Was the Winchester Model 1907 a weapon of war, or was it a weapon for hunting?  You guessed it, a weapon for hunting.  …And what characteristics did this venerable rifle contain you ask?  The Winchester Model 1907 was a blowback-operated semi-auto rifle.  This technology has been around for a long time and has worked well for better than a century.  Interestingly, the model 1907 utilized a detachable box magazine in various capacities.  15, 10, and 5-round magazines were the most common.  The designation “1907” came from the year it was designed and produced.  Note, 1907 preceded both World Wars…

I’ve heard this reliable hunting and general use rifle compared to the military M1 Carbine in terms of the basic design and operation features.  With no small irony, the M1 Carbine (designed in 1938) was neither as robust in terms of build, nor as powerful in terms of chambering.  Thus, the general purpose and hunting-oriented Model 1907 was a cut above what the military was using when a fresh buck Private picked up his M1 Carbine.  From my research, it appears the Model 1907 was offered in .351SL, comparable to the modern .35 Remington.

Doesn’t this fly in the face of the “ban weapons of war” nonsense we here touted in the news and from advocates that don’t know their rectum from a rifle?

I really enjoyed reading “A Look Back at the Winchester Model 1907 Rifle” in the American Rifleman a few years back.  Learning about this rifle and the previous designs that led to the Model 1907 was a fun read.  I certainly gained more respect for T.C. Johnson (Thomas Crosely Johnson) and his multiple designs.  He must have been quite a guy.

When we grasp properly the concept and application of the Winchester Model 1907, we understand the whole “weapon of war” is nonsense.  If you can show me a fundamental design and function difference between the 1907 and the AR15, I’d like to learn about it.  Be smart, folks.  Inform yourselves.  And don’t fall for the nonsense you’re being handed.  When the other team is spouting “weapons of war” they’re shoving propaganda down your throat.  Don’t eat it.

In Libertatem,

Michael Ware
IFC Board