30-40 1895 Winchester to 405 Winchester

[missionary5155]

Goodmorning
Have been contemplating the transformation of an original 1895 with a bad, pitted barrel to 405 Winchester. Basically I will send the barreled action to JES Reboring for rifling and chambering. He has had this caliber listed for some time now as a basic re-bore.

Any one already done this on a 1895 ? Do you know of any feed problems I will encounter ?
Thank you for any information you can pass along.
Mike in Peru

[SOFMatchstaff]

I just measured the muzzle OD on the Krag at .625 on my original 95 carbine, the muzzle on the 405 Japchester .730 OD.
The magazine is going to be a problem, the rim is OK, but the body diameter is not tapered like the 30-40 and interferes
in both length and width. There is a spacer in the 30 that has been modified in the 405 for length and feeding geometry, the magazine has a tight spot in front of the rim cradle that wont release the 405 case up into feed position. I tried it with a 444marlin and a 30-06 they wouldnt release to feed either. was thinking 411 Hawk..... nope.
If you have any specific measurement questions, let me know and Ill see what I can do.

[missionary5155]

Greetings SOFMatchstaff
Thank you very much for those measurements. That answers a multitude of issues that will need looked into. Looks like the sane route will be to sell the old 1895 and save up the balance for a jap 1895 405 Winchester in used condition. Thank you !
Mike in Peru

[SOFMatchstaff]

You may have another route to pursue if the Krag is not cooperateing. Mine is still shooting, but the bore is BIG, as in .311+, and NOT cast friendly, So I load with 303 Brit bullets and the accuracy got Really good compared to the .308 dia projos. I can almost chamber a 303 cartridge, it lacks abut .030 of going into battery. I regularly use Brit brass with excellent loading life(at least compared to the Lewis) and the available components make it cost effective.

My barrel is marked 30 US or I would have assumed that it was a 303, I looked at the 7.62x5r as a remedy down the road but settled on the 303 Krag mutant brass idea as easier and suitable for my use. If brass is not an issue for you, and the chamber is good, and you just need a bigger bore shooter, have JES poke it out to 338 or 35cal on the Krag or Brit, case should make a super cast boolit shooter.

[missionary5155]

Thank you again SOF for the good ideas.
This 1895 has a fat groove of .315+. The rifling is near intermitent in places so thus the idea about "Wow maybe I can have a .405. Just do not think I want a major "re-engineer" the magazine. Maybe if parts were as plentiful as the 94 Winchesters but I do know 95 parts are pricey.
The caliber .338 rebore would probably be the route. Already am shooting a 33 Winchester 86 so have the molds and sizers. Nice long necked 30 US would make a fine cast shooter or even switch to the 303 brass. Thanks again ! Mike in Peru

[smokeywolf]

I wonder if 38-72 would feed. Rim dia. is .026 smaller than 30-40, but all other pertinent dimensions are a bit bigger, making it a potential for a rebore. 38-72 brass might be a challenge to find and certainly pricey, but 38-72 was an original chambering for the model '95.

[John Taylor]

There are at least 4 different mag boxes for the 95 and two different springs. The lifter can be altered some if the width of the box works. The only difference between the 40-72 and the 405 is about .005" in bullet diameter and one is BP while the other is smokeless and has a lot more pressure. I did a two barrel set on a 95 take down years ago in 40-72 and 405. The 40-72 was fun to shoot while the 405 has recoil that almost hurts.

[smokeywolf]

Wouldn't mind at all having a Model '95 takedown in 40-72. Less chance of peening the bolt face than with the 30-06.

[Doughty]

Missionary,

I have rifles chambered using a .30-40 reamer to form the body, then reaming the neck and throat separately for .338 and .375 calibers. I call them .33 Krag and .38 Krag.



If you had your barrel re-bored, it would be easy to re-chamber. The original barrel would go back on and they "should" feed fine.

I can loan you the reamers if you are interested.

Richard

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It is an original rifle, in which it is desirable to keep some degree of originality. The magazine is an important consideration, and although you possibly don't plan on selling it until after you are dead, value isn't negligible either. It will be reduced by any non-original cartridge, and particularly by one of which the existence is entirely off anybody's record.

This sounds like a good candidate for relining in .30-40. It would reduce the value to a pure collector, but the least of all the things that would give you a good shooter. You can get a good .308 groove, 10in. twist chrome-moly liner from www.trackofthewolf.com, and I have been very pleased with one or two I have bought direct from TJ's of Alexandria KY, who make them. While I have never heard of it being done, I think it would be possible, with care, to align accurately with the original bore and keep the original chamber.

If you do want to go for .405, though, a .625in. muzzle without dovetail isn't too small. The Belgian Martini .40-65 which is currently the one I love, is a true 15mm. With full power .405 loads and the Winchester stock design, you might find recoil severe with less than the usual bar.rel weight