Winchester Model 68
Encyclopedia
The Winchester Model 68 was a single-shot
, bolt-action
.22 caliber rimfire rifle
sold from 1934 to 1945 by Winchester Repeating Arms Company
. While almost identical to the slightly cheaper Winchester Model 67
, it offered an aperture
sight
.
, and Mossberg
. In an attempt to win the loyalty of entry-level single-shot rimfire rifle buyers, these companies continuously cut production costs and pared profits down to the bare minimum. Winchester already offered a single-shot rimfire rifle aimed at the competition
market, the Model 60A, but it had failed to win significant market share
due to its relatively high price and was considered a disappointment.
Winchester had already embarked on a program to reduce the production costs of the entry-level Model 60, resulting in the new Model 67, and the design of a similar lower-priced target rifle was a logical next step. As with the Model 60 from which they were derived, the cocking piece at the rear of the bolt had to be manually drawn rearwards to cock the action after closing the bolt, but the new rifles featured a wing-style safety
with more easily visible "SAFE" and "FIRE" indications. The front sight
of the Model 68 was a Model 97A with a removable sheetmetal hood and the rear sight was a Model 96A, featuring a removable disc, which had a smaller aperture better suited for target shooting. With the insert removed, the sight was less accurate but offered more light—making it better for small game hunting
and informal plinking
. Both rifles featured a stock
made of plain uncheckered walnut
with a pistol grip and finger grooves, and both were takedown
designs; the barreled action
was easily removed by turning a screw under the stock using a penny.
Production changes to the Model 68 generally paralleled the Model 67. The finger grooves in the stock were omitted starting in mid-1935, the bolt retaining spring was eliminated in August 1937, and the sear and extractor were modified in January 1938 to throw ejected cases farther when the bolt was opened. An optional .22 WRF chambering was added in April 1938, somewhat later than its 1935 introduction on the Model 67.
Winchester-branded telescopic sight
s were first offered in 1937. Options were a 2¾-power scope with crosshairs or a vertical aiming post and a 5-power scope with crosshairs. Open sights were retained; the scopes were boxed separately and attached to integral bases on the barrel by the rifle's buyer. The telescopic-sight options were discontinued in 1939.
In August 1943, Winchester management decided to offer the same peep sights used on the Model 68 as options for the Model 67, effectively rendering the Model 68 redundant, although it was curiously not formally discontinued until September 1944. Sales from inventory continued into 1945 and the rifle was listed in the 1946 price list although stocks had already been depleted. Approximately 98,496 to 100,730 Model 68s were produced. The Model 68 was never produced with serial number
s, which were not required on American firearms prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968
.
Prices of the Model 68 on today's collector market are comparable to the Model 67, but the relatively rare .22 WRF chambering triples the values of the rifle, a larger premium than the same chambering commands on the Model 67.
Single-shot
Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded after each shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, and many centuries passed before multi-shot designs became commonplace...
, bolt-action
Bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon...
.22 caliber rimfire rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
sold from 1934 to 1945 by Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
. While almost identical to the slightly cheaper Winchester Model 67
Winchester Model 67
The Winchester Model 67 was a single-shot, bolt-action .22 caliber rimfire rifle sold from 1934 to 1963 by Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Based on the earlier Model 60, the Model 67 was the mainstay of Winchester's inexpensive single-shot rifle lineup...
, it offered an aperture
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
sight
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
.
Origins and design
The early 1930s were a period of intense competition amongst American rifle manufacturers such including Winchester, Iver JohnsonIver Johnson
Iver Johnson was a U.S. firearms, bicycle, and motorcycle manufacturer from 1871 to 1993. The company shared the same name as its founder, Norwegian-born Iver Johnson .- Iver Johnson :...
, and Mossberg
Mossberg
- Firearms :* O.F. Mossberg & Sons, a US firearms manufacturerFirearms manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons:* Mossberg 183, a .410-bore bolt-action shotgun* Mossberg 185, a 20-gauge bolt-action shotgun* Mossberg 930, a semi-automatic shotgun...
