.307 owners?!

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 05:05 PM

A good friend of mine picked up a lever-action Winchester 94ae Xtr chambered for the .307 Winchester. As far as we know if is a very rare rifle. We were wondering if we could run across any other owners of a rifle of such caliber.

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 05:44 PM

I just did a little homework and found out that the "ae" stands for "angle eject", which means that the gun can be fitted with a scope (no problem with spent cartridges hitting the optics). The Xtr is a grade rating. The Xtr model has a higher quality wood stock and other options.
My buddy's 94 has a scope mounted on it....I guess it's a good thing that it's an "ae" model!

PawPaw · January 18, 2012, 05:55 PM

The .307 Winchester was introduced in 1982 (IIRC) by Winchester as a .30 caliber alternative for it's Model 94 Angle Eject rifle. I'm not sure when it was discontinued but I believe that factory ammo is still available for it. Yep, look! Midway has it, just as an example.

The cartridge never really caught on, it being so close between the .30-30 Winchester and the .308 Winchester. It was neither fish nor fowl and the design of the Model 94 required the use of flat-point bullets.

I suspect that it would shine with 130 or 150 grain Speer flat-nose bullets. A quick review of Gunbroker shows two examples currently for sale in the $600.00 range. My buddy down the road has one and likes it a lot, but he's fond of weird cartridges. He's also got one in .375 Winchester that he uses for hogs.

Is it rare? Yeah, I guess. As in all things, value is in the eye of the beholder.

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 06:01 PM

Me and my buddy are both into lever-action rifles and wheelguns. He got a hell of a deal on the rifle, he was thinking of selling it if the price was right. It would be hard to get him to part with it though, I bet. Ammo would be almost impossible to find if not for the internet. We searched everywhere until we found a single box of 20 for over $30, locally.
I had never heard of a .307 until he showed me his rifle.

shurshot · January 18, 2012, 06:15 PM

Wasn't the .307 and .375 lever action Winchesters advertised back then with a Free Stetson hat, or a steep discount on a Stetson? I think I remember seeing the ads back then.

Quincunx · January 18, 2012, 06:22 PM

I have a 94AE chambered for the .307's big brother, the .356 Winchester. Ammo is expensive, but not all that difficult to find.

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Wasn't the .307 and .375 lever action Winchesters advertised back then with a Free Stetson hat, or a steep discount on a Stetson? I think I remember seeing the ads back then.

Never heard of that...huh...
Well, his doesn't have one with it!
I guess a Stetson would go well with one though!

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 06:32 PM

Quote:

I have a 94AE chambered for the .307's big brother, the .356 Winchester. Ammo is expensive, but not all that difficult to find.

Yeah, I guess it just depends on the area. I have heard that the .307 was/is popular in the western states. I bet there'd be a lot of it over there.

Wonder if anyone on the forum from the west would know....

chilton1990 · January 18, 2012, 06:40 PM

The rifle's owner and I are planning on making trips to the local gun stores around here to see if any of them would give him a good deal on a trade or something.

stu925 · January 18, 2012, 08:10 PM

I would probably own a .307 if I got the right deal on one. I like odd ball cartridges and I handload so the ammo shortage wouldn't be a hardship for me. I like the idea of owning a lever gun in something other than .30 WCF so a .307 would probably be a good option. But then again I also like the idea of a Savage 99 in .303 Savage. Kind of cool when some one at the range looks at you like you've got 3 heads when you tell them what caliber a rifle is.

Stu

darkgael · January 19, 2012, 07:44 AM

Stu: What caliber bullet do you use when loading the .303 Savage cartridge? I have read everything from .308 to .311.
Just curious.
About the .307:

Quote:

between the .30-30 Winchester and the .308 Winchester.

Makes me think about the .300 Savage. Same kinda thing. Same fate. Nice cartridge, though.
Pete

tahoe2 · January 19, 2012, 09:12 AM

hang on to that .307 it will only go up in value. I believe it is a "rimmed " .308 for those looking for a little more power than a 30-30. Kind of a ".308 marlin express" if u will, before it's time. It was not widely excepted, neither was the .375 winchester, (of which I have one) both are great cartridges with big game power at reasonable ranges (200 yds or less).

