Winchester Model 1907 .351SL

A

Armyphotog

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I have recently become interested in this rifle. Does anyone out there have any experience with it? Wouldn't mind having one myself. The "police model" seems the most interesting. I know the ammo is expensive but apparently not that hard to find. I just picked up a 100 rds. just in case I locate one. The original ammo ran about $110 a box for 50 rds.
 
Apart from the extensive cop use, the only person I've encountered who used one was, of all things, a British officer stationed in India in the 1920's or '30's.

I have his book somewhere. I think it worked okay at average jungle ranges, but don't think he used it on big stuff like tiger or gaur. I wouldn't.

Not all British settlers or officers were rich. Kenneth Anderson used a .405 M-95, even on tigers. Winchester got around!
 
Cool.. Pictures please :D

I have a 1910 in .401sl that i'm trying to make ammo for.

CIMG1536.jpg
 
Check the forend,,they split very easily and most seem to be. The split usually runs from the receiver forward.
Aftermarket replacement wood is available.

Check for matching ser# on the upper and lower.
Magazines aren't ser#'d IIRC, but make sure the mag is a Winchester original, not an aftermarket if paying top price.
Originals can cost you $75 and up (usually up) for the 5shot,,the 10shot mag is more.
The 5 shot 351/401 original magazines are a one piece drawn steel construction. Not a stamped steel welded together design. I'm not sure of the 10shot 351 mag, but I think it is the same construction.

Field strip/TD is usually as far as most people should go when taking any of these apart. If you want to go farther you'll need a spanner type wrench to loosen the bbl nut. You can make one simple enough, some of the shotgun choke spanner wrench tools fit nicely. Beretta & Winchester but I don't know the particular model of choke tube they're for.
Be very carefull taking the recoil spring out. It's under a lot of tension. If you've taken a Winchester 63 apart, it's much the same, but on spring steroids.
The Police Model will have a fixed rear sight in the dovetail which is a little closer to the breech end than the sporter bbl.
The barrel will have a larger muzzle diameter than the sporters. The larger diameter is for the bayonet mount to slide onto & lock. The mount then has it's own front sight on it. Heavier stock and forend. Cocking hook on the op-rod I think and military style sling swivels.
They are usually priced considerable higher than the sporters.
Don't confuse an 07 used by a Police Dept with a 07 Police Model.
Though the former if it can be proved will generally increase the value as well over a plain sporting model in the same condition.

No .351SL in the group now. I do have a Model 1910 401SL and it gets out to the range when I can find ammo making time.
 
I owned one in .35 WSL about twelve years ago. I got a little over 200 rounds of factory ammo with it. I shot half of it up, then traded the rifle off. It was neat to shoot, but heavy, and not very accurate as I recall. Off a bench, I got saucer size groups.
 
Armyphotog said:
I have recently become interested in this rifle. Does anyone out there have any experience with it? Wouldn't mind having one myself. The "police model" seems the most interesting . . .
Click to expand...

Here’s one of what I believe is the “police model”. It was purchased new by the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 1952 and retired in 1967. It contains many of the features described by 2152hq . . . rear sight closer to receiver, cocking hook on operating rod, and military-style sling swivels. It also has a metal butt plate. It’s shown with a factory 10-rd magazine with a patrol added highlighter for the round-count peep hole . . . a paper reinforcer used with ring-type binders (patent pending, I’m sure :D).

MSHPWin1907001.jpg


MSHPWin1907005.jpg


MSHPWin1907004.jpg


MSHPWin1907003.jpg


MSHPWin1907002.jpg


Here are a few comparisons of the police model (in front) with a 1st year conventional Model 1907 (in rear). Note that this particular first year example has a non-factory peep rear sight and front sight to match.

Win1907001.jpg


Win1907005.jpg


Win1907002.jpg


Win1907004.jpg


Here are how the factory magazines are marked. The one on the left is an early factory 5-round and one on the right is a later factory 10-round. Both are one piece.

Win1907006.jpg


And if you were wondering why the 1907s are so heavy, here is the bolt out of one . . . it weighs 2 ½ lbs

Win1907008.jpg


Russ
 
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It's probably too late to help anyone now, but the .35 WSL will work with the .38 Special AMU brass; it is semi-rimless for early military target pistols (early version of the model 52, I believe).
 
