Shooting the Model 1907 Winchester in Caliber .351 WSL

The Winchester Model 1903, the 1905, the 1907, and the 1910 were the first commercially successful semi automatic firearms available to the American shooting public. They were all straight blowback carbines that didn’t utilize a locking breech system to keep the bolt closed upon firing. They used a massive counterweight and heavy duty recoil spring to prevent the bolt from opening until chamber pressure had dropped to a safe level.

One of the things I failed to mention about the 1905 is that it came in two calibers during production. The .32 WSL, as well as the .35 WSL. The .32 WSL cartridge was the basis for the .30 US Carbine cartridge of WW2. The model 1907 WSL with it’s .351 WSL cartridge was meant to offer nearly .30-30 Winchester ballistics in a semi auto carbine. It’s the direct competitor for Remington’s model 8 rifles, which eventually surpassed the Winchester design. The later model 1910 was an even larger caliber cartridge, firing the .401 WSL, and it had a severe “kick” on recoil. Ammunition for the various Winchester semi auto cartridges are now available as reloads only, if you can make them yourself. When you can find box of scarce factory loads, you will pay upwards of $200 per box.

The Winchester 1907 was discontinued about 1957, and ammunition was discontinued in the 1980’s.