I can't decide

[randyt]

I have a line on a couple winchester 1905 S.L. rifles. One in in 32sl and the other in 35sl. I can only afford to pick up one so I can't decide on which caliber. This isn't the 1907 in 351 sl, wish it was. I almost pulled the trigger on a 1907 years back, sure wish I had bought it but didn't. any thoughts?

[kyratshooter]

Normally I would not give opinion on such a decision, and it is a difficult one.

The 32slr has a better history to talk about, being the parent of the 30 carbine. Problem is the carbine did a real good job of making it obsolete and no SLR guns had been produced for 20 years when the carbine was developed. I can not find .32slr ammo available anywhere except collectors.

But the .351 has ammo available, if you really intend to shoot the rifle.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/35-wsl-1...of-20-amo35wsl

$2 a shot, but still available.

I would tell the owner that if he gave me the rifles and $40 for a box of ammo I would get both of them out of his house for him.

[randyt]

All for good fun but that is what I was thinking. The 32 being a parent cartridge for the m1 carbine and I already have three m1 carbines, I should get something different so I thought about the 35 sl. I think the 35 sl is different than the 351 sl.

[crashdive123]

Randy - look in the bottom left drawer. No, not that one --- the one in the back. You probably have enough brass and bullets for either one.......well at least a few hundred rounds at the range per day for.....oh, let's say a month.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I have a 1907 that belonged to my grandfather. It was 351 SL. He had a sleeve put in it and chambered For 30 Carbine. He always had trouble keeping a good load the would cycle the action and eject properly. When I got it I tried to work up a load but was much less successful than he was. Finally I hit upon a solution. The best I could do was with 110 cast bullets but they would stick in the rifling when chambered.

A friend on another forum was selling some of his stuff and had a box of 32 cal cast bullets. I can't recall the weight. He used them for his 32-20. I bought them just because I buy stuff I might need someday. I was kicking around in the gun room one day and decided to run one of them through my .308 sizing die. I loaded it sans powder in a 30 carbine case and tried it in the old girl. The ogive was just not enough to stick when the crimp was made into the top lube groove. They work perfectly.

I've often wished he had left it as 351 SL but guns were tools and if he couldn't get ammo for his tools then it was time to get another tool.

Alan

[randyt]

interesting.....the thing about it now days, it seems brass and such is available for stuff that years ago was scarce. I have a 50-110 winchester that for years brass was hard to come by. Now I can buy new brass for it, it's awesome.

[donkey1]

I've made the mistake of buying because I thought if I don't now I won't be able to later. That's all fine but hunting down ammo is now a full time job.