Gunplummer · January 19, 2012, 11:13 AM

I use .30 caliber bullets in my .303 Savage. I think that some of the real early guns may have used .303 bullets but they would be really rare.

darkgael · January 19, 2012, 03:03 PM

Did any of the .303s ever use a .303 bullet? The ones that I know about use .310 - .313. Yours is getting fed .308s.
What kind of powder and charge weight?
It is not a "rimmed .308" if one has the .308 Winchester in mind, the Winchester case is larger and has different dimensions across the board.
Pete

chilton1990 · January 19, 2012, 05:16 PM

the poll results aren't to surprising...rare stuff

If anyone reloads .307, let me know what you reload. It'd be worth knowing if he keeps it.

chilton1990 · January 19, 2012, 05:54 PM

I know he'd want a good chunk of cash for the gun if he ever sold it, but you'd have to find the right person to sell it to. We both like the rifle, but the availability of ammo and the price of it makes it a pain to shoot.
308 ammo can be found for about 15 bucks and 307 ammo is about 30 to 35 bucks. Ouch!

tominct · January 19, 2012, 06:58 PM

As I recall, and if I'm wrong don't hesitate to correct me, the .307 was a flat-bullet, rimmed version of the .308, so the stock extractor would work. A .308 could be fired, but wouldn't extract.

But this is from a dim memory of the G&A tests when they brought it out 30 years ago or so.

stu925 · January 19, 2012, 09:17 PM

I don't own a .303 Savage but I'm considering it. The early rifles used a .311 caliber bullet, that lasted a couple of years and then was changed to .308. The majority of rifles are .308 from what I understand. I wouldn't much care whether it was .308 or .311 I could load either bullet. I'll have to see if one turns up at the gun show on the 4th.

Stu

bigwrench · January 19, 2012, 10:32 PM

I have an 94 XTR in 307 win. This is an excellant cartridge in the platform it was designed for giving near .308 win. ballistics. The one I have has poorly regulated sights but also came with scope rings and bases. However, I just could not bring myself to scope the rifle and I already have a savage 99 in .308 that is the rifle I use for most hunting. For these reasons I just have not shot the rifle much. Some time ago I got a bug and decided to bring it out and use it. I did not want to burn up the ammo I bought when the rifle was new and was going to reload .307. I called one of the die manufacturers-Hornady or RCBS- don't remember which now, to purchase some dies and was told that .308 dies with a 30-30 shell holder would do the trick. But then at that time brass was not available for .307 and I just put the rifle back in the case. Been thinking about again lately since the flex tip bullets have come out.

bigghoss · January 19, 2012, 11:31 PM

my understanding was that it was meant to duplicate the performance of a .308 winchester in a lever-action IE the .308 marlin express before it's time as was stated above.

Picher · January 20, 2012, 06:55 AM

I wouldn't call the .307 Winchester Rare...more like Half-Baked!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Actually, there were quite a few sold in Maine when they came out. I don't know anyone who has one, though.

LSnSC · January 20, 2012, 07:15 AM

I had one back in the early 90's. It was a decent cartridge in a bad platform. Moderately powerful cartridges are uncomfortable to shoot with the 94's stock geomety. If it had been on the Marlin platform I would still have it.

zeke · January 20, 2012, 10:17 AM

Am in possesion of ,and handload for the 307 Win. With the Winchesters heavy barrel, it is extremely accurate when scoped. It does very well with Speer's line of jfps, 130, 150 and 170 grains. You use commonly available 308 dies to reload/hand load for it. See shops asking 600-800 dollars for good to ex examples of em.

Using the Speer jfp bullets, Win 748, Fed 215 primers and published data:

130 at 2850 fps
150 at 2600 fps
170 at 2400 fps

Tom Matiska · January 20, 2012, 12:28 PM

The 307 is in the Big Bore family.... heavier action and barrel... extra pound to carry but a better off hand shooter than its lighter 30-30 cousin.

Factory 180's are tack drivers from mine, Nosler 170s and FTX 160s shoot great also. Never got 150's to group as well at 100, or liked the results on deer at closer range. The ratio of edible meat to purple jelly is bad when you push a lighter 30-30 flat nose that fast.

chilton1990 · January 23, 2012, 05:22 PM

Thanks zeke for the reloading info!

I was with my friend when he bought the gun, along with a 12ga over-under and a 270 Remington rifle. At the same time I got a Mossberg 500, an old Sears shotgun, an SKS in great shape, and a 20ga shotgun. The both of us together only spent about $500 for all 6 guns.
We bought the guns from a friend of mine that inherited them. He had just had a baby and didn't want the guns around and needed cash. We offered him more than what we paid but he said to take them at the original price.

