NCJ Number
199771
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2003 Pages: 70,73,77
Date Published
March 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the testing of two police rifles from the turn of the century, the Winchester Model 1907 .351 S.L. autoloader and the Remington Model 8, to show that their technology has yet to be surpassed by more recent rifle technology.
Abstract
The Remington Model 8 was the preferred weapon for prison staff until the 1930's, and the heavier Winchester 1907 was used until the late 1960's. The author found two virtually mint specimens of these two rifles. Ammo was readily available for the Remington Model 8, but it took much longer to find ammo for the Winchester 1907 .351. These rifles are products of "old world craftsmanship," when "old men stood at wooden work benches and used tools like fine files and stones to hone actions." Today, rifles are manufactured from plastic moldings and metal stampings assembled by semiskilled workers who take parts from bins and rivet them together with a pneumatic punch. This article describes the technology and mechanisms of the two rifles, and the author describes his experience in test firing them. He states that shooting the 1907 was a delight, as recoil was modest and follow-up shots easy. He shot it at 50 yards and found rested groups at around the 1-inch mark. Some shots at the 100-yard, 12-inch gong rang it every time. Ammunition restrictions limited testing on the range to 20 rounds. He believes there is no reason this rifle could not work in a beat car today. Cost would be prohibitive, however (around $2,000). Performance in the testing of the Winchester Model 8 was equally impressive. The lesson drawn in the article is that police agencies must rely on reliable, tried-and-true technology in the field when possible. Further, the person behind the gun takes over where technology ends.