The Winchester Model 1900 Series

The Winchester Model 1900 Series “A BOY’S FIRST RIFLE”

By Geoff Pogson

Winchester Model 1904

Iwas fortunate enough to be introduced to this series of small, cheap and handy little rifles, designed by the master John Moses Browning, when I purchased a model 1904 from an advertisement in the Manly Daily back in the late sixties. The owner, a Mr Ron Blades, was then a retired staff member of one of the Sydney Radio stations, who was downsizing his collection at the time. In answer to my phone enquiry, Ron suggested that I should drop over to his Seaforth address and have a look at what he was selling.

A few days later I visited Ron and he showed me the subject rifle, which was in very fine condition. He had converted a tennis racquet case, to house the rifle, stored in a taken down condition, with the cleaning gear and a couple of cartons of .22 long ammunition. Also included was the cleaning rod, a factory formed length of 8-gauge fence wire, with a slotted end to take the patch, that came with it at the original purchase, and the shipping note, indicating the date of shipment.

I was astounded at the condition of the little rifle, and having made the decision when I began collecting, to choose rarity over condition, I thought that this was both in exceptionally fine condition and exceptionally rare in that condition which made the price, $100, well worth paying, if Ron would only agree to let me pay it off using my drip feed technique.

Luckily Ron agreed, and I paid him out and eventually owned a fine Winchester 1904 rifle. On checking the ammunition, I found one of the packets had been opened and one round was missing, so I think it is fair to assume that one of the owners prior to Ron Blades, and tried a shot with it. The conclusion of this transaction also got me into Adams revolvers too, when Ron showed me an 1851 model, also costing $100, paid for in the same fashion.

Having acquired this handsome little rifle, I found myself taking more notice of the similar ones that cropped up at gun shows. I noticed that there were some designated as Model 04, some as 04A, and the 1902 model with its corresponding 02 and 02A, and, being also a stamp collector, the thought of collecting a set of these guns came pretty naturally. So I got started in my quest

Winchester Model 1904

One good thing about this subject of collection, many of them are very cheap, with a few odd variations adding spice as they are quite rare and often anything but cheap. None of these small single shot rifles were given a serial number, so any serials found on them now are due to registration regulations of the places in which they are found. I gradually bought an example of each of the easier ones to find and then picked up the occasional variation of the scarcer items as they turned up, I have The Model 1900

The Model 1900 was made as simply as possible, with receiver and barrel all in one piece. The 18inch barrel was tapered and has the normal blade foresight and an open rear sight. The stock was made of gum wood, or sometimes poor-quality walnut, there was no butt-plate, but they did somehow roll a sort of serrated pattern onto the butt end. The trigger guard was a simple shape like a pipe saddle fixed to the stock by a screw at each end. The rifle was chambered for black powder rim fire cartridges in calibres 22 Short and Long. This dual usage may have been no great hazard with black powder but has unfortunately led to some severe problems also always been on the lookout for better specimens of the common ones and have improved on much of the general condition of the collection over the years

Now to the subject of the story, the Winchester Boys rifles. It all began with Browning’s patent of 1899 and Winchester’s purchase of the patent to produce their Model 1900, a small calibre, light weight, short, cheap rifle that they sold for under $5 US, which were then 4 or 5 to the pound Sterling.

Winchester Model 1904

My how things change. with chambers burnt out due to continued use of short cartridges, as escaping gases, scoured out a ring in the chamber that prevents the use of long cartridges, as they are diff icult to extract after firing. According to George Madis, there were 105,000 of this model made in two years between 1900 and 1902, when they were discontinued, and production of a new model began. I did briefly own one example of the 1900, marked “The Stinger” and bought at a high price, I traded it for an old 3rd model Tranter that I might have restored but didn’t. I should have hung on to the 1900, as I have never caught another.

Model 1902

The main improvements included in this rifle were the slightly more ornate trigger guard, which had a simulated pistol grip. This time the guard is held on by three small screws. There was a butt-plate fitted, Bakelite was the standard but some early ones have a flat steel butt plate. The barrel was still 18 inches long and tapered, with the 17/32” muzzle diameter. It is thought that they were unused model 1900 barrels left over from that previous model. The sighting was generally the same, but in rifles fitted with the steel butt-plate, an aperture, or peep sight, was fitted, though these are now often found butchered into an open sight, thus making rifles with an intact peep sight a little harder to come by. These first pattern examples were similarly chambered for black powder rimfire cartridges in the same calibres as the 1900 Model, 22 Short and Long

After about 70,000 of the non-serially numbered single shot rifles were made, the barrel muzzle diameter was increased to 19/32”, to reduce the “whip” in the previously slimmer barrels, and barrel inscriptions changed slightly. Some rifles are chambered in 22 Short, Long and a new loading, the Extra Long, cartridges, still using Black powder propellant. With the addition of the new round the model designation was changed to Model 02 with some other small changes to the barrel inscription and knurling coarseness on the cocking piece.

