Winchester Model 06 Rifle

[Sergeant Duroc]

So I was talking to a friend today about his garden and he showed me what he used to keep the rabbits out.  It was a Winchester Model 06 pump 22 cal rifle.  That was about all I could make out on the gun other than I know it shoots longs and shorts.  It is rougher than a cob.  I told my friend I had access to countless expert gunsmiths across the country- YOU.  He would really like to consider having it refinished.  It functions perfectly.  It is just plain rough.  According to my buddy, it was carried around in the cab of a cement truck for decades.  Not sure what kind of trouble they were expecting:)

 

Who could make this look like a treasure?

[Sergeant Duroc]

Just now, Sergeant Duroc said:

So I was talking to a friend today about his garden and he showed me what he used to keep the rabbits out.  It was a Winchester Model 06 pump 22 cal rifle.  That was about all I could make out on the gun other than I know it shoots longs and shorts.  It is rougher than a cob.  I told my friend I had access to countless expert gunsmiths across the country- YOU.  He would really like to consider having it refinished.  It functions perfectly.  It is just plain rough.  According to my buddy, it was carried around in the cab of a cement truck for decades.  Not sure what kind of trouble they were expecting:)

 

Who could make this look like a treasure?

Oh, and is it worth making it look like a treasure?

[Choctaw Jack]

I've  got one in the same condition.Used in a slaughterhouse for years. Functions  well and is very accurate. Very rough,buttstock broken and repaired(badly)at the wrist.A gunsmith friend of mine thought it was worth as much in its present condition as it would be reconditioned.

The grand sons love to shoot it as is.

Think I'll  leave it alone.

[Captain Clark]

They can be tack drivers, mine is. My 1st gun my dad bought me when I was very young 55+ years ago. They will function with Long rifle, Longs and Shorts equally well. 

Turnbull comes to mind if your friend wants it to be like it came out of the Winchester factory, and their value has been steadily climbing for decades! 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Either Turnbull out of Connecticut or Lonnie at Run-N-Iron in Nebraska.

 

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/restoration-services/

 

http://www.runniron.com/restoration/index.html

 

Either will be pretty expensive, but they can go all the way to making it look better than factory new if you want.

 

A restored gun is rarely worth half of an undamaged, unworn gun.   Collectors are rarely interested in them.  If there is a TON of family sentiment wrapped up in it, a full restore may be the way to go.   A "make it function well" job would be much cheaper, and many folks go that way, especially with a .22 gun.

 

Good luck, GJ

[Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439]

17 hours ago, Sergeant Duroc said:

Oh, and is it worth making it look like a treasure?

Perhaps to his friend?  Your “trash” is his “treasure”, to paraphrase someone’s famous saying. Is it worth restoring from a collectors standpoint probably not but if that person values it and is willing to pay for the restoration, applaud him for doing it, or are you asking and not commenting? Perhaps I interpreted your post as a comment and not an innocent question. If question, my apologies. 

[Sergeant Duroc]

On 6/30/2019 at 1:51 PM, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

Perhaps to his friend?  Your “trash” is his “treasure”, to paraphrase someone’s famous saying. Is it worth restoring from a collectors standpoint probably not but if that person values it and is willing to pay for the restoration, applaud him for doing it, or are you asking and not commenting? Perhaps I interpreted your post as a comment and not an innocent question. If question, my apologies. 

Yes, I was asking a question rather than making a comment.  Personally, I would love to see him restore it, but I can guarantee he will ask for the pro/con to doing so.  I want to give him a straight answer, thus I reached out to the wire... 

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:50 PM, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

A restored gun is rarely worth half of an undamaged, unworn gun.   Collectors are rarely interested in them. 

