I'd say the main weakness of the Model 1890 was that, although it was a .22-caliber rimfire rifle, cartridges could not be interchanged. For example, if your 1890 was chambered for 22 Long, you couldn't fire 22 Short ammo in it. The gun featured a 24-inch octagonal barrel and had an exposed hammer.
Another predecessor of the 62A was the Winchester Model 1906, which was only chambered in 22 Short at first, but which was later produced to handle 22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle ammo interchangeably.
In 1932, Winchester abandoned production of both of those models and introduced the Model 62 to replace them. This rifle shared some features with its predecessors, such as the exposed hammer and top ejection, but its action had been "modernized." Time would tell whether this modernization was a good or a bad thing. (More on history and development on the next page.)
The rifle I photographed for this article is a well-worn and much-used specimen, which has apparently seen its share of abuse as well. The photo above shows the right side of the gun, which bears no factory markings.