Model 02A

This model in virtually the same as the preceding model 02, but the longer cartridge is now stamped as a “Long Rifle” rather than “Extra Long”. Although it was still a black powder load. The position of the open rear sight is also changed on some rifles with this designation, being moved forward about three inches.

Thumb Trigger Model

This little rifle is, in most respects, the model 02 without a trigger or trigger guard and the stocks do not have an opening for the trigger cut into them. The bolt works the same as in rifles with normal triggers, but in this case, the weapon is discharged by pressure on the rear of a catch located below the rear end of the barrel. It was a novel design, though I don’t yet know to whom the credit for its invention should go. Having tried shooting with one of these old rifles, I found the thumb trigger a good idea and quite liked it but it did not meet much popularity in the US and most of them seem to have been shipped to Australia and South America , from whence there was little chance of them being returned, should a purchaser

be dissatisfied. So, with no home market interest, this model produced from 1902, to 1923, and most of the 73000 produced sold abroad. These little rifles tend to be quite desirable and highly sort after by collectors in the US,

Sadly, many of these boys single shot rifles, were cast aside when the boys became young men and graduated to repeaters and many were left to rust and rot in old barns so that they are rarely found in anything like “good” condition, though they had made their user into a rifleman, when beginners were given one round to go and get a rabbit for the pot. A miss would leave them hungry so, one round at a time they learned to shoot with accuracy.

Thumb Trigger Model

Model 36 Single Shot, 9mm shotgun

In 1904 a new rifle in the series came along bearing that year as its designation. It was basically the same as the 1902 and its variations, but with a heavier 21 inch barrel. Still a single shot 22 rimfire calibre, but with a longer heavier stock, the butt was adorned with the crescent butt-plate seen on earlier rifles of heavier calibre and the trigger guard, though a similar shape and style of the 1902, was of a heavier grade steel. It was a more man-sized gun overall, and this is the one that got me started on this strand of interest. They were in production until 1931 by which time some 300,000 rifles of this model were made. When about 89,000 of these still un-serially numbered rifles were made, the straight, hard rubber butt-plate became standard and the crescent plate was discontinued. The rifle had a series of changes as had occurred with the Models 1902, ’02 and ‘02A, using similar chamberings of Rimfire Cartridges, the 1904, 22 Short & Long. The ’04 22 Short, Long & Extra Long, and finally in the 02A, 22 Short, Long & Long Rifle. The Model 36 Single Shot, 9mm shotgun

This is another variation on the 1900 series arms, this time a boys shotgun, similar in many ways to the 1902 rifles, Model 36 has a smooth bore chambered for Short and Long, 9mm shot or ball cartridges. The action and bolt are both slightly longer than the rifle actions, and these are among the rarer types available, with only about 26,000 produced from about 1919, when they were tried out on the South American market, before being given to US dealers in 1920. Again, there was little interest in the US, but the little gun did well in South America and probably Australia, until they were discontinued in 1927.

As with the other guns in this series, they were used to train young shooters how to provide meat for the table. In bad times in the bush, many cheap single shot rifles of many brands, were used by people carrying their swags on country roads in search of work and living rough on the way. To get meat to sustain them In the depression of 1898 and the later big one of 1929, many men toiled in the inland rivers

Model 36 Single Shot, 9mm shotgun

Model 58

and creeks, scratching out a bit of gold or tin or a few sapphires or garnets to get money for their families while living off what they could shoot, be it rabbit, wallaby, possum or kangaroo and mostly with cheap rifles and rim fire ammunition

The Model 58

In the middle twenties, Winchester became aware that they were not competing in the small cheap single shot niche in the market, so the dear old 1900 series was dragged out of retirement to fill the gap. The model 58 is in most ways identical with the earlier 1902 group of arms, and this rifle with slight diff erences was issued in 1927, to try to regain the part of the market being accommodated by European imports. By 1931 fractionally over 36,500 were made with a further 5,000 completed by the end of the depression years in the late thirties. Chambering, as in the earlier guns of the series, was in 22 Short, Long & Long Rifle, rimfire with Black Powder propellent loads, though as long as there has been HV long rifle ammunition they have been loaded

with it. Once again, a rare gun and if they were made for the American market, I doubt if many might have come down-under. I have only ever seen the one I own, though who knows how many more there might be. Now, sadly, I have to divest myself of this collection, my last inspection seemed to indicate to the Powers That Be that I am too old to keep them and I must reduce my registered arms, so if any interested party just starting out wants to contact me the collection will be for sale. I would rather give a new starter a helping hand to a wonderful and interesting pastime and sell them at a reasonable price, knowing they had a chance of going to someone who might appreciate the subject, so enquiries are welcome.

General information, dates and details gleaned from the Winchester Book by George Madis which confirmed or corrected some preconceived theories or opinions of my own. Much grammatical assistance was provided by my valued friend and advisor, yy John Newton.

Model 58