Winchester 69A - New Project

[Gunor]

Just to show off my new toy....

Win 69a

Cleaned and oiled the action and barrel - metal is really in good condition.

Barrel is really really nice.

Wood needs to be stripped and redone.

Haven't decided if an oil finish or a poly Urth....

Scope - BSA $25 version - probably fine, but will not do that again.

I'll try it tomorrow.

101417

101416

101418

Missing the rear sight Lyman 57 - anybody have some extra parts?

Also, the buttplate - was it replaced or shrink after 55+ years?

Geoff in Oregon

[richhodg66]

I have a 72A which (I think( is just a tube fed version of the same rifle. Nice little rifle. That very short action really limits the fore and aft positioning of a scope, though. Tough to get the correct eye relief or at least it was for me.

[enfieldphile]

Gunor,

Very nice score! Well done. Is that a factory grooved receiver? Grooved receiver 69A's are kinda rare, very desirable.

Get that Lyman sight here. Gary is slow to ship, but has nice product. he often has more items (new & used) then are on his page.

http://www.garyfellers.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=8eJM9ZxtVYE%3d&tabid=1937

The sights also show up on ebay fairly often.

Do an oil finish on that Winchester!

For a buttplate, google Outback Gun Parts Wendell is nice to deal with. They also have both original and re-pop magazines. The re-pop mags are high quality, US-made, from original tooling, NOT Chinese junk! I got 2 of the re-pop mags for my Winchester 75-T (same action as the 69A), they work perfect.

[Gunor]

It is a grooved receiver. I have a 75 also and a few magazines gathered over the years.

So I'll strip the wood - kind of uneven finish now - no big dings.

Like I said the bore is excellent, I don't think many rounds went down the tube. The bluing is that nice in the photo's - amazing for used gun that is 55+.

Rear Lyman sight - probably just wait some parts to show up on ebay, maybe.....

Bolt handle is loose - either wicking Locitite or find a local guy that can tig that small. Not that bad.

Noticed that the bottom metal on both 69 and 75 has a lot different patina then the action and barrel.

Geoff in Oregon

[quack1]

The bolt handles were simply staked on. A couple center punch craters where the handle meets the bolt will tighten it.

[enfieldphile]

I have a 72A which (I think( is just a tube fed version of the same rifle. Nice little rifle. That very short action really limits the fore and aft positioning of a scope, though. Tough to get the correct eye relief or at least it was for me.

NOT trying to: :hijack: But richhodg66 brings up a very valid point! The short actions and short top-slot in most rimfire bolt actions can mean scope mounting can be very dodgy! All to often a ring is pushed (or almost) up against a power ring or scope center section.

Using the Ruger recommended Weaver bases, this Weaver CKT15 15X (Japan) just wasn't back far enough. I had to find a Multi-slot scope base solution. Look below. Eye-relief is good now.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Ruger%20AAR/RugerAARe_zpse0273d0b.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/RAR%20II/RARscopebasec_zpsbe07c8b4.jpg

I picked the 75-T up @ a gun show 2 weekends ago. it's complete w/ original sights, sling swivels, magazine. A trigger shoe has been added and Lyman scope blocks had been installed on the barrel. The dealer said he got it from an older gentleman who had bought it new in 1947! The serial # checks out to 1947. My Winchester 75-T is not grooved, so I slid the elevation arm off the Lyman sight with the push of the spring-loaded button and slid an Lyman STS 15X onto the barrel-mounted scope blocks. ;-)

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75b_zps425944ff.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75j_zps255f6ff0.jpg

The bottom metal on my 75 also has a different patina then the action and barrel. The action and barrel blueing is about 90 + %. The bottom metal looked rather dingy. The steel is obviously much different grade of steel. I'm told sweaty palms would interact w/ the bottom metal (especially in target shooting) and cause that look. Apparently, it is common to that series rifle. I polished the bottom metal up w/ 600 grit paper and cold blued it.

