Winchester introduced the .22 WMR in 1959, but the company did not employ it until after the Winchester Model 61 sliding rifle could’ve been chambered for it in 1960.
The Marlin Levermatic rifles was the first firearm to be made available with the new chambering in 1959 because of how quickly its design could be altered to accommodate the more potent cartridge. Smith & Wesson and Ruger already had revolvers for the Winchester 61 at the time it was released, while Savage had already released the Model 24 and, as of late 2012, the Model 42, an updated version of the 24 that is a.22/.410 rifle/shotgun combo weapon.
In the 20th century, it was the sole successful rimfire cartridge to be released.
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