Winchester Model 1907

Last updated
Winchester Model 1907
Winchester Model 1907 Semiauto Rifle transparent.png
Type Semi-automatic rifle
Place of originFlag of the United States (1896-1908).svg  United States
Service history
Used by France
United Kingdom
Russian Empire
United States
Italy
Wars World War I
Russian Civil War [1]
World War II (limited uses) [2]
Production history
Designer T.C. Johnson
Manufacturer Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Produced1907 to 1957
No. built58,733
Variants"Plain" "Fancy Finish" and "Police" rifles
Specifications
Mass8 lb (3.6 kg) to 9 lb (4.1 kg)
Length40 in (1,000 mm)
Barrel  length20 in (510 mm)

Cartridge .351 Winchester Self-Loading
Action Blowback
Rate of fire Semi-automatic
Feed systemDetachable 5, 10 and 20-round box magazines
SightsOpen iron sights and optional tang or receiver-mounted aperture sights

The Winchester Model 1907 is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company beginning in 1907 with production ending in 1957. It fired a cartridge of intermediate power, cycled through a semi-automatic operating mechanism, fed from a 5, 10, or 15 round detachable box magazine located immediately forward of the trigger guard. In size and handling, it is much like an M1 carbine, though the 1907 is heavier and fires a much harder hitting round.

Contents

The only cartridge offered by Winchester as a factory chambering in the Model 1907 was the .351SL centerfire. [3] The energy of this cartridge at the muzzle approximates the original loading of the .30-30 or the modern .35 Remington at approximately 75–100 yd (69–91 m).

Variants

In addition to the standard or "plain finish" model, a deluxe or "fancy finish" model was offered with a semi-pistol grip and checkering on the forearm and wrist of the stock. The plain finish rifles were offered in 1907 at a list price of $28 (approximately $730 in 2016). [4] In 1935, Winchester offered a special "police rifle" variant, featuring a non-adjustable rear sight, sling swivels, a larger magazine release, a special barrel measuring 58 in (16 mm) at the muzzle, and the rear sight dovetail moved 2+38 in (60 mm) rearward. A barrel sleeve with Krag bayonet mount and front sight was also an option with the "police rifle". [3]

Cross-section of a Winchester Model 1907 Winchester Model 1907 rifle.jpg
Cross-section of a Winchester Model 1907

In the late 1930s, the 1907 was updated by Winchester with a much thicker fore-end (eliminating the cracking problems common to the earlier models) and stock. The newer model also had a redesigned charging handle which made it easier to lock the bolt back. At the same time, a variant for police use was introduced, featuring an M1892 Krag bayonet lug, and the possibility of using an extended magazine for 20 rounds. [5] For a long time, on the Internet, a photo of a similar rifle from the Cody Firearms Museum (USA), S/N 47357, manufactured in 1935, was presented as a "French order of the First World War", having nothing to do with it. [6]

Patents

The basic design for the Model 1907 is covered by U.S. patent 681,481 issued August 27, 1901, and assigned to Winchester by Thomas Crossley Johnson, a key firearms designer for Winchester. This patent was initially used to protect the design of the rimfire Winchester Model 1903, but came to be applied toward the centerfire Winchester Self Loading rifle series, which includes the Model 1905, Model 1907, and Model 1910. [7]

List of Patents

World War I use

France

The government initially ordered 300 Model 1907 rifles in October 1915 from Winchester, soon followed by an order for 2,500 more rifles. Ammunition orders for these rifles exceeded 1.5 million cartridges of .351SL before 1917. Subsequent orders in 1917 and 1918 totaled 2,200 Model 1907 rifles.

From unknown sources, it was previously claimed that allegedly according to factory records, these rifles were modified for fully automatic fire and fitted with Lee-Navy rifle bayonets. [8] These rifles allegedly were designated by the name of Winchester Model 1907/17, they used either a 15-round magazine or 20-round magazine and fired from 600 to 700 rounds per minute. Ultimately, no evidence of this was found; the above configuration was actually introduced by Winchester in the 1930s for police use and these rifles were never converted to full auto. [9]

Great Britain

According to a November 1, 1916 Winchester internal report, Great Britain's London Armory was sent 120 Model 1907 rifles and 78,000 rounds of .351SL ammunition between December 1914 and April 1916 for use by the Royal Flying Corps. These rifles were specially modified for aerial use by increasing the size of the trigger guard and cocking piece to allow the use of heavy gloves and were intended to use 15-round magazines. [10] These rifles were intended to arm airplane observers. [8] [11]

Russia

The Imperial Russian government is recorded by Winchester as purchasing 500 Model 1907 rifles and 1.5 million rounds of .351SL ammunition through the J.P. Morgan Company in May 1916. [8] [12]

