A little oddity I thought I'd share. Winchester 1905 in .351 WSL

[Levon12345]

I bought this at an auction a few months ago. I basically wanted a handy carbine to take with me wherever I hike and these old birds fit that bill nicely. The .351 WSL is no slouch of a cartridge and the rifle feels great in the hands. Dense for it's size, but handy. I made .351 brass and swaged bullets to reload for it and I really enjoy shooting this thing. Then I noticed oddities while looking at photos of other ones. First off, it has a straight stock.
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Odd. Next, it actually says 1905 on the tang.
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Hold up a minute, the barrel (and magazine) both say .351.
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I'm not certain if a 1905's .35 WSL magazine is the same size as the 1907's .351 or if if the magazine well had to be modified but it appears to be factory.
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Next, it appears someone hated taking off their front sight to disassemble the rifle so modified the front barrel band and the shoulder on the barrel it sits on.
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I wonder if this started life as a .35 cal and someone slapped a .351 barrel on it and did the rest of the modifications.

Overall, great rifle. Just thought I'd share this oddity with the community. If any winchester collectors know of anything to do with this, chime in and educate me.

 

[RRH.01]

https://joesalter.ca/products/winchester-model-1905-in-35-cal

The 351 is odd but people have converted them although it may not be the best idea, the rest I believe is factory including the barrel band. Far from an expert but have always had a sentimental attachment to the 1905/07.

https://vintagesemiautorifle.proboards.com/thread/1107/converting-1905-351sl

 

[pmatuk]

on the WSL 1905/1907/1910 the threads on the barrels are all the same ,but the buffer areas do differ 1905 exposed ,the 1907 the buffer cup is part of the barrel and has a cap over the buffer and the 1910 has a separate cup and cap that sits on a base type step

now for the fore end cap that is the correct cap for the 1905 and it looks like the threads for the nut on the 1907 have been turned off .There should be a channel cut where the screw goes through to secure the cap and hod it level in place

as for the mag well they are the same on the 05 and 07 so the mags will fit each other ,the 32 has a bit narrower front feed lip area ,35 has a blocker in the front for the shorter cartridge and the 07 is as you have

also the check the ejector if it appears to have been altered ,ground back a bit then it was probably a 35WSL re barreled with a 351 barrel

the butt stock is correct for 05s and the 07 pistol grip style will also fit the 05 also. The holes for the tang sight were done sometime in its life

I will say not original ,but kept shootable
Cheers Peter

 

[28 gauge]

What pmatuk says.He knows more about these rifles than any one I have heard of.Copper jacked .351 bullets are available from Xreload.Have used them in my Model 07 and they work well.

 

[Levon12345]

Awesome info, thanks!