What do y’all think of these rifles. I’m going to pick one up. Let me know the good and the bad. Thanks

The cleaner you keep it, the better it'll run.

Check to be sure the firing pin has been replaced. They had a recall on them. Winchester will send you a new one, but you have to contact them with your serial # to check to see if its been changed. They are good rifles, but do need to be kept clean to operate well. Also, if you handload, keep pressures on the lower side. They do not like hot loads. Your extractor will thank me later for keeping the loads mild. They can be made to shoot well. One I had would shoot 3/4" 3 shot groups, but there are some tricks to that. Also, be very careful when removing the action from the stock. You do NOT want to break the stock. Replacements are hard to find and expensive! The charging handle is a 2 piece unit and has been known to come apart. The magazines are also hard to find and expensive, so hopefully you get more than 1 with your rifle. Guys that work on them, like redneck, can add to the list, I'm sure. Just relaying what I've personally seen with them.

I had one in 284 Win., it shot well and was accurate enough...there was a firing pin issue with them.

I was given one for “free” by a family member about ten years ago. After spending 400 bucks to get it operational, I’ve found it works fine sometimes as a single shot. That is, if it’s in the mood to eject the brass. Mine uses a model 88 magazine, which might be part of the problem.

If I had to do it all over again, I’d have said no thanks.

Had to:

Weld the broken operating rods

Polish chamber

Replace firing pin

Repair cracked stock, broken when previous owners disassembled it

I guess, I'm a lucky one. I have one it was given to me from my father before he passed.
It's a .308 Win. It hasn't had anything done to the firing pin (for an update) This rifle shoots good. Like others have said, keep it clean and it works great.

I have never read up why the change was needed on the firing pin.

Take care.

Sounds like you need to replace the extractor too.

I’ll have to go back and check the receipt, but I’m fairly sure the gunsmith replaced it. I could be wrong though.

I really like mine. Perfect hog gun here in the GA swamps. LOVES Federal Hi SHoks and WW 150 Power Points.

My grandfather bought a .308 M100 new, kept it clean and hunted with it for well over a decade. When he passed, it went to my uncle, who gave it to my dad after a few years. They both used it trouble free before and after my dad had the firing pin recall replacement done. It's still going strong. Original magazine, no issues.

All my dad shoots in it are Federal PowerShok 150's, although it did just fine with the early 2000's vintage CoreLokt 150's, too, when I mounted and sighted in a new scope for him. Holds 1.25-1.5" for 3 at 100 yds off of bags, handles well and points easy in the field.

I've never hand loaded for it, as he's content with the factory loads. I found it to be a little hard on brass, so maybe that's just as well, and that would be the only con I've ever found with the rifle. I like it a helluva lot better than the three 740/742/750 Remingtons that an old hunting partner of ours has gone through in the last 30 years.

Third rifle I ever owned. Big improvement over my 94 Winchester. Later after I had on to better things I was really sorry I had sold it.
Hasbeen

I've got one in 308win with an old weaver scope. Rifle is in perfect condition and so far has operated fine. Reminds me in looks of an large ruger 10/22, at least from a distance.

The reason I picked it up was my dad drew an Idaho moose tag but had trouble manipulating a bolt rifle with his Parkinsons disease. The model 100 allowed him to use a rifle and he ended up shooting an large bull at 423yds. Broke the neck and instant dead with Federal 180 blue box. Good times and memories made. Glad I spent the time with him while he was here. Now I don't have a use for the 100. I'm a lefty and have a pile of lefty bolt rifles and classic leverguns.

Had one, was accurate but liked to let go of rounds instead of ejecting them. Amazingly they will work fine with out the disconnector parts.

I've owned several Winchester 100s, at least 2 each in 243, 284, and 38, and, except for the 284 magazine quirks, have never had any problems with the 243s and 308s if they were kept clean and properly lubricated. I still have 2x 308, a carbine and a cut-down rifle, and a 243 rifle. One of my 2 favorite still-hunting rifles is the Winchester 100 in 308 that a previous owner had the barrel cut-down to 17". It is short, handy, quick to the shoulder, and points good, just the ticket for jump shooting game in the woods.

The only design problem that I see in the Winchester 100 is that removing the barreled action from the stock is more difficult for the average guy than seems necessary, resulting in less maintenance being done and inhibiting the cleaning and proper lubrication. The only parts that I've had to replace on any Winchester 100 have been the ejector and extractor parts, but they have failed often enough that I keep a couple sets of those parts in my parts bins. GPC has the ejector and extractor parts in stock. If you buy the Winchester 100 that you're thinking about, I'd recommend that you buy those parts, including the springs, plungers, and pins so that you'll have them when you need them. These parts, particularly the extractors, are prone to fail, so it is more of a situation of when they will fail rather than if they will fail.

This is my perspective based on my actual experience with the Winchester 100.

I hope you're aware that there are TWO different extractors for the M100 - based on the S/N of the rifle.. Obtain the wrong one and you'll not have a happy day..

Keep some handy.

Indeed!!

I am aware of the different extractors, GPC has both in stock, I looked before I posted my previous comments.

How many Winchester 100s have you owned?

If any at all, what problems did you encounter?

I watched a friend wrestle with his, so I never had the desire to own one. It was always something, but I'll admit the particulars are beyond my recollection having occurred over thirty-five years ago with a rifle that wasn't mine.

A sample size of 1 isn't statistically significant out of a universe of 262,838.

Fair enough. How about six?

My probability and statistics professor at Northeastern University, Bob Parsons, taught us that the smallest statistically significant number in a random sample is 30. A random sample size of 30 will get you on the target, more than 30 is dialing in the zero.

I've probably owned 15 or so Winchester 100s over the past 40 years, not enough to be statistically significant. The only problems that I had with Winchester 100s was that the 284 magazines would work fine in some rifles and not work well in other, it drove me nuts and it prompted me to quit on the 284s. The 243/308 magazines have all worked fine if they weren't damaged.

With over a quarter millions of them made, there were bound to be some lemons in the basket.

So here is an issue that my 100 exhibits from time to time. After firing three rounds, the last one fails to eject. When I pull it out, the spent cartridge is COLD, indicating there was no gas present to eject (the other two that ejected corrclty are VERY hot). I do have a spare gas gizmo...

I have a 22LR that is a dead ringer for a 100. Winchester, I think it is a model 490 if my old brain is still workin. It has been a good one.

FYI
I have a set of Pachmeyer pivot mount base/rings that fit model 88 and 100 if anyone is interested.
Tim

Back in the '60's when we all hunted out of deer camps that drove deer for one another, a M100 .308 carbine seemed to be just the ticket. Aside from it being a little fat around the grip, the mushy trigger and my lack of lubrication knowledge with WD40 gummed mine up, that little carbine always worked pretty well even with handloads. I seem to remember that it didn't do too badly at the range either. We had an old curmudgeon range officer who took every opportunity to tell me what a pos I had there. Probably a Redneck relative, but respectable 100 yard groups stifled him somewhat. Growing up shooting 870 and 1100's made me think that an early Tootsie Roll forearm 742 carbine would be better. Both those carbines have been replaced by one and done bolt actions, but they did the job when we thought our hunting methods needed them.

I have 2 Winchester 100s, one in 308 and the other in 284 Winchester. The only caution I'd mention is in taking it apart for cleaning, know the correct procedure. The action rods are easily bent if you don't pay attention. One of mine needed the new firing pin which was no problem to get from Winchester. Both shoot really well and I have had no problems at all with reliable function. If I come across a deal on one in 243 or 358, I'll likely add it to my accumulation...