Winchester Model 1895
Encyclopedia
The Winchester Model 1895 is a lever-action
repeating firearm
developed and manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company
in the late 19th century, chambered for a number of full-size military and hunting cartridges such as 7.62×54mmR, .303 British
, .30-03
, .30 Army
, .30-06
, .35 Winchester
, .38-72 Winchester
, .40-72 Winchester
and .405 Winchester
.
. This allowed the rifle to safely chamber military and hunting cartridges with spitzer
(pointed) bullets. The M1895 was also the last of the lever action rifles to be designed by John Browning
, and featured a rear locking bolt as in his previous designs dating back to the Winchester 1886
. The M1895 is the strongest lever action rifle Winchester has produced, designed to handle the increased pressures generated by the more powerful smokeless powder
cartridges entering common use at the time of its introduction. By today’s standards however, the design is considered relatively weak, and not suited to high pressure loads.
Around serial number 5000, a new receiver profile was introduced which had fluted (scalloped) sides, as opposed to the original flat sided design. This new receiver reduced the weight of the rifle by a small amount, and increased the width by 1/16 of an inch. By serial number 6000, it is thought that the last of the flat sided M1895s left the factory. These early rifles are now exceedingly rare.
, accounting for about 70% of total production of the rifles prior to 1936 when the M1895 was discontinued. Chambered in 7.62×54mmR, these musket versions were unusual for a lever-action rifle in that they also had a charger guide, allowing the M1895 rifle to be reloaded by the same charger clips
used in the Mosin–Nagant bolt action rifle. Other nations adopted the rifle in more limited numbers, including the United States
. The rifles were favored by Pancho Villa
’s troops during the Mexican Revolution. Theodore Roosevelt
also personally purchased and equipped each of his fellow officers in the Rough Riders
with a M1895 Winchester in .30 Army (.30-40 Krag) during the same timeframe.
The rifle is most commonly associated today with former President Theodore Roosevelt
; however, it was also used by many other famed hunters and adventurers, to include Martin and Osa Johnson, Charles Cottar, and author Stewart Edward White. It was Garrit Forbes—hunting companion of W. D. M. Bell, first cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and long time personal friend of gun writer and firearms enthusiast Elmer Keith
—who first recommended the M1895 in .405 Winchester to Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt
took two M1895 rifles with him on his 1909 safari
to East Africa, both in .405 Winchester
. Additionally, Kermit Roosevelt
accompanied his father on the trip and brought two more M1895 rifles; one was chambered in .405 Winchester, and the other in .30-03
Springfield. While the serial number of Kermit’s .30-03 has been lost, the serial numbers of the three .405 rifles are known to have been 63727, 63736, and 68180. Theodore Roosevelt praised the .405 M1895 in his book African Game Trails, famously referring to this rifle as his “’medicine gun’ for lions.” This quote comes from Roosevelt’s account of a lion hunt in the seventh chapter of the book:
Although it is often said that Roosevelt called the .405 M1895 his “big medicine,” this phrase is never used in African Game Trails, and is possibly the erroneous combination of his “medicine gun” quote with his “big stick” speech of 1901.
In 1985, the Browning Arms Company reintroduced the M1895 rifle in .30-06 Springfield. Later in 2001, Winchester reintroduced the rifle during the 100 year anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential administration, offering it again in .405 Winchester, as well as .30-06 Springfield
and .30-40 Krag
since its reintroduction. In 2008 Winchester produced a pair of Theodore Roosevelt commemorative rifles. In 2009 an additional pair of rifles was offered commemorating Roosevelt's African Safari in 1909 after leaving office.
Both the Browning and new Winchester rifles are made in Japan by Miroku. The Winchesters, however, differ from the original design in that they featured rebounding hammers and a tang safety.
Lever-action
Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area, to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made...
repeating firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
developed and manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
in the late 19th century, chambered for a number of full-size military and hunting cartridges such as 7.62×54mmR, .303 British
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...
, .30-03
.30-03
The .30-03 was a short-lived cartridge developed by the United States in 1903, to replace the .30-40 Krag in the new Springfield 1903 rifle. The .30-03 was also called the .30-45, since it used a 45 grain powder charge; the name was changed to .30-03 to indicate the year of adoption. It used a...
, .30 Army
.30-40 Krag
The .30-40 Krag was a cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials...
, .30-06
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
, .35 Winchester
.35 Winchester
The .35 Winchester cartridge was created in 1903 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company for use in the Winchester Model 1895 lever action rifle, and was also available in the bolt action Remington-Lee, or the Model E-10 Factory Sporter Ross Rifle in Canada...
, .38-72 Winchester
.38-72 Winchester
The .38-72 Winchester, also known as .38-72 WCF is a rimmed, bottleneck centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1895 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle. The original Winchester factory load consisted of a bullet at...
, .40-72 Winchester
.40-72 Winchester
The .40-72 Winchester, also known as .40-72 WCF is a centerfire straight-walled rifle cartridge designed for black powder rather than smokeless powder. It was introduced in 1895 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle...
and .405 Winchester
.405 Winchester
The .405 Winchester is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt during his safari...
.
Design
The Model 1895 was the first Winchester rifle to feature a box magazine located underneath the action instead of the tubular magazine design, which had remained fundamentally unchanged from the Winchester 1866Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
. This allowed the rifle to safely chamber military and hunting cartridges with spitzer
Spitzer (bullet)
A spitzer, also commonly referred to as a spire point bullet, is an aerodynamic bullet design used in most intermediate and high-powered rifle cartridges...
