School me on the Winchester 100

Suther

Suther

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I've been thinking about picking up a Winchester 100 for some time now, and every time I look at one on the EE I keep hesitating because I don't really know much about these rifles.

1) First and foremost, how are these for reliability? I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about the Remington semi autos (740, 7400, 750), does the Winchester 100 have a better reputation?

2) Ammo compatibility. How picky are these? I'd probably be looking at one in 308win. Do they run nicely with a range of common weights (150-180)? What about handloads - if its a bit low or a bit high on pressure compared to factory ammo would that cause the gun to not cycle reliably or beat itself up?

3) Parts. I know these are older guns that haven't been made in some time, so I suspect parts availability is limited and costly? Are there any specific parts that tend to break on these?


Anything else you would tell someone new to this platform? Anything you wish you knew before you got one?

Thanks!
 
Suther, I have never owned one but have shot one may times, a friend has 3 one in .308, .243 and .284 Winchester. He has had them for 20 - 30 years and swears by them. The only problem that I know they have had is broken or stuck firing pins, this is a well known problem and Winchester has a fix for them, at one time it was free, all you had to do is give them the serial number and they would send you the parts, I believe they still provide parts but believe you now have to pay shipping
 
On of the most common things to break was one of the arms connected to the action. The gunsmith I took it to had fixed many of them in his years. He tig welded it and I put it back together and traded it off to him on a brand new rifle.
 
make sure the firing pin has been done... they still do them free in canada....2 gunsmiths....but you pay to get it there they pay the rest they do shoot well but no dirty brass like old military stuff.... decent weight ...nice to carry only ever shot 308......extra clips about 100$ but......the 2 i had shot well ...very well ...i sold one to my best friends son whom i hunt with each deer season.......keep them clean and enjoy a part of history .. if you remove the clip turn the gun over and look at the bottom of the bolt when its closed...some smiths stamped a letter A or P on the bolt when they changed the firing pin..........they will blow up if the original firing pin seperates into 2 parts....when the parts do not align on the bolt closing the pin protrudes in front of the bolt face and the next round will fire out of battery ...or if you like when the bolt is closed but not locked yet NOT GOOD the problem was not often BUT enough for a major recall..know you know ............don
 
A great rifle in it's day....but now old and parts are very hard to obtain, most parts not available and it is on Canada's s h i t list, soon to be confiscated if the turd has his way.
 
Early in my hobby, I did a lot of warranty work on the Model 100. I still change around 3 firing pins a year for the recall. Decent rifle if kept clean. Most issues have been pointed out already. I still have parts for them.
 
Went hunting with some dude several yrs ago. I asked him if his model 100 ever jammed. No he replied. Then he shot a moose but couldn't finish it off because the gun was jammed. Nice looking, nice history but for hunting all I can say is good luck.
 
I've owned several of them and they're a wonderfully built, attractive, and reliable rifle for the most part. They are finicky about ammo and if you can produce a 1-1/2" group at 100 yds., you're doing well. They are also a bit of pig when it comes to disassembly and cleaning the gas system, which is critical in any semi auto. You should have a 1/16" or 3/32" pin punch and good solvent to clean the powder residue and some basic mechanical skills are a real help. Not to brag, but I normally only need one shot to drop my game and after a lot of thought, I ended up selling my Mod.100 and going with another bolt gun which I hope will produce sub-MOA groups for me.
 
I own several 100's all calibers .243,.284,.308. All work reliably .
Keep them clean as mentioned by others .
Lots of videos on You Tube for disassembly and reassembly I do mine often and it is not a difficult task at all.
Be sure to fully open and hold action open when removing the assembled barrel and action from the stock. Failure to do this is a reason for damaged model 100 stocks.
Regards !
 
Hello
I have ordered a firing pin replacement via the recall center, and installed it my self. They give you a cheque for 20$ to pay the gunsmith. I have another rifle that needs doing, but I haven't tried the process again. Perhaps someone in Canada stocks and sells the pins?
I do like them. The 308 is light in hand.
 
jakebrake said:
I don’t see it on the list
Click to expand...

It doesn't need to be on the list, its a semi-auto with detachable mags, and Google shows me at least one company made a 7 round magazine for it, which means it would meet their new definition of Prohibited Weapon. Which is a ####ing travesty for guns like this, the Rem 740/etc, Browning BAR, etc etc.

Everyone else, thanks for your input.

kamlooky said:
Iff’in yer awf the reloading sort, full length resize yer brass.
Awkward moments become less.
Click to expand...

I typically FL resize anyways, but good to know.
 
Gary V said:
Hello
I have ordered a firing pin replacement via the recall center, and installed it my self. They give you a cheque for 20$ to pay the gunsmith. I have another rifle that needs doing, but I haven't tried the process again. Perhaps someone in Canada stocks and sells the pins?
I do like them. The 308 is light in hand.
Click to expand...

Go back to post #6 and reed it slowly............... :wave:
 
We have had one in the family since 1962. Works great as long as you keep the internals clean and your ammo clean. It can be tricky to disassemble and reassemble, but its not rocket science. The big issue as this time is the M-100 going on Trudeau's list. No use of anyone buying one if you can not use it.
 
Over the years I have thought about buying one of these rifles.Knew a couple of people who had them,with no problems.One fellow sold his and the other died.Maybe one of these days I will get around to owning one.:)
 
I ran across this yesterday on the Sako Collectors Club forum. It is an opinion from one of the three or four most knowledgeable forum members:

"Just a side note - I recently read a list of the 5 or 10 "worst hunting rifles ever." The Winchester 100 was on it, for reasons too numerous to list. Among other things, the gas system tended to clog and the magazine would accumulate crud and jam. Neither could easily be cleaned. I never wanted a Win 100 anyway, but that closed the deal."

This post was in response to some discussion in the same thread about the Sako A73, Sako’s one and only semi-automatic centerfire rifle. The A73 (which bears an external resemblance to the Winchester 100) never really hit the market, and, as far as I can tell, only a handful were ever built, some being prototypes. One member on the Sako Collectors Club forum has what might be the only one in North America. Picture below:

p2DrD0Y.jpg
 
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