Make: Winchester

Model: 63

Serial Number: 159393

Year of Manufacture: 1957

Caliber: .22 Long Rifle

Action Type: Semi-Automatic with Tubular Magazine in Butt Stock

Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “WINCHESTER / TRADE MARK / MADE IN U.S.A”, “MODEL 63 22 LONG RIFLE”, and “SUPER SPEED AND SUPER-X”. The underside of the receiver is marked “159393A” and the underside of the trigger guard portion is marked “159393”. The top of the barrel and receiver are marked with “WP” in oval proof marks.

Barrel Length: 23” Round

Sights/Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed into the barrel. The rear sight is a leaf and elevator “U” notch dovetail set to the barrel. 

Stock Configuration and Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a semi-pistol grip, straight comb, and checkered sheet steel buttplate. Both pieces are slightly “proud” of the metal, which is most apparent at the grip. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 3/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the steel buttplate. There is a ding in the toe of the buttplate which has pressed into the wood and resulted in a tiny chip. Outside of a few faint compression lines, the stocks have no other notable marks. Overall, the stocks rate in Fine Condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Refinished

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 99% of its current metal finish. The finish is complete throughout. There is a spot of concentrated nicks on the left side of the barrel a few inches from the front sight. There are some nicks on the sight groove on the receiver that have been blued over. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in Fine Condition as Refinished.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The takedown works as it should, though the fit between the two pieces of the receiver assembly is quite tight. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: None

Our Assessment: Winchester’s Model 1903 was their first semi-automatic rifle to be chambered in a .22 rimfire cartridge, but the need for consistent ammunition for proper function led them to chamber the rifle in their own proprietary caliber known as .22 Winchester Automatic. By 1933, smokeless .22 Long Rifle ammunition had become both consistent and popular enough for Winchester to redesign the Model 1903 rifle to use the more widely available .22 LR, and that birthed the Model 63. Now considered a classic, the Model 63 was an attractive rifle, with the familiar squared receiver, a 10-round tubular magazine housed in the buttstock, a plunger on the nose of the forend to load the first round, and the ability to be “taken down” by unscrewing the knurled, captured screw at the back of the receiver, making for compact storage. The Model 63 was produced from 1933-1958 with a total of 174,962 made, and it remains as attractive today as the day it was introduced.

This Winchester Model 63 .22 LR Semi-Auto Rifle was made in 1957 and is in Fine Condition as Refinished. It features a 23” barrel, 99% of its gleaming reblued finish, two-piece smooth walnut stocks (there’s a ding in the toe of the buttplate which has pressed into the wood and resulted in a tiny chip), and a bright bore with sharp rifling and no erosion. This rifle has been meticulously cared for since 1957, and with its excellent shooting capability and minty bore, will make a wonderful addition to any Winchester or semi-auto .22 collection.