Question Regarding the Winchester Model 100 Rifle

[SwampWolf]

Yesterday, I attended a gun show in Wilmington, Ohio where I spotted a Winchester Model 100 carbine with a smooth stock (that is, no checkering or "basket-weave" impressions), chambered in .358 Winchester! Because I'm sure that the Model 100 was never cataloged in cartridges other than .243, .308 and .284, I assumed that this rifle must have been converted to .358 by the owner but the seller assured me that the rifle in question was, in fact, a factory rendition (he claims to have seen a couple of others so chambered by the factory over the years). A careful examination of the rifle persuaded me that the rifle, indeed, came from the factory in this chambering.

Now, I'm not a student, per se, of the Model 100 rifle but I've been very acquainted with it ever since I killed my first deer with one back in 1964 and I've never heard of one being chambered in .358 caliber by the factory. I can only suppose that the factory accomodated a special order by a customer(s) "back in the day"; not withstanding that converting a semi-auto rifle to a different cartridge (even if the new one was spawned by a parent case-in this instance, .308 to .358) poses a much more difficult transition than would be encountered if changing chamberings in rifles with bolt-action, lever-action or single-shot configurations.

So I'm wondering if anyone on the forum knows more about the history of the Model 100 being chambered in .358 Winchester? I have to say that I think that a Model 100 carbine, chambered in .358 Winchester, would make for a superb woods rifle for hunting deer or black bear in heavy cover.

 

[Liberty1776]

It's a dang good, and hard, question. The last time we discussed this on THR, October 2011, we couldn't actually come up with a definitive answer...

Would make a hell of a black bear gun, though...(pretty good on hogs, too)

 

[rcmodel]

There was a thread about one last year.
Don't know if we ever did reach a positive conclusion though.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=621508&highlight=Model+100+.358

rc

 

[SwampWolf]

I wish I would have copied the serial number down from the rifle I was looking at (just to see if it was close to the number of the rifle being discussed in the above referenced 2011 thread). I am positive about one thing though: the roll-mark/stamping on the barrel of the rifle I was looking at appeared to be straight from the factory.