[35remington]

FWIW.......the scuffed bright spots on that Ruger AAR synthetic stock can be buffed to match the original texture with O steel wool

[richhodg66]

NOT trying to: :hijack: But richhodg66 brings up a very valid point! The short actions and short top-slot in most rimfire bolt actions can mean scope mounting can be very dodgy! All to often a ring is pushed (or almost) up against a power ring or scope center section.

Using the Ruger recommended Weaver bases, this Weaver CKT15 15X (Japan) just wasn't back far enough. I had to find a Multi-slot scope base solution. Look below. Eye-relief is good now.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Ruger%20AAR/RugerAARe_zpse0273d0b.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/RAR%20II/RARscopebasec_zpsbe07c8b4.jpg

I picked the 75-T up @ a gun show 2 weekends ago. it's complete w/ original sights, sling swivels, magazine. A trigger shoe has been added and Lyman scope blocks had been installed on the barrel. The dealer said he got it from an older gentleman who had bought it new in 1947! The serial # checks out to 1947. My Winchester 75-T is not grooved, so I slid the elevation arm off the Lyman sight with the push of the spring-loaded button and slid an Lyman STS 15X onto the barrel-mounted scope blocks. ;-)

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75b_zps425944ff.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75j_zps255f6ff0.jpg

The bottom metal on my 75 also has a different patina then the action and barrel. The action and barrel blueing is about 90 + %. The bottom metal looked rather dingy. The steel is obviously much different grade of steel. I'm told sweaty palms would interact w/ the bottom metal (especially in target shooting) and cause that look. Apparently, it is common to that series rifle. I polished the bottom metal up w/ 600 grit paper and cold blued it.

I never really had this problem with other rimfires, but those 69A and 72As have very short actions (which is part of their appeal).

The older Remington bolt action I have was easy and is also a good shooter, just not as appealing to me as the Winchester.

[pietro]

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I mounted a vintage scope on my grooved 69A:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/211/dscn1052l.jpg


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[HABCAN]

I traded-in my Cooey repeater for a 69A in the late forties, but had to get it drilled and tapped for an appropriate Weaver side mount which held first a Weaver B4 from the Cooey and then a NEW Weaver G6. Them were the days when blued steel and walnut were QUALITY. Sitting with sling, that rifle would group all shots touching at sight-in zero distance of 85 yds. (I still have the target!)with CIL 'Whiz-Bang' HVHPs, and went on to slay myriad groundhogs, etc.

[Gunor]

Pietro,

What kind of scope?

101556

I did strip the stock yesterday and used Watco for a finish. It looks nice, and again I am amazed by the metal and wood condition.

I did shoot 5 rounds, but it was raining and blow here, on the north coast of Oregon. Leopold Boresight works well.

BSA scope, works for $30, but would like some optically nicer. Pietro scope looks cool and probably correct - but I would like a modern quality scope.....

Geoff in Oregon

[enfieldphile]

The wind was tolerable today, at long last! Unfortunately, I only had a short time to spend w/ the 75-T. The 3-gun match took longer then expected.

Wind was unusually light for here, 5-8 MPH w/ few gusts.
44 degrees
Eley Edge ammo
50 yards
Lyman STS 15X

I have not attempted to adjust the trigger yet. The previous owner had put on a trigger shoe. the shoe is in place still. The trigger is crisp. I have not measured the pull weight as of yet. I think it's set @ 3#, per the old rule.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75k_zpse839c5e5.jpg
5 shots @ 50 yards
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75l_zpsa22badc3.jpg
5 shots @ 50 yards
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75n_zpsa9bbbaf8.jpg
5 shots @ 50 yards
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75m_zpsd9bda86b.jpg
5 shots @ 50 yards
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75o_zps2990afaa.jpg
10 shots @ 50 yards
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Winchester%2075/Win75p_zps5115ea5b.jpg

[olafhardt]

The trigger is easily adjustable with a screw driver. Those guns are also great squirrel rifles. They don't seem to cost to much when I see them.

[pietro]

Pietro,

What kind of scope?



Weaver C-4 RF scope - but there's plenty of applicable different vintage Weaver scopes: Any of the
J" series (J2.5, J4), "B" series (B4, B6, etc), "C" series (C4, C6) or "V" series (2-7x V22).



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