Contents Inside Stock of Winchester Model 61 .22 L. RIFLE Pump SN 10943

Bill Jolliff · 06-22-2018, 04:33 PM

About 10 years ago, I purchased from Randy Shuman of Newville PA, a very high condition Winchester Model 61 pump .22. It is chambered for .22 Long Rifle only so it has the higher optioned octagon barrel. The gun has serial number 10943 which makes it a 1934 production gun.

There was some crud in the checkered pattern of the steel butt plate so I removed it to make it easier to clean.

Inside the draw bolt access hole in the stock was a variety of stuff as pictured below.

And which turned out to be: 3 locks of very fine light brown hair wrapped inside some newspaper and a Series 1935A $1.00 Silver Certificate. I decoded some of the print in the newspaper, specifically, the programming for Thursday July 16th on station KOA. Turns out Thursday July 16 occurred in 1936 (my birth year), KOA was and still is a Denver Colorado radio station and the newspaper was the Denver Post.

Be pretty neat, but highly unlikely, if this triggers a search which results in finding the lad or lassie who originally owned this sweet Winchester .22 pump.

(This Foto Friday submission does not relate to Parker shotguns or any shotguns but thought you might find it interesting.)

OH Osthaus · 06-22-2018, 09:15 PM

small bore - small world

thanks for posting Bill

charlie cleveland · 06-24-2018, 06:11 PM

MIGHTY NEAT...hope the boy got the girl the hair belong too...those little winchesters are really special....in fact i put a box of shells thru my winchester auto today at tin cans gun was rite on but i was nt...charlie

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TroutSetter · 06-24-2018, 11:37 PM

Wish they still offered radio programming like that today... What a neat look back in history!

Phil Yearout · 07-10-2018, 12:51 PM

Those Winny 61's sure are neat little rifles. Mine was given to me by an older brother; many years ago he and my dad were at an auction and didn't know they were bidding against each other on it; drove the price way up to $40.00

!

It was in the "gun cabinet" (the back corner of Dad's closet) forever and somehow I just ended up with it. My bother's not a gun guy; don't really know why he wanted it in the first place. I asked him once if he wanted it back and he just said "nah; you keep it."

todd allen · 07-15-2018, 11:36 AM

Just wondering out loud.
What would a DNA test cost, and is there any chance the results could be used to track the original owner of the hair?
I would think that at the least, ethnicity, and gender could be established.