Winchester Semi Automatic Questions

[Spencer_Murphy]

Recently I won a raffle and got a nice M1867 Spencer Repeating Rifle. Cant find any brass or ammo so I cant shoot it but I did get a centerfire block for it.... lol. I was doing work for helping out a farmer and after fixing one of his tractors he gave me some money and a fixer upper trapdoor Springfield carbine that was cut down from a rifle and has a 27 inch barrel rather than a 22 inch barrel professionally done by a company back in the day for Sears & Roebuck and not some hacksaw crazy guy. However the guy through another job my way and asked that if I took less cash I could take a pick of some more rifles. This guy is 83 and his kids said they are gonna sell his hard earned collection anyways so he figures lightening his rifle collection while giving his kids good condition farm equipment is a better plan. He has two Winchester Semi Automatic Rifles that perked my interest. He has a Model 1907 in .351 Winchester and a Model 1910 in .401 Winchester. Both are appear to be straight walled and something I could use for deer hunting in my state and was wondering if they were good deer hunting rounds. He has 55 rounds and 75pcs of brass of .351 Win and two 5rnd magazines for the 1907 and he has 30 rounds of .401 and 46pcs of brass for the 1910 only having 1 magazine though. Neither rifle has reloading dies provided as he cant find them anywhere. The 1907 is the least amount of cash taken off of the repair bill and the 1910 is the highest. Is the .351 adequate enough for White Tail deer out to say 80~100 yards ? I see ammunition is more plentiful for the .351 than the .401. Should I ask him for the .351 or the .401 ? Also if these rifles are terrible I guess I wont take either I thought they looked cool and figured they might be useful for deer hunting. If they aren't I guess let me know lol. Also both rifles are in a good condition for their age with the 1910 looking the best but neither are that collector grade where if you passed it up you would never see it again type deal. Thanks for all replies.

[frkelly74]

Get both and don't take the money. You'll just spend it on food or something that won't last. Those rifles are sound investments. (Someone had to suggest this. ) His kids won't appreciate them anyway. Need more????

[rintinglen]

The rifles are about equal in value, though the extra mag makes the .351 a bit more valueable.

The 351 is just about equal to a 24 inch 357 magnum rifle, perhaps just a bit more powerful. The 401 is about the equal of a 35 Remington. Either can take a deer at 100 yards or less. I'd take the .351 were it I, simply because I think I could cobble up useful rounds from 350 Legend Brass, though there might be extraction problems due to the smaller rim. The 401 might be made from 30-30 brass, though it would be a lot of work: trim the case to 1.50," turn the rim to .457," expand the new neck to .428. The base would be a little undersized but it should still work.

[cwtebay]

Either is a fantastic choice. Brass is available for both and even making brass from easily accessible components is simple.
Finding bullets for either is the hard part, but in my experience - not that difficult either.
I have killed many deer with the 1907 and several elk with the 1910. They are fun to shoot and definitely a novelty at hunting camp. Both hit hard at moderate distance and both provide more than adequate stopping power.
An interesting note - both have been "reintroduced" recently and the ballistics are quite similar, with advertising saying that they are the latest greatest.

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[Battis]

WSL .401: 414 Super Mag brass cut to length, reduce rim diameter with drill press and file. No extractor groove.
I use Accurate Mold #41-208L (206 gr bullets) .408” diameter
Or Western Bullet 250-gr. lead plain base.

WSL .351: .357 Mag brass, reduce diameter with drill press and file. No extractor groove.
Cast bullet- .352 (Accurate Molds), or Western Bullet cast bullets.

[Battis]

The downside to owning either of these rifles is the buffer/spring situation. Buffers usually have to be replaced and they're hard to find. Wolff Springs has springs for the .351 but not the .401.

[Kai]

Either would be good but I'd pick the 1910 for deer hunting. Should you need more, brass is easily made from 7.62x39 brass which is good as brass is plentiful. Just anneal, expand to .401, trim, and remove a bit of brass on the outside of the case just up from the rim using a file and drill press. The guns are a blast to shoot but loading the magazine is a pia!

[Wayne Smith]

Check CH4D for dies. CH4D.com and check out their available dies - otherwise you are likely to wait for a year or so for something they have to make.