View Poll Results: .307?
I own a rifle that shoots .307.	5	12.82%
I know someone that has a .307.	6	15.38%
.307?	28	71.79%
Voters: 39. You may not vote on this poll

January 18, 2012, 05:05 PM	#1
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	.307 owners?! A good friend of mine picked up a lever-action Winchester 94ae Xtr chambered for the .307 Winchester. As far as we know if is a very rare rifle. We were wondering if we could run across any other owners of a rifle of such caliber. Last edited by chilton1990; January 18, 2012 at 05:41 PM.

January 18, 2012, 05:44 PM	#2
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	update I just did a little homework and found out that the "ae" stands for "angle eject", which means that the gun can be fitted with a scope (no problem with spent cartridges hitting the optics). The Xtr is a grade rating. The Xtr model has a higher quality wood stock and other options. My buddy's 94 has a scope mounted on it....I guess it's a good thing that it's an "ae" model!

January 18, 2012, 05:55 PM	#3
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	The .307 Winchester was introduced in 1982 (IIRC) by Winchester as a .30 caliber alternative for it's Model 94 Angle Eject rifle. I'm not sure when it was discontinued but I believe that factory ammo is still available for it. Yep, look! Midway has it, just as an example. The cartridge never really caught on, it being so close between the .30-30 Winchester and the .308 Winchester. It was neither fish nor fowl and the design of the Model 94 required the use of flat-point bullets. I suspect that it would shine with 130 or 150 grain Speer flat-nose bullets. A quick review of Gunbroker shows two examples currently for sale in the $600.00 range. My buddy down the road has one and likes it a lot, but he's fond of weird cartridges. He's also got one in .375 Winchester that he uses for hogs. Is it rare? Yeah, I guess. As in all things, value is in the eye of the beholder. __________________ Dennis Dezendorf http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com

January 18, 2012, 06:22 PM	#6
Quincunx Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2005 Location: People's Republic of Maryland Posts: 421	I have a 94AE chambered for the .307's big brother, the .356 Winchester. Ammo is expensive, but not all that difficult to find. __________________ A mind without instruction can no more bear fruit than can a field, however fertile, without cultivation. --- Cicero

January 18, 2012, 06:01 PM	#4
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	Me and my buddy are both into lever-action rifles and wheelguns. He got a hell of a deal on the rifle, he was thinking of selling it if the price was right. It would be hard to get him to part with it though, I bet. Ammo would be almost impossible to find if not for the internet. We searched everywhere until we found a single box of 20 for over $30, locally. I had never heard of a .307 until he showed me his rifle.

January 18, 2012, 06:15 PM	#5
shurshot Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2006 Posts: 1,819	Wasn't the .307 and .375 lever action Winchesters advertised back then with a Free Stetson hat, or a steep discount on a Stetson? I think I remember seeing the ads back then.

January 18, 2012, 06:40 PM	#9
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	The rifle's owner and I are planning on making trips to the local gun stores around here to see if any of them would give him a good deal on a trade or something.

January 18, 2012, 08:10 PM	#10
stu925 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 953	I would probably own a .307 if I got the right deal on one. I like odd ball cartridges and I handload so the ammo shortage wouldn't be a hardship for me. I like the idea of owning a lever gun in something other than .30 WCF so a .307 would probably be a good option. But then again I also like the idea of a Savage 99 in .303 Savage. Kind of cool when some one at the range looks at you like you've got 3 heads when you tell them what caliber a rifle is. Stu

January 19, 2012, 09:12 AM	#12
tahoe2 Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2011 Location: Seattle area Posts: 661	307/375 hang on to that .307 it will only go up in value. I believe it is a "rimmed " .308 for those looking for a little more power than a 30-30. Kind of a ".308 marlin express" if u will, before it's time. It was not widely excepted, neither was the .375 winchester, (of which I have one) both are great cartridges with big game power at reasonable ranges (200 yds or less).

January 19, 2012, 11:13 AM	#13
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I use .30 caliber bullets in my .303 Savage. I think that some of the real early guns may have used .303 bullets but they would be really rare.

January 19, 2012, 03:03 PM	#14
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	caliber Did any of the .303s ever use a .303 bullet? The ones that I know about use .310 - .313. Yours is getting fed .308s. What kind of powder and charge weight? It is not a "rimmed .308" if one has the .308 Winchester in mind, the Winchester case is larger and has different dimensions across the board. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

January 19, 2012, 05:16 PM	#15
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	the poll results aren't to surprising...rare stuff If anyone reloads .307, let me know what you reload. It'd be worth knowing if he keeps it.

