Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Winchester Model 100

I am considering purchasing a model 100 soon, why? Because I love all things Winchester and the price is right. 😀 Looking out here in the forums for information and there seems to be a sever lack of love for this firearm. By lack I mean any discussion around it our it's brother the model 88. Is there a reason for this? By the way I was here looking for information on scope mount bases and rings for the model 100.

Frank

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If you love all things Winchester, you might want to stay away from a M100 . . . because there is a good chance it will spoil your record. I've messed with two of them, both my late father's, and that'll do it for me.

The first, a .243, had a bent barrel right out of the factory. But it took a few years to discover it. My father was more of a hunter than a dedicated shooter, and it wasn't until I got older and starting messing with it before I determined the accuracy was as bad as it was. I figured I could get it to shoot with handloads, as it was back int the day when factory ammo was not as accurate as it is today. It also required small base dies to reload, even brass that was once fired in the same rifle. I couldn't get it to do better than 3"-4" at 100. My .270 at the time was almost always sub 1", five shots, factory it liked or my handloads. The issue wasn't me. Finally, I noticed the barrel was bent. Who would expect that?! My dad took good care of his guns and didn't use them hard, so that barrel was bent from day one.

The second, a .308, traded used for the .243 (and I was upfront with the gun store, as I consider them friends), developed extraction issues, as in not always extracting. Or perhaps it always had them and my dad lived with it. Again, he was a hunter more than a shooter. He usually shot his deer pretty close and one shot almost always did the job, so I can see him letting that slide. "One shot, dead deer, no problem." Plus by then I was busy at college. When my dad passed on to the hunting grounds in the sky, I kept what I liked, so the M100 was sold to a friend. When it developed, or always had?, extraction issues, I felt obligated to try to fix it. I had the gun, there was a divorce (my friend, not me), "she" got some of the guns, but the M100 "got lost." I still have the damn thing and someday I hope to fix it. Nothing rough about the chamber. Rounds easily slide out after they won't extract. Run a cartridge in by "letting the bolt fly", and the extractor hops over the rim fine. You can slightly withdraw the bolt and the cartridge comes with it. Then shoot it and the damn thing stays in the chamber. Nothing looks damaged or worn about the extractor. I finally bought a new extractor and I hope to hell it fixes it. If I ever get the damn thing working, I'm just going to give it back to my friend and call it good. At least this one is a sub 2" gun most all the time.

So, long winded, but can you tell I'm done with M100 Winchesters? For me, "price is right" means "how much are you going to pay me to take it?!"

More people like the M88, but few like the triggers. The Savage 99 and Browning BLR seem more popular if you want a lever action in a "modern" cartridge. But neither is a Winchester if you are a real Winchester fan.
FWIW, I believe they use the same scope bases and magazines.

Buddy, we have the same kind of luck. I broke an extractor on a 308, because I think i loaded them too hot. 47 grains of RL15 anda 150gr hornady interlock was too much. Had to drop it back down to 45 grains and buy a new extractor. Of course we all have had to replace the dang firing pin because of the recall too. Thats a very easy job, but something that still needs to be brought up. The straw that broke the camel's back was when the top half of the charge handle flew off when i was shooting it. I later found out those were a 2 piece unit. As for accuracy, i didnt buy the m100 expecting great accuracy. When i first bought it, it was a bonafide 2moa rifle. After glass bedding, it would shoot moa 3 shot groups, which exceeded my accuracy expectations. If someone wants to buy a m100 just to collect, i suggest the older ones (pre 64), before the hideous basket weave checkered stock. The one i had was made in '61 and it was a nice rifle. It functioned very well, but i also keep my guns cleaner than most do. Like i said, if that damn charging handle wouldn't have flown off, id probably still have it. Remember to load them light and your extractor will last. I believe they suggest to use the m14 data. Do not use light magnum or superformance loads in one, or you'll be asking for trouble.

Had one in 308 back in the mid 70's. It was by a long shot, the worst rifle I have ever owned. Too many problems to list, and probably more than I remember. Fwrogg, there are lots of nice Winchester rifles out there, but the model 100 isn't one of them.

I used to hunt with a guy that used one. He fired four or five rounds of factory 308 a year, and under those conditions he didn't have any problems with it. I guess that damns the rifle with faint praise.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience, what you have shared is what I find others reporting, they either work or they don't and when they don't few have been successful in resolving it. I have other Winchesters and Savage rifles, but always thought these m100 were interesting, but I like to shoot and cannot stand a problematic gun, so this looks like a no-go.

Frank

There are some good ways to get a "serious" cartridge in a semi-auto, but they won't say "Winchester" unless it is a Winchester M1 Garand.

First thing I did was get it CLEAN. Everywhere, but especially around the extractor. Didn't help. I'm really hoping the new extractor solves it. Maybe I should ping Redneck before I do anything else?

I have owned at least a dozen Winchester 100s and still have 3, 1x243 and 2x308.

