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Posted By: 338reddog Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
I was able to pick up a last year Winchester 63 grooved receiver a few weeks back. I used to have a mo grooved years ago that I let get away.
Afler handling this svelte little gun it makes a 10/22 feel like a club. Will be fun to shoot along side my old 74 and 55. A Winchester auto day.
Anyways wondering if I should only shoot standard ammunition out of it? I used to have a lot of vintage ammunition and just used that.
Will get some pictures up soon.
Posted By: Godogs57 Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
Inherited a 1958 model 63 from my uncle. He never shot it….just stayed in the corner of his closet. He was an ag teacher in high school then and Winchester gave deals at dealer cost to those teachers. So, he shrugged his shoulders and bought one he told me. It’s 99%. Have its original hang tags and owners manual. But no box.

Love shooting that little devil! Well made gun. Throw any 22LR in the tube…it’ll shoot em.
Posted By: 338reddog Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
Neat story
Can wait to run this one. Very clean inside with some wear on the outside.
Posted By: Certifiable Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
They are awesome rifles to be sure. Fit and finish is superb and quality you can just feel.

I have to/hate to disagree with Godogs a bit tho as the 63 was designed to shoot the higher velocity super X ammo.

Some will function reliably with standard velocity ammo but some will certainly not

The Winchester super X ammo is easily available now but a while back during the shortages it was very hard to come by. I have found mini mags cycle perfectly in mine as a substitute
Posted By: bsa1917hunter Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
Originally Posted by 338reddog
I was able to pick up a last year Winchester 63 grooved receiver a few weeks back. I used to have a mo grooved years ago that I let get away.
Afler handling this svelte little gun it makes a 10/22 feel like a club. Will be fun to shoot along side my old 74 and 55. A Winchester auto day.
Anyways wondering if I should only shoot standard ammunition out of it? I used to have a lot of vintage ammunition and just used that.
Will get some pictures up soon.


I look forward to the pics. Thanks!!
Posted By: VarmintGuy Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
338reddog: I have owned several Winchester Model 63's but decades ago I traded them off and turned the funds into pre-64 Model 70's.
The couple I shot used the top of the line (back then) Hunting type hollow-points with no perceived problems!
I am NOT sure about todays "extra high" velocity 22 L.R. munitions.
I also owned a couple of Winchester Model 55's (the 22 L.R. single shots - not the lever guns) - one I owned as a teenager and bonked many a Starling with it.
For those not familiar with the Winchester Model 55 in 22 L.R. it was advertised as a "single-shot automatic" in other words it quickly fired one shot before needing to be reloaded.
My Model 55 was very accurate.
Enjoy those nifty Winchesters.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
Posted By: 338reddog Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
Originally Posted by VarmintGuy
338reddog: I have owned several Winchester Model 63's but decades ago I traded them off and turned the funds into pre-64 Model 70's.
The couple I shot used the top of the line (back then) Hunting type hollow-points with no perceived problems!
I am NOT sure about todays "extra high" velocity 22 L.R. munitions.
I also owned a couple of Winchester Model 55's (the 22 L.R. single shots - not the lever guns) - one I owned as a teenager and bonked many a Starling with it.
For those not familiar with the Winchester Model 55 in 22 L.R. it was advertised as a "single-shot automatic" in other words it quickly fired one shot before needing to be reloaded.
My Model 55 was very accurate.
Enjoy those nifty Winchesters.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
55’s tend to be accurate in my small sample of 4.
It was the gun that my Dad had as a kid and adult. My brothers and I all learned to shoot using his 55.
He always had planned on getting each of us boys one although never happened. I have found a few over the years. When Dad passed one brother took Dads and I presented the other brother with one. So all of us boys now have one and I have a couple to pass to my grandkids.
I remember taking the 55 to a turkey shoot. They had clay pigeons set at a 100 yards and required iron sights. They asked what I was shooting and they did not seem interested. I fired my first shot, the spotter says 7 oclock 1/4 “ off the edge. My next shot broke the pigeon, he yelled do it again. 3 more shots, 3 more broken clays. They all gathered around checking out the strange single shot auto.
Not sure how I got that lucky and doubt I could do it again.
I love the 55, strange as it is.
Posted By: 338reddog Re: Winchester 63 - 03/21/24
Here are some Winchester 22 Auto’s
From the bottom original finish 63,55,74. The other two, a 55 and 77 tube feed. The 77 needs a front sight and a inner magazine tube. And the upper 55 needs some stock finish.
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
The 63 did not come with the weaver (J4,?) the gun has a few spots on the barrel. The 55 and 74 are really nice guns. I bought the 63 for $650 a few weeks ago. Last day of the show. The tag said $850 IIRC. The 74 I paid $350 ( probably too much)for it in 2018 and its the cleanest example I’ve seen in person. The 55 is very clean I bought it in the 90’s for $125. I wouldn’t sell it for less that 3x that now.
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