United States

During World War I, a shipment of 19 Model 1907 rifles and 9,000 cartridges of .351 Winchester Self-Loading ammunition was delivered to the 1st Aero Squadron of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps. The shipment was sent to Columbus, New Mexico and was presumably used in arming the squadron's aircraft when it operated in Mexico during the Pancho Villa Expedition. [8] [12]

Law enforcement and criminal use

The Model 1907 was a popular rifle with law enforcement in the United States during much of its production - especially in the 1930s when the police in the United States were upgrading their firearms due to the increase in crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation acquired some Model 1907 rifles in response to the 1933 Kansas City Massacre. [13] It was used by Patrol Inspectors of the U.S. Border Patrol during the late 1920s into the 1930s. [14] Great Depression-era bank robbers such as the Dillinger Gang used modified M1907s during their crime sprees. [15] A Model 1907 imported through Germany was also used in the 1908 assassination of Dom Carlos I of Portugal.

The self-loading nature of the Model 1907 allowed for ready conversion to fully automatic fire, a feature taken advantage by organized crime gangs. Several Model 1907's employed by the Dillinger Gang were modified by the gunsmith Hyman Lebman - known for converting Colt Government 38 super handguns to machine pistols - to be capable of automatic fire. In addition to automatic capability, these modified carbines were altered by barrel shortening and installation of Cutts brand recoil compensators and additional grips, along with commercially available extended magazines. The combination of an intermediate cartridge, automatic fire capability, and moderate recoil lead some historians to refer to these modified Winchester Model 07 carbines as a sort of proto-Assault Rifle. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krag–Jørgensen</span> Norwegian bolt-action rifle

The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 were delivered to Boer forces of the South African Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-shot</span> Firearm that holds one round of ammunition

In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic rifle</span> Type of autoloading rifle

A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger. It uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and automatically loads another cartridge into its chamber. This is in contrast to bolt-action rifles, which require the user to cycle the bolt manually before they can fire a second time, and fully automatic rifles which fire continuously until the trigger is released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action (firearms)</span> Functional mechanism of breech-loading

In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically not present on muzzleloaders, as all those are single-shot firearms with a closed off breech with the powder and projectile manually loaded from the muzzle. Instead, the muzzleloader ignition mechanism is referred to as the lock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1 carbine</span> Auto-loading carbine

The M1 carbine is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was issued to the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by paramilitary and police forces around the world after World War II.

A semi-automatic firearm, also called a self-loading or autoloading firearm, is a repeating firearm whose action mechanism automatically loads a following round of cartridge into the chamber and prepares it for subsequent firing, but requires the shooter to manually actuate the trigger in order to discharge each shot. Typically, this involves the weapon's action utilizing the excess energy released during the preceding shot to unlock and move the bolt, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the chamber, re-cocking the firing mechanism, and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber, all without input from the user. To fire again, however, the user must actively release the trigger, and allow it to "reset", before pulling the trigger again to fire off the next round. As a result, each trigger pull only discharges a single round from a semi-automatic weapon, as opposed to a fully automatic weapon, which will shoot continuously as long as the ammunition is replete and the trigger is kept depressed.

A repeating rifle is a single-barreled rifle capable of repeated discharges between each ammunition reload. This is typically achieved by having multiple cartridges stored in a magazine and then fed individually into the chamber by a reciprocating bolt, via either a manual or automatic action mechanism, while the act of chambering the round typically also recocks the hammer/striker for the following shot. In common usage, the term "repeating rifle" most often refers specifically to manual repeating rifles, as opposed to self-loading rifles, which use the recoil, gas, or blowback of the previous shot to cycle the action and load the next round, even though all self-loading firearms are technically a subcategory of repeating firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magazine (firearms)</span> Ammunition feeding device of a firearm

A magazine, often simply called a mag, is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun or externally attached. The magazine functions by holding several cartridges within itself and sequentially pushing each one into a position where it may be readily loaded into the barrel chamber by the firearm's moving action. The detachable magazine is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "clip", although this is technically inaccurate since a clip is actually an accessory device used to help load ammunition into a magazine or cylinder.

Pump action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to cock the hammer or striker, and then pushed forward to load a new cartridge into the chamber. Most pump-action firearms use an integral tubular magazine, although some do use detachable box magazines. Pump-action firearms are typically associated with shotguns, although it has also been used in rifles, grenade launchers, and other types of firearms. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a pumpgun.

Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge.