The only problem that I've ever had with them is that I had to replace an extractor on a 308, other than that the 243s and 308s have functioned fine if kept spotlessly clean. The triggers aren't what you;d call "crisp", but these are hunting rifles, not target rifles.

The 284s that I've had were all very sensitive to the magazine, in that some rifles would work with some magazines, but not with other magazines that appeared to be identical.

I like the 100s better than the 88s and have only kept 4 88s around because they are chambered in 284, 2xcarbines and 2xrifles.

Your extractor is broken. It doesnt matter how clean it is, its not going to work right until you change it.

When you take the extractor out, you might want to do it with the bolt inside a jumbo size ziplock bag. The spring is small and the first time that I replace an extractor the spring disappeared and has not been seen since.

The extractor may be "wrong" somehow, and need replacing, but it is not obviously broken.
Repeating: "Nothing looks damaged or worn about the extractor."
The above was from checking it out with a good bit of magnification.
I think it may have something to do with how tightly and smoothly the extractor slides in its groove.
You know how these things are (like 260Remguy's magazines above), one works, one doesn't, and you cannot find a thing different between the two. I just hope one works!

Noted! Message received!

Thats excellent advice right there.

Not disagreeing with anything already said but:

The Winchester model 100 was better that any Jamington model 740, 742, Model 4 or 7400 ever made.

I remember I bought a Model 4 in 7mm Express (280 rem) in about 1982. I think it jammed the first time I shot it.
Sent it back to Remington and they put a new barrel on it and it didn't jam every time I shot it, but still couldn't ever put a full clip through it without a jam. What a worthless POS that gun was. Haven't owned a Remington since.

Wish I'd have bought a model 100 or BAR

I'm no automatic expert, far from it. That said, the semi-auto that is not a "black rifle" or an M1A that seems to have few complaints sent its way over the years is the BAR. I don't know if that is because it works, or because there aren't many out there. But I'm willing to bet there are more BAR's out in the world than M100's.

I had one for a while. Like you I have a thing for Winchester so I added it to my "collection" just to have an example of the 100. It shot incredibly well (apparently they are inconsistent shooters but this one shot nickles at 100 yards) but like others have said it had feeding issues about every other magazine. I sold it to add (another) featherweight 70 to my collection. My advice. If you want it as an example of this particular Winchester product go for it. If you want it as a reliable hunting rifle, be warned. You might have issues.

Good advice, for me it would be basically a bench shooter at the range a few times na year. So basically it is just to have in my collection and someday hope to add a model 88 also.

Um, the "price is right" for a reason.. [/quote]

Smart man...

I've never had any trouble interchanging 243 and 308 magazines, but I've had a lot of trouble interchanging 284 magazines.

You probably know this, but I'll say it anyway - there are two different extractors for the M100, depending on serial number range.. Just FYI..

Redneck,

Thank you so much for telling me that. If I did know that, I forgot it. I'm pretty sure but not positive that I bought the extractor from Jack First. I hope I have the correct one. Is there an obvious way to tell if I have the right one?

(A sad update is my friend who I originally sold the rifle to and who I was planning to give it back to died suddenly this past Sunday morning. Cardiac arrest, probably a blood clot due to a recent difficult surgery. He was 64, which seems too young, especially to me! But I know his son, and if I can get the damn thing working the rifle will go to him.)

It's been a while since I worked with those - probably 7-8 years now.... I don't have any of the extractors left but I recall a slight difference in those if you place 'em side by side..

The S/N to note is 119,000... I originally obtained 'em from Gunpatch Parts Depot - and the part number for those above that S/N is #6300.. For 119,000 and below, it's part #1200..

Did Jack First ask you for the S/N of the rifle when you called?

Redneck,

Thank you for the reply. I honestly don't remember if Jack First asked me about S/N. This is one of those "back burner" things, and I bought the extractor a long time ago.

I can compare them side by side, and with the info you have given me about S/N number and part number, maybe I can find a part number on the envelope it came in (plus I sometime store receipts with the parts.)

I vaguely recall something about a difference, perhaps having to do with the countersunk hole that the spring loaded plunger pushed into in order to force the extractor to the "rest" position?

I hope this is the last M100 I ever have to deal with. Between it being one of my father's guns that I didn't like, and now my friend dying unexpectedly, I particularly want to be shed of this one!

Thats good info. If i remember Correctly, my old time smith (now retired) knew exactly which one i needed, since mine was a first year (early model) rifle.

Sorry to hear of your friends passing, but great gesture giving it to his son. Hope it works fine after the update.

I hope it works fine too. Thank you for the condolences about my friend.
Don't give me too much credit. My friend bought the rifle from me years ago. It isn't mine. In the "fog of divorce" I ended up with it. I don't know who it rightfully should go to, but I picked the person who bought it to start with. He unexpectedly passed. His son is the logical choice. All I would do is sell it or trade it, and that wouldn't be right.