Got my grandfather's Winchester 67-22

[Schrag4]

My grandfather died over a year ago. He was almost 94, lived a simple, good life. My mom moved into the place shortly after, and inherited his guns. Tonight I was over there helping her with some stuff and afterward we got onto the topic of guns. I knew she still had his 410 and his 22, but I didn't know much about them. Us boys shot the 22 rifle when we were growing up, but it wasn't until recently that I knew much of anything about firearms.

Long story short, my mom asked me if they were safe to shoot. I don't know a whole lot about shotguns, but I told her the 22 should be fine once it's cleaned and lubed. The action is very sticky, gummy - I wonder if it's ever been cleaned. As the title suggests, it's a Winchester 67-22. My task this week when I have a free hour is to learn how to break this rifle down for cleaning.

Any advice?

P.S. I'm actually looking forward to getting this thing in action again. I think it'll be a great training gun for my kids - they can't burn through ammo very fast, and it has a very short length of pull, even if the barrel is a bit long.

[Vinne]

Good to start them off young with gun safety. The time together will always be something to remember.

[Nueces]

That was my first rifle, too. To begin, open the bolt, pull the trigger all the way back and remove the bolt from the action. The integrated action/barrel is attached to the stock by just the one screw in front of the trigger guard. Pull the trigger when replacing the bolt, too. I never went beyond that, but I'm sure YouTube has it all.

[str8shot426]

Like Nueces said, this model is very simple. You won't have any trouble. I have the same rifle. Got my first squirrel with it. Good gun for beginners.

[georgerkahn]

I have a Winchester 67 and a Winchester 67A; these were made in four variants, which you can access from http://winchestercollector.org/ , &/or even search just the model name on your browser. These both epitomize simplicity; the rifles are relatively easy to dismantle. Mine were both closet-guns for 50+ years, each, and I pulled a half-dozen Otis patches wet with Shooters' Choice through mine, followed by dry patches. Then, I did my rudimentary bulge/obstruction "test": I very deliberately and slowly PULL a brush from breech to muzzle. What I look for is a barrel bore section where there is no friction to brush (generally a bulge caused by a .22 being fired into a barrel with a .22 bullet already there), or, where there is a tremendous amount of friction -- generally from severe corrosion/rust. Neither appearing, I followed the brush with some G96 patches; lastly a dry one, and shot away! One last note is I only use lead bullets -- not copper coated -- standard velocity ammo, in any/all of my older .22s. (Note: I'm writing on a "substitute" computer -- mine's in shop -- and if you PM me, I'll take and send photos of my 67 and 67A, should you like, when my (updated) 'puters finds its way back to me).
geo

[Mk42gunner]

Be careful when using a screwdriver on the takedown screw, they are easily marred. The bolt comes out as stated by pulling the trigger to the rear then opening the bolt. The trigger is pinned into the stock so when you lift the barrel out, pull it forward about 3/4" and it will come free.

While there is a safety on the bolt, in my opinion it is more dangerous than not using it. Simply do not cock the striker until you are ready to shoot.

My Dad's Model 67A was the first real gun that I ever shot.

Robert

[Schrag4]

Thanks guys, that sounds super-simple! I'll report back if I have any problems.

FYI, this rifle was not stored in ideal conditions, so at a glance I saw splotches of rust in lots of places, although thankfully not more than surface deep. I'm not looking to make it pristine, I'm really just wanting to clean/lube. I've only ever cleaned relatively new firearms. Is there anything I should keep in mind when cleaning the action, considering there's a bit of rust? I was just going to hit everything with a Hoppes9 and then some Rem Oil, but I'm open to suggestions. I'll find instructions/videos for advice about where to oil before I get started.

georgekahn, thanks for the info. I'll pay close attention to bore friction. Are you suggesting that I not shoot any high-velocity ammo through this gun? I assume that's just to reduce wear, correct?

[Schrag4]

Mk42gunner, I won't go out of my way to damage the gun, but it's not in good shape. It was in a gun cabinet that my grandfather fashioned - a bit of thin plywood hinged to shut over the space between a couple of studs in the garage, with a latch that could be locked on the other end. Obviously this wouldn't be great at keeping moisture out. He was no collector - he never spoke about guns at any length to us, and this rifle and his shotgun were merely used for pest control.

FYI, this was the first real gun I ever shot, too. My grandparents would send my brother and I with this gun down to the creek to shoot at cans. No instruction, no eye/ear protection (I don't remember it being very loud). That was about 25 years ago. It was a very different world back then.

[Mk42gunner]

0000 steel wool and oil will take most rust off and not harm the bluing.

The 67 and 67A were introduced after the advent of high speed .22LR, so I personally don't think there will be any problems shooting anything from .22 Shorts on up in it. Keep it clean and your grandkids' grandkids will be able to use it.

