[veer1987]

i want to sell my ".351 wsl 1907" used in world war1.
any idea about what price can be expected for it.
?

[veer1987]

he print on the barreel says:

MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARM CO.
NEW HAV NN CON USA SELF LOADING MODEL **** DAT * AUG 27.
-351 nickel steel BAPP*

and one more line that i cannot read.

[veer1987]

manufactured by the winchester repeating arms co.
new haven conn U.S.A. self loading model 1907 pat aug-27
dec 10 . 01 feb 10 . 02 feb. 17 . dec. 22 . 03. aug 21 oct 30. 06. jul 5. 10

-.351 CAL

nickel steel barrel especially for smokeless powder.

[Dr.Rob]

You're possibly talking well over $5000 US Dollars, esp. with documented providence and the fame of this general. Problem is I have NO idea what the arms market is like in India.

For instance, US generals don't usually fire shots in anger, but a documented WW1 pistol belonging to General Pershing or Patton would be worth tens of thousands of dollars vs. a lesser known general. The providence is everything in such an item.

A standard Winchester 1907 in .351 might bring $1000 in good shape.

[veer1987]

i hav no doccumented proof as of now... lemme see if i can get it frm sumwhr..
thnx for help neway.

[Ron James]

:( With out proven provenience ( no oral history, that's useless ), all you have is a used Winchester .351 . And that would be the value, No more, no less, sorry abut that.

[Jim Watson]

Getting it from India to someplace where someone would be interested and allowed to buy it will be a problem. Not to mention finding ammunition for it, as you have failed to do.

[Dr.Rob]

Yeah we can get ammo for it here in the states but it sounds like you have a rifle that's nigh impossible to find ammo for where you are at.

[veer1987]

.357 is what is available here, summone told tht we can get it turned on the lathe and get it made to .351...
wat say?

[Dr.Rob]

.351 is a rimless case and .357 is a rimmed case. To put the kind of high pressure rifle powder in a lathed make-do pistol case is asking to have it blow up in your face. The case walls are not thick enough to trim to fit, plus the 351 is longer than 357. Even if you could 'fire form' a .357 case, you're still creating brass I wouldn't rely on.

The thing to do, is ask a local firearms dealer if its possible to import UNLOADED brass into India, then look into making your own ammo. You'll need small rifle primers and .351 sized bullets (or .352 if you cast lead bullets, Lyman makes a mold.)

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,165.html has .351 Brass made from other cases to exactling standards (probably from .35 Remington brass)

http://www.grafs.com/metallic/813 Two brands of brass, neither is cheap.

Also I found info this rifle was issued to French troops in WW1, but I have found no source saying they were standard issue in India.

[veer1987]

i have found the bullets...
but the dealer says he will not take any guarantee of them firing properly
as they are very very old, b'coz the company had stopped producing it a long back.

i want to know, what can be the consequences if i use the old ammo.. its approximately 25-30years old...

[Ron James]

The age of the ammo is of less consequence than the condition in which it was stored. Properly stored ammo will last longer than you or I. To answer your question about what will happen by using old ammo? I think the only bad thing that might happen is the ammo may fail to fire. :)

[Jim K]

Old ammunition is likely to have corrosive primers, so if you fire any, make sure to clean the gun very well, using hot water in the barrel, followed by patches with bore cleaner and oil. If that is not done, the barrel will quickly rust in a humid area.

Jim

[veer1987]

what all oils etc can be used to clean the barrel?
can i use kerosine?
or should i clean it using a brush on the tip of a thin stick...?

[Sunray]

The .351 Win case dimensions are here. http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd351winchesterslr.jpg
The .357 Mag case dimensions are here. http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd357remingtonmagnum.jpg
You won't be making .351 brass out of a .357.
"...want to sell my ".351 wsl 1907" used in World War 1..." Condition is everything. Post a picture and where you are. Values in India have nothing whatever to do with values anywhere else. The Indian general means nothing.

[veer1987]

what all oils etc can be used to clean the barrel?
can i use kerosine?
or should i clean it using a brush on the tip of a thin stick...?

[rcmodel]

You need a real cleaning rod, bronze bore brush, and jag tip for holding cotton patches.
Use kerosene if that's all you can get, but real gun cleaning solvent would be better.

I don't recommend using a stick, as you are very likely to get a brush or patch stuck in the bore and have a real mess on your hands getting it out.

rc

[Dr.Rob]

Wouldn't hesitate to shoot 20-30 year old ammo. Buy a cleaning kit.

Some replacement parts are available here:

http://www.e-gunparts.com/products_new.asp?CatID=7372

But you may need to check on importation restrictions on some items.

[veer1987]

why do u want me to buy replacement.. d gun is perfectly fine..

[Ron James]

Since parts for these old guns are scarce,Dr. Rob posted a site where , If needed, some repair parts can be obtained. Kerosene is a very gun cleaner for your gun, it's not the best, but will suffice. After cleaning it should be wiped down with a very fine grade of light oil, however if nothing else is available, then a light grade of engine oil will do. I understand that you have to adapt to the availability of produces.

[gyvel]

Old ammunition is likely to have corrosive primers,

"25-30" year old ammunition will not have corrosive priming. I fact, as far as I know, .351 was only ever loaded as commercial ammunition (at least in the U.S.), and was never primed with corrosive priming.

[rcmodel]

Never say never.

The .351 Winchester first came out in 1907.

Non-corrosive primers were not in wide use in the U.S. until Remington put their "Kleanbore" priming on the market in 1927.
Virtually all U.S. commercial ammunition has been loaded with non-corrosive primers since about 1930.

So there was a 23 year "window" when .351 WSL was loaded with corrosive primers, and an even longer period until old stocks of corrosive ammo had been used up.

rc

[DWFan]

The .351 Self Loading has head dimensions similar to a .38 Super, making it a semi-rim case, not rimless. Cases can't be made from .357 Magnum brass, but they can be made from .357 Maximum brass.

[Dr.Rob]

I'm pretty sure 357 Maximum brass isn't available in India either.

.35 Remington is the 'parent case' for most reloads.

[351 WINCHESTER]

I'm not sure what is meant by "parent case", but I can assure you the .35 Remington isn't even close to the .351 slr.

[.45Guy]

It can be done with .357 brass. Of course it will be a bit short, much like blowing out .30WCF to form .38-55. Here is a picture of an original Peters .35WSL next to one of my turned .38Spcl rounds. BTW, nobody calls me three finger McGee as of yet...