(pointed) bullets. The M1895 was also the last of the lever action rifles to be designed by John Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
, and featured a rear locking bolt as in his previous designs dating back to the Winchester 1886
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
. The M1895 is the strongest lever action rifle Winchester has produced, designed to handle the increased pressures generated by the more powerful smokeless powder
Smokeless powder
Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of propellants used in firearms and artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired, unlike the older gunpowder which they replaced...
cartridges entering common use at the time of its introduction. By today’s standards however, the design is considered relatively weak, and not suited to high pressure loads.
Around serial number 5000, a new receiver profile was introduced which had fluted (scalloped) sides, as opposed to the original flat sided design. This new receiver reduced the weight of the rifle by a small amount, and increased the width by 1/16 of an inch. By serial number 6000, it is thought that the last of the flat sided M1895s left the factory. These early rifles are now exceedingly rare.
Military
Between 1915 and 1917 approximately 300,000 M1895's were manufactured for the army of Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, accounting for about 70% of total production of the rifles prior to 1936 when the M1895 was discontinued. Chambered in 7.62×54mmR, these musket versions were unusual for a lever-action rifle in that they also had a charger guide, allowing the M1895 rifle to be reloaded by the same charger clips
Stripper clip
A stripper clip or charger is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier loading of a firearm's magazine. A stripper clip is used only for loading the magazine and is not necessary for the firearm to function...
used in the Mosin–Nagant bolt action rifle. Other nations adopted the rifle in more limited numbers, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The rifles were favored by Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
’s troops during the Mexican Revolution. Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
also personally purchased and equipped each of his fellow officers in the Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
with a M1895 Winchester in .30 Army (.30-40 Krag) during the same timeframe.
Civilian
As with previous Winchester rifles, a new serial number range was launched with the M1895, beginning with serial number 1. Including military contract rifles, a total of 425,881 rifles were produced, with production ceasing at serial number 425,132. The standard barrel length varied from 24 to 28 inches, depending on chambering and configuration, and the Standard finish on all rifles was blue.The rifle is most commonly associated today with former President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
; however, it was also used by many other famed hunters and adventurers, to include Martin and Osa Johnson, Charles Cottar, and author Stewart Edward White. It was Garrit Forbes—hunting companion of W. D. M. Bell, first cousin of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and long time personal friend of gun writer and firearms enthusiast Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith
Elmer Keith was an Idaho rancher, firearms enthusiast, and author. Keith was instrumental in the development of the first magnum revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum, as well as the later .44 Magnum and .41 Magnum cartridges.-Personality and life:Keith's trademarks were his cigars, his ten-gallon...
—who first recommended the M1895 in .405 Winchester to Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
took two M1895 rifles with him on his 1909 safari
Safari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
to East Africa, both in .405 Winchester
.405 Winchester
The .405 Winchester is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1904 for the Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle. It was the most powerful lever-action cartridge available until the .444 Marlin was introduced in 1964, and was highly regarded by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt during his safari...
. Additionally, Kermit Roosevelt
Kermit Roosevelt
Kermit Roosevelt I MC was a son of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. He was an explorer on two continents with his father, a graduate of Harvard University, a soldier serving in two world wars, with both the British and U.S. Armies, a businessman, and a writer...
accompanied his father on the trip and brought two more M1895 rifles; one was chambered in .405 Winchester, and the other in .30-03
.30-03
The .30-03 was a short-lived cartridge developed by the United States in 1903, to replace the .30-40 Krag in the new Springfield 1903 rifle. The .30-03 was also called the .30-45, since it used a 45 grain powder charge; the name was changed to .30-03 to indicate the year of adoption. It used a...
Springfield. While the serial number of Kermit’s .30-03 has been lost, the serial numbers of the three .405 rifles are known to have been 63727, 63736, and 68180. Theodore Roosevelt praised the .405 M1895 in his book African Game Trails, famously referring to this rifle as his “’medicine gun’ for lions.” This quote comes from Roosevelt’s account of a lion hunt in the seventh chapter of the book:
- But as we stood, one of the porters behind called out “Simba”; and we caught a glimpse of a big lioness galloping down beside the trees, just beyond the donga…Tarlton took his big double-barrel and advised me to take mine, as the sun had just set and it was likely to be close work; but I shook my head, for the Winchester 405 is, at least for me personally, the “medicine gun” for lions.
Although it is often said that Roosevelt called the .405 M1895 his “big medicine,” this phrase is never used in African Game Trails, and is possibly the erroneous combination of his “medicine gun” quote with his “big stick” speech of 1901.
In 1985, the Browning Arms Company reintroduced the M1895 rifle in .30-06 Springfield. Later in 2001, Winchester reintroduced the rifle during the 100 year anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidential administration, offering it again in .405 Winchester, as well as .30-06 Springfield
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
and .30-40 Krag
.30-40 Krag
The .30-40 Krag was a cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials...
since its reintroduction. In 2008 Winchester produced a pair of Theodore Roosevelt commemorative rifles. In 2009 an additional pair of rifles was offered commemorating Roosevelt's African Safari in 1909 after leaving office.
Both the Browning and new Winchester rifles are made in Japan by Miroku. The Winchesters, however, differ from the original design in that they featured rebounding hammers and a tang safety.