Robert

[georgerkahn]

I'm not an expert on anything. Maybe thirty years back a friend inherited a .22 handgun with a barrel I'd guess to be 9 or 10 inches long. He called it a "Buntline Special". Regardless, he put some copper-jacketed super vel .22s in it, and, well, the gun fractured in his hand. We learned a lot: Jim was definitely not the brightest lamp in the fixture, but we kind of knew that ;). More important and germane is that the power of today's hi-vel .22 ammo is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than that of ammo produced same years as the firearm. And third, say what one wishes about diminutive .22s -- we witnessed a fairly valuable collectors' antique turned into scrap with just the pull of a trigger. Many a conversation (e.g., "bull-") session followed, and it seemed pretty wise to use lo-vel, standard, non-jacketed ammo in older firearms. Again, I am NOT any sort of machinist, gunsmith, or expert on anything! Re the brass-brush-pull-through trick, a *REAL* gunsmith in his 80s at the time gave me that sage advice when I took a 1903 Winchester to him. There's about an inch, six or seven inches up from breech, where the brush free-floats! 'Smith suggested there were probably a half-dozen or so bullets piled up there. He suggested shooting -- again standard velocity lead bullets -- would do no harm. The rest of bore -- before and after bulge -- provided uniform drag to the brush, as a pretty fair suggestion rest of barrel is OK. No obstructions. "Suggestion" is the operative word. A friend pulls a .22 bullet from its case with a pair of pliers, and drives that through with a dowel - perhaps a more definitive way.
Re the "action", I'd get a can of G96 and just liberally spray it. All there is, in the 67, is a spring-loaded striker with a catch that's released to enable rim/primer hit with trigger pull. Nothing at all complicated or fancy. I concur with MK42gunner's observation re the safety. Frankly -- 'specially for a "boy's rifle" -- it seemed a stupid approach... and, potenitally counter-productive! Numrich Arms/Gun Parts Corp has some parts available: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Winchester-33573/Rifles-42602/67-40329.htm?page=1 and there's a nice rundown at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_67
Re "reducing wear" -- that's not the issue. The scary chance of using modern .22 ammo generating more CUP's than the receiver might contain is! I believe this rifle was produced through 1959-60: the 67A version. I don't know the years on the original 67, but I'd suggest the barrel alloys were perhaps not as strong as later year barrels? Using standard velocity lead slugs is exclusively to provide you a safety margin. These ARE nice rifles!
BEST!
geo

[Schrag4]

Thanks, guys. I'll look for standard velocity, non-jacketed ammo.

I watched a youtube video on how to disassemble the gun, and it's pretty straightforward. Here's what I've done so far. It's mostly just in terrible need of cleaning. Most rust that I can see is on the barrel, not on any of the action, which is great news. You'll notice it came with a thumbscrew for the stud screw, so no tools required to get it to this point.

151946
151947

I'll probably have to get back to this tomorrow.

[Schrag4]

I finally got it cleaned, lubed, and put back together last night. While there was a lot of grime, unfortunately what you see on the bolt is mostly rust, although none of it more than surface-deep. The good news is that the bore looks great! I suspect my grandfather was diligent about cleaning the bore from time to time, even if he wasn't diligent about cleaning the rest. I don't know, though.

If nothing else, the gun is back in working order and now I know how to take it apart and put it back together. I've not had any interest in gunsmithing, but perhaps I'll look into what it will take to spiff it up a bit. I mostly view firearms as merely tools, as my grandfather seemingly did. If I were to address it further, it would be with the goal of making the gun last longer.

[txbirdman]

My first gun was also a Model 67 that an uncle had sold to my brother. That 27 inch barrel was a little long for a 10 yr. old but I carried it many miles. Mine became unreliable unless you held the bolt down and forward with the support hand. I shot it that way off and on for years. It sat dormant for decades after I began to acquire more modern firearms until one day I decided to take the gun to an old gun smith in the area to see if it could be fixed. He took one look at the gun; pulled out a sizable mallet and gave it a good whack at the back of the receiver on the side where the bolt handle engaged. It was fixed immediately and works well to this day even though I nearly had a heart attack when he did that.

[Mitch]

Got to love the Oldtimers I think they just loved to see the look on our faces when they did something like get out the BFH for the cure to the problem.the only problem is there are not many of them left nowdays.I sure miss em.

[Skunk1]

Picked up a 67A a few years back. Daughter likes it more than her H&R reg'lar. Lighter for her and a nice long barrel (27"?) that shoots great.

[robg]

its knowing how hard to hit it and where.experence take years

[S. Galbraith]

The Win 67-22 is a great old rifle. My brother and I were each given one from our late uncle and I have a lot of good memories with them. Very accurate, and quiet with that 27" barrel. With subsonic loads it is about as quiet as a suppressed .22lr pistol.


As far as cleaning goes, applying a thin coat of a good CLP like Weapon Shield to the metal will help prevent rust. Once you have removed the bolt, just coat that in a thin layer of CLP and run a soaked patch through the bore after shooting it. CLP will take care of your three requirements......cleaning, lubricating, and rust protectant. However, I do NOT recommend using a steel or bronze bore brush on it........the rifling is micro-grooved and may not hold up to that kind of abrasion. If you must use a brush, use a nylon one with solvent.