Winchester Model 1895, the lever gun that went to war

[Hang Fire]

This video is about the Finnish civil war of 1918. On one side was the White army, on the other is the Red (communist) army. At 2:09 of the video there is a young Red soldier with a Winchester 1895 musket, of which Russia had purchased hundreds of thousands. So the Finnish Red soldier must have gotten the rifle from the then Soviet government. The Finnish Whites won the civil war, only to later fight two wars against the Soviet Union, and the Finns prevailed in both.

As in most all civil wars, the Finnish civil war was horrible in it's duration and aftermath. The White faction executed and starved to death tens of thousands of Red prisoners.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRcW82jJvyE

[Jon K]

1895 with bayonet.....Cool

Jon

[fatelk]

I helped rebuild one of these years ago for an acquaintance. He handed it to me as an action only, no barrel, stock, or bluing remaining. It took me a little bit to even know what it was, until I saw "7.62" on the top of the receiver.

Notice I wrote "rebuild" and not "restore". We did it on the cheap and it turned out pretty good. He just wanted it to look nice, not necessarily original. He never would tell me where it came from.

[9.3X62AL]

Interesting film--thanks for posting this.

Did anyone else see the black swastika on white field displayed by the White biplane? The symbol is quite ancient, but it is intriguing that the Whites adopted it as their anti-Communist emblem. This might explain its adoption by the Nazis, who were staunchly anti-Soviet/anti-Communist.

I wish I could shed tears for the Russian or Finn Communist troops that met the fate mentioned previously. Having lived as a child through the Cuba Missile Crisis in 1962--the Viet Nam War as a teen--and the Cold War as a young adult, I have zero sympathy for any adherent to that Godless, soulless, lifeless, and oppressive way of thinking. The Whites/Finns likiely concluded that by killing them off, it prevented having to fight those specific SOBs a second time. And there were subsequent fights with the Soviets/Reds.

[Hang Fire]

The Finnish Swastika was actually in honor of the family crest for the King of Sweden. Who IIRC, gave the new government of Finland their first airplane, so they painted the Swastika on that plane, and then for all their planes thereafter through WW2.

I recently watched the Russian war movie "Transit" about Americans ferrying planes from Alaska to the USSR in WW2. In the opening scene, there was an old Inuit about to shoot a seal with a 1895, seems the Russians like to put it in quite a few of their movies.

[9.3X62AL]

And why not? The Winchester 1895 is one cool lever rifle!

[DanWalker]

And why not? The Winchester 1895 is one cool lever rifle!

I AGREE! I got a fierce hankering for one myself...in 405 of course.

[frank505]

Well Dan, maybe you should buy mine.

[Westerner]

Good morning gentelmen.
I just purchased a 1895 Win. built in 1896 according to the number on the tang and other parts. The rifle has been polished out and re parkerized with a new barrel in 30-40 Krag. The barrel has no markings so I had to pour a load of cerosafe in the chamber to see if it was as advertised. The barrel has been cleaned but not fired too much, in mirror finish and minimum spec. for jacketed bullets. Problem is there is no freebore for long lead bullets. Long range Cowboy Action Shooting is what it will be used for. My father had an original in 30-06 and proceeded to use modern hand loads and push the bolt face out of head space tollerences. A shame so I will be using original loadings with a hard cast 200 grain long land bearing nose gas check bullet. Wish me luck. Deadeye

[fatelk]

Well Dan, maybe you should buy mine.

I see your location. I was in Cody a few years ago. Was that your 1895 in .405 that I saw hanging on the wall in the museum there?

[Four Fingers of Death]

I always fancied a couple, on ein 303British and one in 7.62x54R. Although, I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 30Krag, 3006 or 405W or any other calibre that came to light!

I came very close to buying a 303 version at a gunshow in Sydney once, but it was just a bit too expensive for me. I don't know if it was the same rifle, but it sure looked like it but It looked exactly like the one used in the Nicole Kidman / Aussi Guy movie 'Australia.' I hired the video and checked it out several times, I have kn way of knowing, but I swear it looks like the same rifle.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Got my first 1895 30 Gov some years back.. no regrets. Have since purchased a couple more when I see a reasonable priced one. Heavy, long barreled but fun to haul about and shoot. Have not yet had a carbine... and a 405 is one more I will get one day. I really think the 1895 would make a dandy 375-06.
Mike in Peru

[Hang Fire]

Hey Dan, see you are in Cody and work in the oil patch, I retired from Marathon Oil Co. there in 1991.

[3006guns]

In all the years I've heard about the Russian government buying all those 1895's, no one has asked a simple question.....

Where are they now? Stashed in a warehouse? Used as fence pickets somewhere? Seems there'd be quite a market for them if located and imported.

[Hang Fire]

Several attempts have been made to import them, but fails because of the question, how much $. The Russians are well aware of the treasure trove they are sitting on, but insist on too high a price. By the time the rifles worked their way through several middle men with each taking a profit, the retail price would be outrageous.

[DanWalker]

Hey Dan, see you are in Cody and work in the oil patch, I retired from Marathon Oil Co. there in 1991.

SMALL WORLD!
I'm actually in Casper, but do spend quite a bit of my days off around cody and powell.
We coyote hunt and tool around out in oregon basin during the winter months.

[Hang Fire]

SMALL WORLD!
I'm actually in Casper, but do spend quite a bit of my days off around cody and powell.
We coyote hunt and tool around out in oregon basin during the winter months.

OB used to be good hunting for goats.

[bob208]

i have a 95 rifle in .30-40. it shoots real nice with my 220 gr. cast boolits. i also have a 95 in .35 winchester it is a take down which is hard to find in a 95.

the 95 is not the only winchester leaver to go to war. the 66 muskets was used by more then one mexican state also it was used by the truks againest the russians. there was also a 73 musket with a socket bayonet don't who used them.

i have a 94 carbine made in 32. it is in .32 win spl. marked u.s. gov. property.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I reckon there were a lot of 66, 73 and 92 winchesters that saw a lot of action in Mexico and south america over the years.

In the Australian Army Infantry museum at Singleton, there is a 1892 Winchester in 32/20. It went to the Dardenelles in WW1 with a Colonel. It saw a lot of use as a trench sniper rifle and accounted for a huge number of Turkish soldiers apparently.

There is also a MArlin machine gun, but it is not a levergun.

[Pioneer2]

I have seen the modern 06 versions re-bored to 9.3x62 as well.In Finland the Russian muskets were sporterized to 9.3x54R.About 9.3x57 power wise in a lever.Sako makes ammo.......Harold