doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com remodeling a Winchester 61

Micheal is right. There is a step down from the receiver, which would line up the receiver with the rib just fine. I like quarter ribs, but the Simmons rib would look great too. Maybe MP would measure the butt height on the Owen Model 12 Remington. I believe that stock is oversize but in proportion. My little custom 61 has a 5" high butt and a hand filling grip and looks great also. Both the Owen Model 12 and my Model 61 were built with the small prewar type forend and look better than the long one.

The M61 was made in 3 different smooth bores actually. The original Routledge bore first.
Winchester then designed their own version of the counterbored system and used that next (not having to pay Fred anything for his design). It was simply some small changes in the counter bore diameter and depth.
Then lastly they made the M61 22 Shot with just a straight thru one diameter smooth bore bbl.

I think Simmons was used to put the rib on what ever smoothbore 61s the factory did make. Those were Vent Rib style and IIRC they extended back onto the recv'r like the same would on a 12 or 42.
I wish I could find my books.

The bbl address roll mark on 61's is off to the left side on the round bbls (left oblique flat on oct),,so if you are able to get a narrow enough solid rib, you can by-pass those markings and leave them as is on the bbl.
A narrow, low solid rib would look nicest anyway.
Some of the M61s have the front edge of the recv'r severly chamfered. Running a squared edge rib up against it may leave it unsightly unless fitted very low ,below the chamfer.
The other way is to build up that small top portion of the frame to elliminate the chamfer and have a nice square flat for the rib to engage the frame front surface with.

I don't know who's making ribs that would look right.
I have seen some made from M/L under bbl rib stock. The M/L rib flipped over and the ramrod groove becomes the bbl side of it.
Lots and lots of fitting & reshaping work and heavy when done. Depends on what you're looking for.
The older hollow rib M/L under rib might be an easier go of it. Lighter for sure. I don't see much of it sold anymore though.
Fitting up to a 61 bbl for either would be much easier than say a center fire bolt rifle bbl with it's contours.
Just some thoughts

...I like the 42 w/a solid rib ! I've got 2 of them :>)

A badly worn or bubbaed 61 might be fun to customize, all right. But a nice one is just too nice a gun to mess with, IMO--the thing just about defines "ergonomics"!

Different sights, sure, especially if your eyes are going south, like mine.

RWTF, the 61M was a great IDEA! But I've never found one that shoots as well as I'd like it to. My present one shoots .22WRF pretty well. .22WRM not so well, and I've tried all the foreign and domestic makes and models, including pricey German RWS, and CA "Green" unleaded. I keep it because it's so pretty.

The breech end of the solid rib can be filed to shape before installation to exactly match up with any receiver irregularities. The height of the rib can also be lowered by filing the base. It could be a very neat installation with some attention to detail. By the way, the front of the receiver on my gun is a square edge. It is early prewar. Bill, you have given me some ideas for my Remington Model 121 Routledge, which is not in collectable condition.

I have had exactly the same experiences with my M61 .22Mag- they just don't seem to have the accuracy of the std. .22LR series, whether pre-WW11, or post WW11- I've had mine for some time, and probably paid a tad too much for it, but that old "Pre-1964" fever sometimes gets aholt of a feller- Another reason I prefer the M61 over other WRA .22 repeaters- to the best of my knowledge, it was never "copied" by some cheapo Brazilian mfgr. as were the Models 1890, 1906 and also the M63--

Yes you could match up the end of the rib to any chamfer or irrgularity on the recv'r.
But if you do anything other than a nice straight joint at the face of the bbl & rec'vr..you'll never get the bbl off of the frame again w/o shearing any rib overhang. Maybe you won't see a need to pull the bbl,,but making the bbl and recv'r a permanent assembly,,,no.

A certain rib putter onner was great at splicing the first base for the vent rib into the front of the breech extension of the M42 and M12. The breech extension is now a permanent attachment to the bbl. More than a few of the upgrades floating around that are put together like that.



The Winchester 'solid' rib is hollow. You fit them by filing the legs of the rib, then bevel the inside edges to match the bbl for a good solder joint and a flush fit on the outside..
Depending on how high you want it to sit, the top surface may be just barely above the rounded surface of the bbl. The width of the rib will determine how much of a side flat of that rib you see. The wider the rib,,the more side flat.
If you place the center top of the rib even with the rounded top surface of the frame,,the side edges of the rib at the frame are outside the frame arc. A very narrow rib can be set higher than a wide rib. Neither looks good with the edges of the rib poking out along the front edge of the rounded frame. So the top surface just naturaly has to sit below it. How much depends on rib width ,the arc of the rcev'r and any chamfer or rounded front edge that you try to avoid.

They look good through!

I don't know if this will help the discussion or not, but here is a link to a Remington Routledge with a vent rib

22 vent rib

The linked vent rib Model 121 has the very early Simmons rib matting pattern. I am guessing late forties to mid fifties. By the way, the Simmons rib installation on the Model 61 Winchester was not a catalogued Winchester item in my experience. It is an item offered in the Simmons catalogs of the mid to late fifties and extremely few were built. The 121s would be a neat buy at a bit less than half the asking price.

Kutter, your comments are very pertinent. However, the rib need not conform to an irregular receiver on some 61s. My early prewar gun has a receiver that is absolutely square to the barrel with no steps. I don't have a later gun to examine. If a rib were installed on my gun flush with the receiver, the barrel could still be removed. I think the curve of the receiver matching to a 1/4" rib is a non issue. There isn't much of a curve in a quarter inch. Thanks for your great post. Bill Murphy

I've been trying to work with a way to have a scale in the background for folks who wanted measurements. A friend brought by some mylar with 1" squares on it. I have been experimenting with trying to get the squares in focus and no shadow. Have a ways to go to get this perfected. Suggestions welcome and anyone want this full size I'll email it to you.