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November 3, 2015
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Recently obtained a model 1907 with three-digit serial number and tiger stripe butt stock. Contacted archives at Cody Museum and got some interesting info including the serial number was applied December 10, 1906, shipped from warehouse January 4, 1907, and it was returned for repairs in July 1909 and again in October 1917. The really interesting part was that it was loaned out to the “Pass Section” of the Personnel Division of Winchester in November 1917. Had to do some research but looks like during WWI this section issued official passes and badges to manage entry, ensure plant safety, and prevent sabotage against vital military production lines. It makes sense that they were armed and this model 1907 was part of their weaponry. Pretty cool.
Photos of buttstock and 1930s gangster kit.
Side Note: I have not seen, except in presentation pieces, wood this nice on any 1907 including my own deluxe/fancy 1907. Anybody else have a 1907 with deluxe-level wood that is just a standard model?
Dilemma- I was going to have the barrel cut down to a SBR to go in my short barrel carbine collection. Don’t know if I should now given the history and wood. What say ye?
WACA No. 9886. Constantly learning about Model 1907 and Model 1910 Self-Loading Rifles.
March 31, 2009
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I wouldn’t ruin it.
http://library.centerofthewest.org/digital/collection/p17097coll30/id/5902
April 15, 2005
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John,
Cutting the barrel down would be an absolute colossal mistake!
Further, it would most likely affect the semi-auto function of gun, reducing it to a single shot. With the balanced weight blow-back action, shortening the barrel would likely cause the breech bolt to short cycle.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 3, 2015
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The ruining for collector interest and value, I get. The short stroke might not be a problem as this has been done before…….
https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/winchester-1907-351sl/476223
WACA No. 9886. Constantly learning about Model 1907 and Model 1910 Self-Loading Rifles.
January 20, 2023
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John, Concur that cutting the barrel would be a disastrous mistake.
It appears you have something I’ve read exists but have never seen – a 20 round 1907 magazine. Does it have a ball bearing follower? If all those 10 round magazines are factory issue, you have a real treasure trove.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
April 15, 2005
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John Lindly said
The ruining for collector interest and value, I get. The short stroke might not be a problem as this has been done before…….
https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/winchester-1907-351sl/476223
Your link does not work.
If you reload the 351 cartridge with a faster burning powder, then yes, the “short stroke” can be mitigated. If you shoot standard factory ammo, the odds are that it will not function correctly.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 3, 2015
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Zebulon -All 9 of them are factory 10 rounders. I kinda had a problem there for a while back when they were just expensive but not stupid expensive like now. I’ve been messing with this model for 20+ years and I have never seen a 20 round or 15 round magazine. The French supposedly had some in WWI but, again, I’ve never seen one.
Bert – the link works for me when I select it while in this website. I’m mostly computer stupid so I don’t know how to address this problem if it doesn’t work for anyone else.
WACA No. 9886. Constantly learning about Model 1907 and Model 1910 Self-Loading Rifles.
March 31, 2009
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The link worked for me. Firearms News 6-13-23. It appears that factory ammo was used to shoot a cutoff.
One particular article from the February, 1929, American Rifleman, entitled A Few Practical Rifle Notes by Melville H. Haskell, inspired him to have one of the neatest retro carbines I’ve seen fabricated. “The article discussed the advantages for the horseman of “Trapper” rifles of various types with barrels that would now make them classified as short-barreled rifles (SBRs) under the 1934 National Firearms Act. Included are classic lever action Trapper Models such as the Winchester 94, but also a Winchester M1907 with a cut down barrel. My friend was inspired by the article to purchase a Winchester 1907, register it as an SBR, and have the barrel cut to 10.5 inches, just in front of the cocking plunger for the rifle.”
November 3, 2015
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Thanks Chuck, I need to track down that American Riflemen article.
I am not going to ruin this one. It’s too pretty and too interesting. I will keep looking for a 1907 that has lost its collector value but is still safe to shoot. Not as easy as you would think.
WACA No. 9886. Constantly learning about Model 1907 and Model 1910 Self-Loading Rifles.
October 14, 2024
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How difficult is it to find a spare barrel that can be cut down instead of the original? I know very little about how difficult it would be to swap out barrels. I love that tiger stripe!
November 3, 2015
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Kevindpm61 – Everybody will tell you not to mess with the internals in these especially the disassembly of the internal bolt and heavy recoil spring assembly located in the forearm. I imagine replacing the barrel would require taking things apart that are extremely difficult to put back together.
Chuck – I found a copy of the February 1929 American Rifleman on eBay and the table of contents has no listing of the article you recommended. Are you quoting the Firearms News article or do you have a copy of this?
Thanks to all who replied!
John
WACA No. 9886. Constantly learning about Model 1907 and Model 1910 Self-Loading Rifles.
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