Got a chance to pick up one of these cheap and in excellent condition. One problem, I have zero experience with this lever action model and know even less about the 307. Did some google'ng on the net but came up with very little.
Can someone fill me in, wondering if I should bother buying it. I don't reload and I really don't need another brick to hold doors open with. Thinking of using it for deer in the bush?
I believe the .307 was a fad cartridge long ago whose utility was replaced by the 30-30, for reasons I am unsure of. Go to www.chuckhawks.com and look into it. As for the model '94, many people like it, many people do not, but it has survived this long and there must be a reason for such. My concern with the cartridge would be that of finding factory ammo for it, of which I have never seen. Good luck, let us know what you come up with!
Here's what I know about it. The .307 Win is very similar to the 308 Win, but with a rim. From what I've heard is ballisticly similar to the 300 Savage, so it would make a great deer round. I do not know if the ammo is still in production. For reloading it will take any standard .308 caliber bullets, but because of the tube feed 94 only round or flat nosed would be wise. I believe that Winchester came out with the round in the early 1990s, but it never really caught on.
The .307 is a .308 Winchester with a rim. It was chambered only in the Winchester Model 94 Big Bore, with the beefed up frame. It is a very desireable varient of Winchester Model 94. You better not wait too long to buy it, because regardless of price it will not last long. Winchester lever finatics will pay through the nose for them. You can reload the .307 with .308 loading dies. The caliber has a very good reputation as an accurate and powerful hunting round.
Since you don't reload I would pass on is gun. Factory ammo can be difficult to find and selection is very limited. The 307 was chambered for only a few years in the 80's, if I remember correctly, and was never a popular round. The 307 is basically a rimmed 308 and gives similar performance.
If you're interested in a lever gun with a longer range and more power than a 30-30 I would look at either a Browning BLR or a used Savage 99. Both rifles are available in 308Win and can shoot spitzer bullets.
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The 307 was introduced in the late 80's to give hunters 300 Savage performance from a carbine length lever action. As was stated the receiver walls were beefed up to handle the higher pressures associated with the cartridge and the case dimensions are that of a 308 with a rim. Winchester unfortunately introduced it about 30 years too late. Why have a 308 class cartridge with sub 308 performance and it never really took with hunters. Ballistally it is equal to the 300 Savage and slightly behind the 308 due to thicker case walls reducing internal capacity and the need to use 30-30 bullets. Factory ammo is not being produced but can still be found if you search long enough, brass is produced by Winchester on a seasonal basis. If you want something that may become collectable, buy it. Winchester 94 AE's are the only gun ever produced in 307, Savage did list it in the catalog but never went to production.
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I currently have a BLR in 308 Win (love it), so I wasn't sure if i really wanted or needed this rifle. But the deal may be too sweet to pass up. Will phone around today to see how available ammo really is. Winchester still lists this ammo in their catalogue?
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/p...UM69D4HFVS6AV1
Price has gone down some since I last purchased. By the way this is the only loading offered. I handload 150 and 170 gr bullets for this cartridge. If you plan on shooting these I recommend a good recoil pad.
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Obama=The Fourth Reich,
Just look at the parallels of the Nazi regime and the Obama Administration amazingly similar arent' they.
I respectfully disagree that the ammo is no longer available. Get on the web and look it up, and see for yourself. I won't argue the "hypotheticals" of what caliber is better than another, but I have personally seen this ammo for sale in quite a few gunshops. I got blasted by other shooters for stocking up on .350 Rem. Mag. for my Model 660, but when you couldn't find it, I had plenty. It's a moot point now, but I you want the .307 then snag it and start buying and stocking up on either loaded ammo, brass, or both. Many rifles have better performance in the field than they do on paper. I have found that those who get wrapped around the axle on paper ballistic charts usually have very little field experience actually hunting.
Model 94 in 307 Winchester
