Win 56 .22 short, stainless bbl ?'s

bamaranger · May 27, 2010, 03:06 AM

I posted this on the Rifle Forum and got limited response, so I thought I'd try here.

I have a Winchester bolt model 56, .22 SHORT, in very good shape. One of the peculiarities of the little rifle is that the bbl is marked "stainless". It has a blue/black, I suppose anodized finish.

The magazine follower is marked from 1921 or possibly 1927. I am curious as to any comments or history a Win or .22 collector might have, or anybody else for that matter. The stainless bbl is quite a surprise.

natman · May 27, 2010, 04:51 AM

Post in the Winchester section of www.rimfirecentral.com and I expect you will get some responses.

bamaranger · May 29, 2010, 09:53 PM

I stumbled through the log in and gave up.

Still hoping to hear on this forum.

Hawg · May 29, 2010, 11:28 PM

The model 52 was offered with a stainless barrel in 1930 and 31. The 56 was probably the same.

Bellevance · February 5, 2011, 02:40 PM

Bamaranger--

I have the same rifle. According to info I have come upon over at RimfireCentral, existing records suggest 8,297 Model 56s (in both long and short) were made between 1926-30.

The .22 short version was produced for only the first two or three years of the run, apparently. The estimate is that 1,171 short-only versions were manufactured. What makes our rifles even more rare is the stainless steel barrel. There is a VERY small number of these around. The Win aficionados on the RimfireCentral forum have never seen one. So it is highly sought-after by Winchester .22 collectors in its original condition. Mine is in 85-90% condition, and it is worth (in 2011) at least $2,000 and maybe a lot more. The original Winchester magazines alone go for $100 each. I have both a 5-shot and a 10-shot mag.

Here's a link to an excellent writeup on the 56:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums...d.php?t=357927

Bellevance · February 11, 2011, 07:05 AM

Sent you an email just now, Bamaranger--with the PDF attached. There is more info--and lots of interesting comments--over at the Rimfire site. Just click on that link.

May 27, 2010, 03:06 AM	#1
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,299	Win 56 .22 short, stainless bbl ?'s I posted this on the Rifle Forum and got limited response, so I thought I'd try here. I have a Winchester bolt model 56, .22 SHORT, in very good shape. One of the peculiarities of the little rifle is that the bbl is marked "stainless". It has a blue/black, I suppose anodized finish. The magazine follower is marked from 1921 or possibly 1927. I am curious as to any comments or history a Win or .22 collector might have, or anybody else for that matter. The stainless bbl is quite a surprise.

May 29, 2010, 09:53 PM	#3
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,299	well I stumbled through the log in and gave up. Still hoping to hear on this forum.

February 5, 2011, 02:40 PM	#5
Bellevance Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2006 Location: Vermont Posts: 174	Bamaranger-- I have the same rifle. According to info I have come upon over at RimfireCentral, existing records suggest 8,297 Model 56s (in both long and short) were made between 1926-30. The .22 short version was produced for only the first two or three years of the run, apparently. The estimate is that 1,171 short-only versions were manufactured. What makes our rifles even more rare is the stainless steel barrel. There is a VERY small number of these around. The Win aficionados on the RimfireCentral forum have never seen one. So it is highly sought-after by Winchester .22 collectors in its original condition. Mine is in 85-90% condition, and it is worth (in 2011) at least $2,000 and maybe a lot more. The original Winchester magazines alone go for $100 each. I have both a 5-shot and a 10-shot mag. Here's a link to an excellent writeup on the 56: http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums...d.php?t=357927 Last edited by Bellevance; February 5, 2011 at 02:56 PM.

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May 27, 2010, 04:51 AM	#2
natman Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2008 Posts: 2,605	Post in the Winchester section of www.rimfirecentral.com and I expect you will get some responses.

May 29, 2010, 11:28 PM	#4
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	The model 52 was offered with a stainless barrel in 1930 and 31. The 56 was probably the same.

February 11, 2011, 07:05 AM	#6
Bellevance Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2006 Location: Vermont Posts: 174	Sent you an email just now, Bamaranger--with the PDF attached. There is more info--and lots of interesting comments--over at the Rimfire site. Just click on that link.