Make: Winchester
Model: 64
Serial Number: 1377079
Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1946 / C&R. Made during the WWII 1943 and 1948 record gap.
Caliber: 219 Zipper
Action Type: Top Ejecting Lever Action with 2/3 Length Tubular Magazine
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked "-WINCHESTER- / PROOF STEEL", "MODEL 64", "-WINCHESTER- / -TRADE MARK-", "ZIPPER-". The top of the barrel and receiver are marked with WP proofs. The right side of the barrel is marked "MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / -NEW HAVEN. CONN.-". The bottom of the receiver is marked "1377079". There is a "BZ" stamp in front of the trigger.
Barrel Length: 26" Nominal. 26 ¼" Measured. Round Tapered.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed into a textured ramp that is fixed to the barrel and slotted for a hood (none present). The rear sight has been cut at the base, which fills the dovetail. The left side of the receiver is drilled, tapped, and filled for the mounting of a receiver sight (none present). The top of the bolt is installed with a 98A peep sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with capped forend, semi-pistol grip, fluted straight comb, and checkered steel buttplate. The stocks have light handling wear with a few scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/8? from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is very light erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 8/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 90% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows light operation wear and is generally complete throughout. There is thinning on the bottom of the leading edges, tangs, and on the muzzle. There is finish loss on the bottom of the receiver. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions smoothly and correctly, and the trigger is crisp. This rifle has lever and half-cock hammer safeties. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: Winchester's Model 64 occupies a quietly distinguished corner of the pre-64 lever-action canon - a refined, purpose-built evolution of the Model 55 that itself descended from the legendary Model 1894. Introduced in 1932 with a longer magazine tube, solid-frame-only construction, and a semi-pistol grip stock that signaled its intent as a serious hunting rifle, the Model 64 was Winchester's attempt to modernize the 94 platform for the interwar sporting market. With total production of only 66,783 across its primary 1932–1957 run, the 64 is among the scarcer Winchester lever-action models of the 20th century — a fact that collectors have come to appreciate as pre-64 Winchester values continue their long upward march. The .219 Zipper chambering narrows the field dramatically further: introduced in 1937 and discontinued in 1941, the Zipper was a high-velocity varmint cartridge derived from the .25-35 WCF, engineered to wring flat-shooting performance from the lever-action platform. Standard production Zipper-chambered Model 64s were built on a 26" barrel rather than the 24" standard for other calibers, and only a small number were assembled after the cartridge's official discontinuation using barrels remaining in inventory - making any post-1941 Zipper a genuinely rare artifact of wartime Winchester production.
Serial number 1377079 places this rifle squarely within the documented 1943–1948 production gap, a period for which Winchester factory records are incomplete due to wartime disruption, making a precise manufacture date of ca. 1946 a well-reasoned estimate consistent with known serial range data. The rifle presents in honest Very Good condition, retaining approximately 90% original blue with expected thinning at the leading edges, tangs, muzzle, and receiver bottom - the kind of wear pattern that reflects careful use rather than neglect - and a 7/10 bore with bright lands and light erosion that remains fully serviceable. The rear sight has been cut and the dovetail filled, with a 98A peep installed to the bolt top, indicating this rifle saw use as a working varmint rig rather than a safe queen - appropriate for the cartridge and consistent with the 64's intended purpose. The stocks are clean and structurally sound, and the crisp trigger and smooth action confirm the mechanical integrity that Winchester's pre-64 production is rightly celebrated for. For the serious Winchester collector, a wartime-assembled .219 Zipper, with original finish, is precisely the kind of low-production variant that defines a collection - and they do not surface often.
