1895 Winchester Pros and Cons

[HWooldridge]

Over the course of my life, I have owned at least one example of every model antique Winchester lever gun, except the 1895. I've actively looked from time to time but never found one that suited me. Lately, I've gotten more serious and am currently on the hunt for a shooter.

Since my eyes have deteriorated a bit with age, it's easier for me to see iron sights on shorter barrels so I was considering a carbine and I'd like it to be .30-06, only because we have a couple of those rifles already in the family and it will be easier to load for. My second choice would be 30-40, and I'm not really interested in .38-72, .405 or some of the less common calibers.

I've read '95's kick like a bay mule but I can reload - and have never been very recoil conscious anyway. A shotgun butt would obviously help but I could probably tolerate a curved design if necessary. This would be a hunting rifle; not for long target strings.

For those of you who own and shoot one, what are the pros and cons to this design? Thanks in advance.

HW

[tdoor4570]

Just got my hands on a 95 Winchester in 30-40 havn't been able to get out yet, to cold and wet. been shooting 30-40 krags for years and they do not kick in my opinion. have got cast and jacketed ready to go when it gets warm enough.

[ATCDoktor]

I am a big fan of the Model 95 and have found that they are accurate, fast handling and easy to shoot well from the shoulder.

Recoil from the bench can be objectionable when shooting the 405 but it’s not unbearable.

Reference recoil, the crescent buttplate (from my experience with other rifles so equipped) seems to accentuate felt recoil so I’ve shied away from 95’s that have them.

The cons (from my perspective) are that they can be a little cumbersome to load/reload, not easily scoped, most of the repros that I’ve seen/own do not come set up for sling use and (depending on the barrel length) they can have an odd balance point reference the magazine protruding fro the bottom of the receiver.

Other than that there’s not that much to share.

I like mine and shoot them often and if your inclined to get one (in my mind) you’re not wrong to stick with a caliber you already load for especially nowadays with ammo and components in short supply.

Gratuitous 95 pics:

Browning copy in 30/06


Original Winchester SRC in 30/40:dates from 1920


Late Model Winchester/Miroku tang safety chambered in 405

[Baltimoreed]

Have a unfired Browning 1895 .30-06 without the tang safety that I want to militarize into an NRA musket one day.

[HWooldridge]

I am a big fan of the Model 95 and have found that they are accurate, fast handling and easy to shoot well from the shoulder.

Recoil from the bench can be objectionable when shooting the 405 but it’s not unbearable.

Reference recoil, the crescent buttplate (from my experience with other rifles so equipped) seems to accentuate felt recoil so I’ve shied away from 95’s that have them.

The cons (from my perspective) are that they can be a little cumbersome to load/reload, not easily scoped, most of the repros that I’ve seen/own do not come set up for sling use and (depending on the barrel length) they can have an odd balance point reference the magazine protruding fro the bottom of the receiver.

Other than that there’s not that much to share.

I like mine and shoot them often and if your inclined to get one (in my mind) you’re not wrong to stick with a caliber you already load for especially nowadays with ammo and components in short supply.

Gratuitous 95 pics:

Browning copy in 30/06


Original Winchester SRC in 30/40:dates from 1920


Late Model Winchester/Miroku tang safety chambered in 405

Your carbine is exactly what I’m after. Great pics!

I generally like iron sights if my eyes will cooperate but tang or receiver peep styles are my preference over barrel sights.

Reckon I’ll keep looking - thanks to everyone for the responses.

[Jim22]

My experience, for what it's worth, has to do with one I owned in .30-03. I shot that rifle a lot and loaded for it. Because I was young I tried to make it shoot '06 loads. Didn't work for me and I sold it. They are heavier than today's bolt guns and less accurate. My experience only.

Jim

[freakonaleash]

I have several 95's one in 30 40 another in .303 and one in 35 win. I roll my own cast bullet loads so recoil is tolerable except for the 35 which is intolerable. My 30 40 and .303 are very accurate with the right loads.

[elk hunter]

I have two 95's in the safe now, a 30-03 that measures .304 bore diameter and .312 groove to groove. Obviously it doesn't like .308 bullets but does quite well with bullets for the 303 British. The second is a 405. Some say the recoil of the 405 is excessive. I don't find it all that bad. 50 years ago I had a 95 in 30-06 and shot it a lot. Loved it but needed money so I sold it. I have been told and have read that the 95's in 30-06 would get loose if fed a steady diet of factory loads as the pressure was too high. I did shoot some military and factory loads but mostly shot reloads using the lower/starting level loads. I would love to have one of each caliber and variation but at my age that's not likely to happen.

