I am excited about the Taurus copy of the Winchester 63 too. I have seen the ads in magazines, but never seen one. Are they high quality? I was going to get their pump .22 but it had a weird safety on the top of the reciever.
|
Actually, I found one in a local shop today for $220. I had just about written Taurus off since they had announced the 63 in the spring of 2002. I decided to check their website again this morning and lo and behold, they were listed as available. All of the internet sellers wanted around $250 for one, but I got lucky locally (finally).
Yes, the quality is very good, not like the original Winchesters, but certainly on par with the Ruger 10/22 (I still regret not buying one of the "reproduction" Winchesters from a few years ago). This also has a bolt lock, but it's nothing like that angry knob on the Model 62 Taurus/Rossi. This lock is an unobtrusive keyhole (it takes a Coke machine-like key) that doesn't look like a lock until someone points it out. The only thing I don't like is the lettering on the receiver and barrel, which is filled with some gold-looking crap. However, I think it may be possible to remove it with cleaning solvents, like Hoppe's or Gunscrubber, without harming the finish.