Well fellows, I've had a hankerin' for an original Winchester Model 65 Winchester for more than 13 years. When I saw this one in 32 WCF (32-20) come up for auction, I put in a bid and won it. Since money doesn't grow on trees, unlike what my kids think, I had to sell my original 1892 32-20 to help fund this new purchase. Men, she's a beauty. The serial number puts the date of this little rifle at probably 1941 or 1942. The Model 65 was the final variation of the Model 1892 action. It is very rare, with only a total of 5,717 made. The calibers were 25-20, 32-20 and 218 Bee. The 218 Bee is the most common and the 32-20 is the rarest, with only 1,277 ever made. In my opinion, the little Model 65 is described by 'light' and 'elegant'. When I lifted it out of its case two days ago, I was thrilled. It is a beauty and photos simply do not do it justice. The 32-20 cartridge is my favourite small game cartridge. Original loads put a 115 grain bullet out the barrel at 1,225 fps. Today's factory loads are slightly slower. Winchester also put out a High Velocity load for the Model 92, 53 and 65 that sent a 115 grain bullet out the barrel at 1,635 fps. I'll be developing my own loads using a 90 grain cast bullet (might be from a RCBS mould). I haven't had the time to take a nice desktop photo yet, and probably won't until the fall, but here are a couple snapshots I took today. I sized them down a tad for those with slow connections ...
Winchester Model 65, 32-20, made in the 1940's
Down by the Alfalfa field where the Woodchucks hide