My father just come about owning a well used Winchester model 100 in 308 that fires one time and "JAMS" with the shell stuck in the chamber.
I've heard these guns are prone to jamming and a few other issues.
Would this be something worth resolving, fixing or is this going to be something extensive, ongoing, etc?
Best guess is, the chamber just needs a good polishing and the rifle a good, over-all cleaning...
Take it to a local smith that knows the M100 and have him/her give it a good inspection.. They'll also be able to tell you if the firing pin's been replaced..
Ten four...
But overall is this a gun worth spending any time and money on for the long run?
Um, yes/no, depends a bit on how much use it's had and it's overall condition.. Personally, I wouldn't do much other than a clean, chamber polish and ensure the new firing pin's in place.. These models are prone to a few pita maladies (action bar 'ears' breaking off, rusted gas pistons, extractors that are getting rare AND expensive, stocks that are thin in the waist and crack easily.. etc., etc., etc... )
That answers my question to a "T"... Yeah, we've really got very little interest in it so it may just get stuck in the back of the safe until one day my kids at age 30 discover it and sale it for more than it's worth to some collector dieing to have one. LOL...
Thanks!
Is the extractor broken?
That seems to be a common problem with the Winchester 100 and if that is the problem, it is an easy fix. I've bought a couple of Winchester 100s in 243 and 308 that the previous owners didn't feel were worth repairing and they either needed a good cleaning or the extractors were broken or both issues needed to be addressed, nothing more. The Winchester 100 is really a pretty simple action and if keep clean (and you don't break the extractor, they are pretty rugged and reliable.
I like Wincheser 100s better than the much more popular Remington 740/742/7400 series. I like the 243 version for coyote calling and I like the 308 carbine for still hunting whitetails in thick cover. The only version of the Winchester 100 that I've had serious issues with were those chambered in 284, as they were often very particular about the magazines, not so the 243s or 308s.
Jeff
I'll certainly defer to Redneck's experience with them in terms of potential problems, given his position and visibility to more rifles. That said, my father owns one in .308 that was bought new by my grandfather. Dad made the firing pin switch a while back. As long as they are taken care of properly, you will likely have no problems once you resolve whatever is causing the jam. A good gunsmith who has seen them before will note anything else that could be a problem if it's been abused or just wrung out; excessive wear, etc.
Dad uses his for any hunting he does on foot and it's never had a single jam. He let the action screw loosen in the rear and the bolt stuck closed, his fault, given the age and wear on that assembly, but that ended up being a mere $41.00 fix with the 'smith I use, who happens to own 2 100's himself. Back to normal with his lesson learned and it functions flawlessly again.
I hate to see a 100 get lumped in there with the Remington autoloader pile as a waste of time. I know two guys who hunt with a 742 and 7400, respectively. I've shot both on days I managed to drag either of these guys to the range. The 100 is not the same rifle, in build or reputation.
Best -
Andy
One of the main problems of the 100 is when you start having extraction failures. Usually lack of cleaning the chamber and gas system. When this starts to happen the extractor will pound out the groove cut in the bolt lips. We replaced lots of bolts when they were under warranty. A gauge of about .057 to check the space was used. I don;t know where you can get the bolts now. If someone has the original repair factory manuel on the 100's you might post the correct gauge dimensions. It has been over 30 yrs since I worked on these
Les