. In an attempt to win the loyalty of entry-level single-shot rimfire rifle buyers, these companies continuously cut production costs and pared profits down to the bare minimum. Winchester already offered a single-shot rimfire rifle aimed at the competition
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
market, the Model 60A, but it had failed to win significant market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
due to its relatively high price and was considered a disappointment.
Winchester had already embarked on a program to reduce the production costs of the entry-level Model 60, resulting in the new Model 67, and the design of a similar lower-priced target rifle was a logical next step. As with the Model 60 from which they were derived, the cocking piece at the rear of the bolt had to be manually drawn rearwards to cock the action after closing the bolt, but the new rifles featured a wing-style safety
Safety (firearms)
In firearms, a safety or safety catch is a mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to ensure safer handling....
with more easily visible "SAFE" and "FIRE" indications. The front sight
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
of the Model 68 was a Model 97A with a removable sheetmetal hood and the rear sight was a Model 96A, featuring a removable disc, which had a smaller aperture better suited for target shooting. With the insert removed, the sight was less accurate but offered more light—making it better for small game hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and informal plinking
Plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water. The term is an onomatopoeia of the sound a bullet or other projectile makes when hitting a tin can, or other similar target, referring to the sharp, metallic...
. Both rifles featured a stock
Stock (firearm)
A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is a part of a rifle or other firearm, to which the barrel and firing mechanism are attached, that is held against one's shoulder when firing the gun. Stocks are also found on crossbows though a crossbow stock is more properly referred to as a...
made of plain uncheckered walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
with a pistol grip and finger grooves, and both were takedown
Takedown gun
A takedown gun is a long gun designed to be taken apart significantly reducing its length, making it easier to store, pack, transport and conceal. A variety of barrel, stock, and receiver designs have been invented to facilitate takedown. For example, the hinged design of many break-action...
designs; the barreled action
Firearm action
In firearms terminology, an action is the physical mechanism that manipulates cartridges and/or seals the breech. The term is also used to describe the method in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism. Actions are generally categorized by the type of mechanism used...
was easily removed by turning a screw under the stock using a penny.
Production
The Model 68 was introduced alongside the Model 67 in May 1934 and both rifles immediately proved popular. The Model 68's sales rapidly outpaced the more expensive but slightly better-equipped Model 60A, which was still being sold from inventory, although production had been placed on hiatus in April 1934. The Model 68's sales eventually undercut the Model 60A to such an extent that production of the latter rifle was never resumed.Production changes to the Model 68 generally paralleled the Model 67. The finger grooves in the stock were omitted starting in mid-1935, the bolt retaining spring was eliminated in August 1937, and the sear and extractor were modified in January 1938 to throw ejected cases farther when the bolt was opened. An optional .22 WRF chambering was added in April 1938, somewhat later than its 1935 introduction on the Model 67.
Winchester-branded telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
s were first offered in 1937. Options were a 2¾-power scope with crosshairs or a vertical aiming post and a 5-power scope with crosshairs. Open sights were retained; the scopes were boxed separately and attached to integral bases on the barrel by the rifle's buyer. The telescopic-sight options were discontinued in 1939.
In August 1943, Winchester management decided to offer the same peep sights used on the Model 68 as options for the Model 67, effectively rendering the Model 68 redundant, although it was curiously not formally discontinued until September 1944. Sales from inventory continued into 1945 and the rifle was listed in the 1946 price list although stocks had already been depleted. Approximately 98,496 to 100,730 Model 68s were produced. The Model 68 was never produced with serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
s, which were not required on American firearms prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968
Gun Control Act of 1968
The Gun Control Act of 1968 , by president Lyndon Johnson, is a federal law in the United States that broadly regulates the firearms industry and firearms owners...
.
Prices of the Model 68 on today's collector market are comparable to the Model 67, but the relatively rare .22 WRF chambering triples the values of the rifle, a larger premium than the same chambering commands on the Model 67.