[HWooldridge]

Thanks for all the comments - please keep them coming. I’m starting to think I may have to open up my caliber choices to include 30-40 and 303. I used to shoot a SMLE and have dies for 303 but no brass currently on hand.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I wanted one for a long time. They just look so neat, and lots of historical connections. For most of my life they were financially out of reach, but about 10 years ago I purchased a brand new Miroku-made .30-40. I took it to the range with great expectations, but was a little disappointed. The 100 yd. accuracy was hunting-acceptable, but not target grade by any means, although I tried several loads. I have to echo one of the previous posts in that I found it a little clumsy to handle, not at all the streamlined grace of a '94. Looking at all of the old, historical photos of groups like the Arizona Rangers and early
lawmen it's interesting to observe that although their units issued the '95 many preferred the '94 and stuck with them. Sure, I understand the difference between .30-06/.30-40 and .30-30/.32, but the difference in the hands, presentation, speed of reloading, number of shots, and recoil could (and apparently did) convince many that it wasn't quite the rifle for them. I kept mine, of course........

DG

[.45Cole]

They are fun and pretty well balanced, the two piece lever is kinda weird feeling. WATCH OUT for the 30-06 guns, they were made before the 30-06 was really pushed hard and as such many suffer bolt setback and headspace issues. I know first hand, don't load a 1895 30 gvt(30-06) more than lower end loads and check headspace before buying.

[Noah Zark]

I have three '95s, an original carbine in 30-40 with a great bore which I am just now restocking; an original 30-06 which has been drilled and tapped for two different side mounts at some point and was restocked in gorgeous birds-eye maple; and a Miroku in 405 that a previous owner cut to 18" and fitted a "Climbin' Lyman" rear sight.

I've fired countless hundreds of factory and reloaded 30-06 including M2 Ball through that particular '95 and have not seen headspace shift. I did have an issue with primer cup flow between the firing pin and the firing pin hole in the boltface, and even several pierced primer cups so some years ago I bushed the boltface for a tighter firing pin fit and have had nary another problem.

I shoot a cast load in the 405 using Unique, so recoil is not a problem and the 30-06 has the heaviest recoil of the three. The 30-40 feels like a '94 shooting 30-30 factory loads.

Once I got the hang of loading the magazine by inserting the case head in the mag with the cartridge held vertically and then tilting the cartridge forward, loading the mag was no longer an onerous undertaking.

A plus of the '95 that I didn't see in responses above is the ability to fire spire-pointed ammunition; you aren't "stuck" with flat pointed boolits. Not that that's a bad thing, mind.

ATCDoktor mentioned one of the bigger cons in my opinion, the balance point is usually right about where the magazine box is, making single underhand carry . . . clumsy.

Noah

[Cast_outlaw]

I have this one it’s original from 1899 in 30-40 it’s still a good shooter I load my own and dose ok with cast for accuracy but is a good shooter and has a nice fit I find the well proportioned gun

[Shawlerbrook]

Pros: great old Winchester levergun
Cons: I don’t have one !

[OverMax]

Had a chance to buy a post model 1895 with a slide forward button saftey in 270 win. 1000.00 $ wanting. Brand new in the box. Passed on it. Already have two Sav 99s in 300. One is a L/B rifle the other is a standard carbine. 1895 >to much iron to tote thru woods for my like 'en.

[elmacgyver0]

There is one on consignment at an LGS in my area, been there a long time.
It doesn't have a speck of bluing left on it and the price started out at $1900.00, sat there for probably 2 years, at least a year anyway.
Not long ago the price dropped to $1500.00.
It is a 30-06.
I don't know what these things go for, but seems way out of line to me, have no idea on bore shape.

[HWooldridge]

There is one on consignment at an LGS in my area, been there a long time.
It doesn't have a speck of bluing left on it and the price started out at $1900.00, sat there for probably 2 years, at least a year anyway.
Not long ago the price dropped to $1500.00.
It is a 30-06.
I don't know what these things go for, but seems way out of line to me, have no idea on bore shape.

Yeah, same thing I’m seeing, and price may be what keeps me from ever buying one. Would be nice if I could find one in an estate sale but that’s a real crapshoot.

[slam45]

i have a first model 1895 "flat side" from 1896 in 30-40... best cast boolit gun i have...a little heavier and without the 2 piece lever with lock, as the later revised model but a fine rifle just the same... this rifle went through a flood and sat around as a wall hanger for more than 20 years before i took it to my favorite gunsmith to see if we could get it shooting again.. even with a moderately rough bore it shoots where it looks and loves long fat 215gr flat nose boolits... my favorite Winchester hands down... and the 30-40 does cast boolits better or as good as any 30 cal cartridge out there... not nearly as many made as other Browning Winchesters and most went to Russian military contracts around WW1

[Thundermaker]

Just my $0.02. The 1895 is probably not the lightest or most accurate thing on earth, but no modern rifle is as aesthetically pleasing to me, and they just feel "right" in the hand.

[samari46]

I have a 1895 carbine, Took a long time to get all the cupro nickle fouling, and powder fouling out of the barrel. Think my right arm looked like popeye's when it finally cleaned up. Have a pacific rear sight Buckshot changed from a 1917 Enfield contour to a flat sided contour. One of these days will haul it off to the gunsmith to get installed. Frank