Introduction
Every now and then I happen upon a neat little rifle I’d never heard of. Nowadays its easy both to not know all the rifles of previous generations as well as be a little nerded out with them. Today I am bringing you one of those stories, about an old rifle that I happened into and caught my attention. The rifle is a Winchester Model 100 chambered in .243 Winchester.
Winchester introduced the Model 100 over 50 years ago, as a short-action semi-automatic hunting rifle. It shares some similar features with Winchester’s model 88 lever action rifle. Having no experience with this rifle, I was a bit inquisitive to see how it worked. As well as interested in seeing how this blast from the past stood up to our modern expectations. If you’re ready for a trip back in time, follow along to revisit this old Winchester.
Read the Conclusion Here
Winchester Model 100
The Model 100 surprised me with its simplicity. Being a bit of mechanical nerd, I simply had to disassemble the rifle not only to see how it worked but also to inspect and clean it. The Model 100 has a traditional walnut stock like most firearms of the era. Bedded inside this carved wooden stock, the receiver and barrel of the rifle are bolted down. Midway down the bore is a downward facing gas block with a gas tube that receives the gas piston.
The piston is attached to a yoked set of operating rods made from flat bars. Two op-rods reach behind the bolt carrier and hook forward to attach to it. The return springs are mounted in front of the magwell and push the back of the gas piston boss.
The reciprocating charging handle is attached to the right op-rod and extends out near the bolt carrier. The bolt itself is a three-lug rotating bolt with dual-spring ejectors and a sliding extractor that snaps over the case rim.
Shooting the Model 100
Having previously mounted the scope to the rifle, I grabbed a few boxes ofĀ ammunitionĀ that I had available, including a couple boxes ofĀ Norma WhitetailĀ hunting ammunition with 100-grain bullets. I also brought a box ofĀ Hornady American WhitetailĀ ammunition, which also featured 100-grain Interlock bullets.
