I have a Winchester Model 69A that belonged to my father. It has a 5 round box magazine for LR's and another for shorts and a 24" barrel. And no, just like the OP, the bottom of the scope bell does not touch the barrel. It stands off about 2mm or so.

I had a gunsmith put a couple of Weaver bases on it and I put a Simmons 44 Mag 2.8-10x on it. It is a superbly accurate rifle. Using consumer grade ammo (Remington), I can shoot all day at 50 yards and shoot groups you can cover with a nickel. It is just a pleasure to shoot.