There are Winders & then there are Winders. Collectors recognize 3 models. 1st & 2nd Models are (mostly) high walls in 22RF, usually 22 LR. The 3rd Model action (the one we are discussing) is the most common. Campbell discusses most of the origins in his "The Winchester Single Shot, Vol. 1". Campbell explained how the Winchester assemblers worked from parts bins and made whatever they were told to make. By 1917, only coil spring actions were in the parts bins. Campbell wrote about the rimfire musket actions being soft or casually heat treated. Since they were building 22RFs on a very strong action, heat treating was apparently not a high priority.
The high wall actions were hard to load with small cartridges, especially 22 Shorts. Some gunsmith modifications were made to make loading easier, but the results are not things of beauty.
Winchester was working with C. Winder to develop a modification to the action that would make it both easier to load & ambidextrous. That produced the 3rd Model. I think some had been made for small National Guard orders. Maybe these are the ones that show up in 22 LR.
In early 1917, the Gov't seized or put controls on all large steel stockpiles in the country. From then until 1919, steel was allocated to users by type & quality. Winchester got a lot of good steel & some of lesser quality. The Gov't also needed training rifles. In Dec. 1917, Winchester received an order for 2,000 rifles. Winchester management ordered 1,500 #3 actions (high walls) ground down to the pattern for the 3rd Model. The rifles were to be completed in 22 Short, with 28" barrels. What about the remaining 500? Were they already made? Did Winchester forge new actions? The original order was followed by several other orders. One source says the Gov't took possession of 11,419 rifles. In June 1918, another 2,000 were ordered (through the Ordnance Dept) by the NRA. More on next post.