The Henry repeating rifle is a lever-action tubular magazine rifle. It is famous for having been used at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and having been the basis for the iconic Winchester rifle of the American Wild West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferdinand Mannlicher</span> Austrian firearms designer (1848 - 1904)

Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher was an Austrian engineer and small arms designer. Along with James Paris Lee, Mannlicher was particularly noted for inventing the en-bloc clip charger-loading box magazine system. Later, while making improvements to other inventors' prototype designs for rotary-feed magazines, Mannlicher, together with his protégé Otto Schönauer, patented a perfected rotary magazine design, the Mannlicher–Schönauer rifle, which was a commercial and military success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intermediate cartridge</span> Firearm ammunition between pistol and full-power rifle

An intermediate cartridge is a rifle/carbine cartridge that has significantly greater power than a pistol cartridge but still has a reduced muzzle energy compared to fully powered cartridges, and therefore is regarded as being "intermediate" between traditional rifle and handgun cartridges.

The Mondragón rifle refers to one of two rifle designs developed by Mexican artillery officer General Manuel Mondragón. These designs include the straight-pull bolt-action M1893 and M1894 rifles, and Mexico's first self-loading rifle, the M1908 - the first of the designs to see combat use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcanic Repeating Arms</span> American firearms manufacturer

The Volcanic Repeating Arms Company was an American company formed in 1855 by partners Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson to develop Walter Hunt's Rocket Ball ammunition and lever action mechanism. Volcanic made an improved version of the Rocket Ball ammunition, and a carbine and pistol version of the lever action gun to fire it. While the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company was short-lived, its descendants, Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Smith & Wesson became major firearms manufactures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchester Model 1905</span> Semi-automatic rifle

The Winchester Model 1905, is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company beginning in 1905 and discontinued in 1920. This rifle loads cartridges from a 5 or 10-round capacity, detachable box magazine located immediately forward of the trigger guard. Winchester offered factory chamberings in .32SL and .35 Winchester Self-Loading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.401 Winchester Self-Loading</span> Rifle cartridge

The .401 Winchester Self-Loading or 10.33x38mmSR is an American rifle cartridge.

The Winchester Model 1910 is a blowback operated semi-automatic rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company beginning in 1910 with production ending in 1936. This rifle is fed from a 4-round capacity, detachable box magazine located immediately forward of the trigger guard. Winchester only chambered the model 1910 in the .401 Winchester Self-Loading or .401 WSL cartridge.

The Winchester Hotchkiss was a bolt-action repeating rifle patented by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss in 1876 and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Springfield Armory from 1878. The Hotchkiss, like most early bolt-actions, had a single rear locking lug integral with the bolt handle, but was unique in feeding multiple rounds from a tubular buttstock magazine similar to the Spencer rifle. The .45-70 Hotchkiss was acquired in limited numbers by the US Navy as the M1879, and by the US Army and several state militias as the M1883, making it the first center-fire bolt-action repeater to be adopted by any major military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Repeating firearm</span> Firearms that can be discharged multiple times after a single ammunition reload from its magazine

A repeating firearm or repeater is any firearm that is capable of being fired repeatedly before having to be manually reloaded with new ammunition from the magazine.

References

  1. Campbell, Dave (December 19, 2017). "A Look Back at the Winchester Model 1907 Rifle". American Rifleman . National Rifle Association of America. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021.
  2. "Winchester Model 1907 self loading rifle". Imperial War Museum. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 West, Bill R. (1964). Winchester For Over a Century. Stockton Trade Press, p. III-5.
  4. Winchester Repeating Arms Company 1907 Guns Catalog Reproduction by Cornell Military Publications. Brighton, MI 48114
  5. "C&Rsenal - Small Arms of WWI Primer 084: French Contract Winchester 1907". YouTube .
  6. "Gunboards Forums - Winchester 1907 self loading with British proofs but no retailer". Archived from the original on November 24, 2022.
  7. US Patent Number 681481
  8. 1 2 3 4 Herbert G. Houze (May 2003). "Winchester's First Self-Loading Rifles". American Rifleman . 151 (5). National Rifle Association of America: 51. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021.
  9. "C&Rsenal - Small Arms of WWI Primer 084: French Contract Winchester 1907". YouTube . Archived from the original on August 11, 2020.
  10. "Royal Flying Corps Model 1907". british military small arms. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  11. Houze, Herbert G. (2004). Winchester Repeating Arms Company: Its History & Development from 1865 to 1981. Krause Publications, p. 182.
  12. 1 2 Schreier, Konrad F. Jr. (1990). Winchester Center Fire Automatic Rifles. Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Armax III(1): Cody, Wyoming, p. 13.
  13. "Bring Enough Gun". Vanderpool, Bill. American Rifleman October 2013 pp. 80-85& 115-116
  14. Unrepentant Sinner: The Autobiography Of Col. Charles Askins, Paladin Press, 1991, ISBN   9780873646192
  15. Dabbs, Will (September 1, 2016). "The war baby's daddy: Winchester's M1907 autoloading rifle". Firearm News. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
  16. Vortisch, Hans-Christian (December 2022). "American 'Gangster Gats': Illicit Automatic Conversions of the Winchester". Armax: The Journal of Contemporary. VIII (2). doi:10.52357/armax41181.