platoonDaddy
06-16-16, 08:11
Friend at the range yesterday, was firing one of his awesome weapons. The following is a email conversation with him:
The rifle is a Model 1895 Winchester Sporting Rifle in .40-72 WCF. It was made 109 years ago. Here is a photo and a brief description. I also included a picture of the powerful .40-72 WCF round, and the letter about the rifle I received from the Cody Firearms Museum (which maintains the original Winchester records).
As I pointed out this morning, the ammo for this rifle has not been manufactured since 1936. To overcome this problem, I had a guy in Utah build me a bullet mold to the original specifications. I was also able to locate about 100 shell casing that were made in Australia. To make the bullets, I used an original Winchester reloading tool patented in 1894. A photo of this interesting tool is at the bottom of this email.
Winchester Model 1895 Sporting Rifle (Spanish American War & Early 1900s)
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/WIN%201895_zpsn8tiptkw.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/WIN%201895_zpsn8tiptkw.jpg.html)
The Model 1895 was the last lever-action rifle designed by John M. Browning. It was built to handle the new generation of rifle cartridges that used smokeless powder and pointed bullets. Not convinced that smokeless powder would catch on, Winchester hedged their bets by chambering a small number of these rifles in two black powder calibers. My rifle is one of these rifles. It is chambered for .40-72 WCF. The M1895 was popular with Texas Rangers and others needing a strong and reliable firearm. Theodore Roosevelt owned several M1895s. He took one to Cuba during the Spanish American War (1898), and used two others during an extended African safari after leaving office. My rifle left the Winchester factory in New Haven, CT, in May 1907.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/.40-72%20WCF_zpsokhroyii.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/.40-72%20WCF_zpsokhroyii.jpg.html)
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/WIN%20reloading%20tool_zps4hbvn3th.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/WIN%20reloading%20tool_zps4hbvn3th.jpg.html)
The rifle is a Model 1895 Winchester Sporting Rifle in .40-72 WCF. It was made 109 years ago. Here is a photo and a brief description. I also included a picture of the powerful .40-72 WCF round, and the letter about the rifle I received from the Cody Firearms Museum (which maintains the original Winchester records).
As I pointed out this morning, the ammo for this rifle has not been manufactured since 1936. To overcome this problem, I had a guy in Utah build me a bullet mold to the original specifications. I was also able to locate about 100 shell casing that were made in Australia. To make the bullets, I used an original Winchester reloading tool patented in 1894. A photo of this interesting tool is at the bottom of this email.
Winchester Model 1895 Sporting Rifle (Spanish American War & Early 1900s)
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/WIN%201895_zpsn8tiptkw.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/WIN%201895_zpsn8tiptkw.jpg.html)
The Model 1895 was the last lever-action rifle designed by John M. Browning. It was built to handle the new generation of rifle cartridges that used smokeless powder and pointed bullets. Not convinced that smokeless powder would catch on, Winchester hedged their bets by chambering a small number of these rifles in two black powder calibers. My rifle is one of these rifles. It is chambered for .40-72 WCF. The M1895 was popular with Texas Rangers and others needing a strong and reliable firearm. Theodore Roosevelt owned several M1895s. He took one to Cuba during the Spanish American War (1898), and used two others during an extended African safari after leaving office. My rifle left the Winchester factory in New Haven, CT, in May 1907.
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/.40-72%20WCF_zpsokhroyii.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/.40-72%20WCF_zpsokhroyii.jpg.html)
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad176/slickville/WIN%20reloading%20tool_zps4hbvn3th.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/slickville/media/WIN%20reloading%20tool_zps4hbvn3th.jpg.html)