Winchester .351 model 1907 self loading rifle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winchester model 1907 self loading rifle (.351)
Winchester’s first semi-automatic rifle was the Model 1903 blowback in .22 caliber. Since standard .22 cartridge's were not uniform as to powder charge, this often resulted in the ’03 failing to reload.
Winchester then developed a uniformly charged automatic cartridge, However, due to the need of the special cartridge, trade was slow, and only 123,000 or so were manufactured by the time the rifle was discontinued in 1936.
The ’03 was followed by the .32-caliber Model ’05, which utilized the same basic design. Although Winchester had spent two years developing a blowback that fired a heavier cartridge, the ’05 was still underpowered. Therefore, regular production halted after serial number 29,113 in 1914.
The Model 1907 was Winchester’s answer to its customers’ requesting a self-loader capable of firing a more powerful round. Its .351 caliber, capable of penetrating a quarter-inch steel plate, became the company’s bestseller of the blowback repeaters, with a production run in excess of 58,000.
The .351 caliber, was only used in this production rifle.