 

On 6/30/2019 at 2:51 PM, Nimble Fingers SASS# 25439 said:

Is it worth restoring from a collectors standpoint probably not

 

Howdy

 

I have been away for a few days, but I wanted to chime in on this thread. Why is it so many shooters on this Wire think that 'collectors' are only interested in pristine versions of high value guns? I am a collector. Yes, I do have some pristine versions of high value guns. But I have far more that are shooter grade. When I want a specimen of an old firearm to add to my collection, more often than not I will grab an old one in good mechanical condition, but often the finish will be old and worn. That is what makes them affordable. And I will shoot them. As opposed to the few that I have that are high condition and don't get shot much. And I am not opposed to buying an old firearm that has been refinished to make it look like new, as long as it was a professional job. Refinished old firearms are great because they are much less expensive than a high finish model, and usually less expensive than an old firearm with a worn original finish.

 

There, I got that off my chest.

 

 

 

The Winchester Model 1906 was a further development of the Winchester Model 1890. John Browning patented what would become the Model 1890 in 1887, but production did not begin until 1890, hence the name. The Model 1890 was the first pump action repeating rifle that Winchester manufactured. They were immensely popular, production finally petered out around 1937 and the last ones were assembled in 1941. Close to 850,000 Model 1890s were produced by the time production stopped. They were very popular rifles for shooting galleries, and because of that many of them are pretty much shot out these days. Yes, you can shoot out a 22. Although Browning's original patent provided a feature that would make the Model 1890 able to digest 22 Short, 22 Long, and 22 Long Rifle ammunition interchangeably, most of them were cartridge specific and could not fire the other cartridges interchangeably. The most common chambering was 22 Short. Next most popular was 22 W.R.F. Then 22 Long, and the least common chambering was 22 Long Rifle. Winchester experimented with centerfire versions of the Model 1890, but the locking mechanism was not up to the job.

 

This Third Model 1890 is chambered for 22 Long Rifle. It left the factory in 1928. Barrels for the Model 1890 were almost always octagonal, and usually 24 Inches long. The Model 1890 1st Model was not a take down rifle, but the 2nd and 3rd Model were. Notice the large thumb screw above the trigger. The straight wrist and crescent shaped buttstock are also typical of the Model 1890, although there were different variations available on custom order. This one has not been shot out, but it is no longer capable of the pin point accuracy it left the factory with.

 

 

 

 

 

By 1905 Winchester decided a 22 pump rifle was needed that would be more of a boy's rifle. The Model 1906 featured the same style action as the Model 1890, and they were all take down models. The very first Model 1906s were only available chambered for 22 Short, but after Serial Number 70,000 all could accept 22 Short, 22 Long, or 22 Long Rifle interchangeably. Only 20" round barrels were offered. The crescent shaped butt plate was replaced with a straight plastic butt plate. Because the Model 1906 was offered at a lower price point than the Model 1890, the stock and slide handle were not made of walnut, they were made of a less expensive hardwood and stained to look like walnut. Production of the Model 1906 ended in 1935 with a bit over 708,000 made.

 

This is my Dad's Model '06 that he gave me when I was about 15 years old. More on that in a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

This photo compares my Dad's Model '06 with a typical Model 1890. Notice the complete lack of finish on the Model 1890.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At some point the Model 1906 became the Model '06.

 

 

 

 

 

No blue left on the old girl.

 

 

 

 

When my Dad was a boy he told his father that he would like a 22 rifle. My grandfather knew nothing about firearms, but they lived just north of New York City and Pop commuted into the city every day. In those days Abercrombie and Fitch had a ten story building on Madison Avenue. They were a premier sporting goods store, not just the yuppie clothing brand that they are today. There was an entire floor devoted to guns, and there was even a shooting gallery in the basement. So one day Pop went to Abercrombie and Fitch and came home with the little Model '06. Unfortunately, Dad wanted a 22 target rifle and the little '06 was not what he really wanted. But I don't think Dad ever had the heart to tell his father that.

 

Here is a photo of my Dad shooting the little Model '06 on the shore of Katahdin Lake in Maine in 1931. Dad would have been 15 at the time. You can see how he is hunched over to shoot the little rifle. Dig the Knickers. The little gun is still a tackdriver, more accurate than any of my Model 1890s, because Dad probably did not put a whole lot of rounds through it.

 

[Sergeant Duroc]

I really appreciate the time you've taken to share this story/information!  Very cool!