Interesting this post should come up, I passed on one in .351 caliber this weekend at a estate sale. Could have had it for $200 but I don't know what they go for and don't really know anything about them.
 
Faulkner said:
Interesting this post should come up, I passed on one in .351 caliber this weekend at a estate sale. Could have had it for $200 but I don't know what they go for and don't really know anything about them.
Click to expand...

Of course it's all about condition, but that's a steal!
They made them in two grades, Plain, and Deluxe, besides the police models, and I have seen one beautifully engraved.

Thanks to everyone else who responded. Very helpful. If anyone has one for sale, PM me and we'll talk.
 
Neat rifles. I'd wanted one since I saw one listed in the first Stoegers catalog I ever had. Finally acquired a nice one a couple years ago, made in 1912.

Son bought me a Marbles tang sight for it last Xmas.

1907tang.jpg


Not many folks know it, but a fair number were used in WWI, first in aircraft and later in the trenches. Probably makes them the very first 'assault rifle'.


Regards,

Pat
 
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What sort of game would you shoot with a .351? Pretty much what you'd shoot with a .357 Magnum carbine today?
Anyone know the ballistics?
 
401 ammo

Just fwiw, a few years ago I had a .401, and lucked into some Kynoch ammo marked "cases made in Sweden." I got on the internet, found Kynoch's email, and a very helpful English guy told me they had made it in the 1980s and had long-term plans to make some again. It was great ammo, and that round is a real thumper! The effect on the berm at 100 yards was similar to that of a 45-70. The email address is something like "Kynamco.." Google can probably find it.
 
I have a Police Model I purchased about 30 years ago. It came with 2 10 round magazines. I used to find ammo at gun shows. Some guy would have a table with 2 or 3 big boxes of assorted ammo of different calibers. I would offer him $10.00 or $15.00 a box. Last time I saw any ammo for sale, I went into a gun store and they had 2 boxes of the newest Winchester ammo. They wanted $45.00 a box. I thought they were nuts. I went home and did some checking, $45.00 a box was a good price. Went back to get it, somebody had beat me to it. I have 6 or 8 boxes of ammo. 3 or 4 different generations of box. I really need to get my son to help me figure out how to take pictures and post them here.
 
we have a 1905 in 32 SL Looks like a fun gun, but the firing pin is broken
 
Last ammo I saw for sale was some recent Winchester from the 80's at $90 a box. I grabbed all he had. I read someplace the ammo was discontinued in 1988.

Factory ballistics (as I recall) were about 1800-1900 FPS with a 180gr softnose. Short range deer load.


Regards,

Pat
 
pff said:
Last ammo I saw for sale was some recent Winchester from the 80's at $90 a box. I grabbed all he had. I read someplace the ammo was discontinued in 1988.

Factory ballistics (as I recall) were about 1800-1900 FPS with a 180gr softnose. Short range deer load.


Regards,

Pat
Click to expand...


Pat-


You memory is good. Look at this Wiki link:

.351 Winchester Self-Loading - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Given those ballistics from a 20" bbl., it hardly seems to offer a thing over a .357 carbine. Just 22 grains more bullet than a typical .357, and you can get 180 grain .357 ammo, or make it. I haven't seen any .357's chrono'ed from a carbine, but it can't be far behind the .351.
 
.351 WSL.

There are actually two WSL rounds nominally in ".35" caliber. The .35 WSL came first in the 1905 issue and the .351 came later in 1907. The .351 round is slightly longer and a little faster than the origional .35. My understanding is that during WW1 the French used the .32WSL 1903 and the .35WSL in the 1905. This due to their rapid fire capability.

When I was a kid hunting in the Adirondack Camps the only men there that used the .351's were bear hunters who ran with dogs. The .351 with it's odd metal capped led bullet was not well thought of in terms of a deer killer. The 1907, like the 1905 and 1903 rifles were recoil operated and while handier than the Remington Model 8 autoloading rifles in .35 Remington which were common in camp among deer hunters, the Winchesters were just as heavy.

I've read that for proper function, Winchester recommended that all 10-round magazines be factory fitted and tuned. If they are such, there is a small 'W' stamped on the magazine body.

Drew
 
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