January 19, 2012, 05:54 PM	#16
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	I know he'd want a good chunk of cash for the gun if he ever sold it, but you'd have to find the right person to sell it to. We both like the rifle, but the availability of ammo and the price of it makes it a pain to shoot. 308 ammo can be found for about 15 bucks and 307 ammo is about 30 to 35 bucks. Ouch!

January 19, 2012, 06:58 PM	#17
tominct Member Join Date: November 27, 2010 Posts: 36	As I recall, and if I'm wrong don't hesitate to correct me, the .307 was a flat-bullet, rimmed version of the .308, so the stock extractor would work. A .308 could be fired, but wouldn't extract. But this is from a dim memory of the G&A tests when they brought it out 30 years ago or so.

January 19, 2012, 09:17 PM	#18
stu925 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 953	I don't own a .303 Savage but I'm considering it. The early rifles used a .311 caliber bullet, that lasted a couple of years and then was changed to .308. The majority of rifles are .308 from what I understand. I wouldn't much care whether it was .308 or .311 I could load either bullet. I'll have to see if one turns up at the gun show on the 4th. Stu

January 19, 2012, 10:32 PM	#19
bigwrench Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Location: foot of the uintas Posts: 148	I have an 94 XTR in 307 win. This is an excellant cartridge in the platform it was designed for giving near .308 win. ballistics. The one I have has poorly regulated sights but also came with scope rings and bases. However, I just could not bring myself to scope the rifle and I already have a savage 99 in .308 that is the rifle I use for most hunting. For these reasons I just have not shot the rifle much. Some time ago I got a bug and decided to bring it out and use it. I did not want to burn up the ammo I bought when the rifle was new and was going to reload .307. I called one of the die manufacturers-Hornady or RCBS- don't remember which now, to purchase some dies and was told that .308 dies with a 30-30 shell holder would do the trick. But then at that time brass was not available for .307 and I just put the rifle back in the case. Been thinking about again lately since the flex tip bullets have come out.

January 19, 2012, 11:31 PM	#20
bigghoss Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2006 Location: Pueblo, Colorado Posts: 2,664	my understanding was that it was meant to duplicate the performance of a .308 winchester in a lever-action IE the .308 marlin express before it's time as was stated above. __________________ I don't collect guns, I accumulate them.

January 20, 2012, 06:55 AM	#21
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I wouldn't call the .307 Winchester Rare...more like Half-Baked! Sorry, couldn't resist. Actually, there were quite a few sold in Maine when they came out. I don't know anyone who has one, though.

January 20, 2012, 07:15 AM	#22
LSnSC Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2010 Posts: 514	I had one back in the early 90's. It was a decent cartridge in a bad platform. Moderately powerful cartridges are uncomfortable to shoot with the 94's stock geomety. If it had been on the Marlin platform I would still have it.

January 20, 2012, 10:17 AM	#23
zeke Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 1999 Location: NW Wi Posts: 1,671	Am in possesion of ,and handload for the 307 Win. With the Winchesters heavy barrel, it is extremely accurate when scoped. It does very well with Speer's line of jfps, 130, 150 and 170 grains. You use commonly available 308 dies to reload/hand load for it. See shops asking 600-800 dollars for good to ex examples of em. Using the Speer jfp bullets, Win 748, Fed 215 primers and published data: 130 at 2850 fps 150 at 2600 fps 170 at 2400 fps

January 20, 2012, 12:28 PM	#24
Tom Matiska Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2000 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pa Posts: 1,029	The 307 is in the Big Bore family.... heavier action and barrel... extra pound to carry but a better off hand shooter than its lighter 30-30 cousin. Factory 180's are tack drivers from mine, Nosler 170s and FTX 160s shoot great also. Never got 150's to group as well at 100, or liked the results on deer at closer range. The ratio of edible meat to purple jelly is bad when you push a lighter 30-30 flat nose that fast.

January 23, 2012, 05:22 PM	#25
chilton1990 Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Bourbon, IN Posts: 37	Thanks zeke for the reloading info! I was with my friend when he bought the gun, along with a 12ga over-under and a 270 Remington rifle. At the same time I got a Mossberg 500, an old Sears shotgun, an SKS in great shape, and a 20ga shotgun. The both of us together only spent about $500 for all 6 guns. We bought the guns from a friend of mine that inherited them. He had just had a baby and didn't want the guns around and needed cash. We offered him more than what we paid but he said to take them at the original price.