https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-22-rim-fire/model-320/

Thanks J. Yeah, I already read that. Funny how Bert Hartman reacts to some of those posters. He probably couldn't even tell me when the dang thing was produced. I hear you on the serial #'s not making any rhyme or reason. For only 25,000 rifles made, I don't see how they could have #'s over that. That's the problem I was having. You are also right, Winchester does not list the 320 serial numbers and DOM's for these rifles. It's all interesting though. Thanks again..

I had to look at my Win 310 after reading this thread. Looking forward to shooting it more now that I am retired. It still looks and feels good. FWIW , the serial number is 46,xxx. In have a Weaver El Paso 4x scope on it which has a 1 MOA dot on it. It obviously covers 1/2" at 50 yards, and often times, the dot covers a 5-shot group at that distance. It is a great squirrel gun. It does not feel like a toy when you handle it.

Enjoy your new purchase. Maybe you can find a replacement receiver sight to fill the spot on your stock. You will enjoy shooting it.