welcome to today photo of the Day! Here we have a quality little rifle from a company that barely existed. This is a Kodiak Model 260, built in North Haven, Connecticut by an outfit that was only in business from 1963 to 1966 (and went by “Jefferson” before that). Even though they were short-lived, they earned a real distinction.
The Model 260 .22 WMR was the first semi-automatic rifle chambered for .22 Magnum. Winchester had introduced that hot rimfire as early as 1959, and getting a self-loader to run reliably on it was no small feat. The Magnum is a difficult round to cycle in a blowback action, and this is where these guns earned a mixed reputation. Many owners will tell you about broken extractors and broken plastic feed lips. When they run, they are well built; When they don’t do this, the parts are now basically inaccessible.
You will get the same gun under other names also. Kodiak produced the basic rifle for Colt, which sold it as the Coltier, so the design became more popular than the Kodiak label. Well made, really rare, and a footnote worth knowing about, the gun that first came out in semi-auto .22 Magnum.
Most of our POTDs use images of our friends Rock Island Auction CompanyMajor firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse them current auction – Who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Kodiak Model 260 Semi-Automatic Rifle with Scope.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/977/kodiak-model-260-semautomatic-rifle-with-scope. Accessed 25 June 2026.
