Question on the 1895 Winchester

[geobru]

I saw a rifle today that left me scratching my head. It was an 1895 Winchester lever action in 236 US Navy (6mm). Is it for real? I did a quick search to see what calibers it came in and that was not one of them. Any ideas?

[MrMurphy]

Considering the Navy used straight-pull Lee rifles in 6mm for some time, I wouldn't consider it totally unlikely. Yeah, I've never heard of one in that, but nothing says it couldn't be a one-off. They chambered them in the Army .30-40 Krag.

[junkbug]

Where did you see this rifle? In a museum? Such an example would bee exceedingly rare and valuble.

Even the Winchester made Lee 1895 straight pull rifles are very expensive, and difficult to find in good condition.

Keep us posted.

[Pete44ru]

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My WAG is that it's been barreled using a .236 Lee straight-pull barrel.

Winchester bought the patent from Lee in 1895, and made/sold some 20,000 Lee Straight Pull Rifles to the USN until 1902 - so who's to say whether Winchester experimented with the combo, or someone else did ?


A Cody letter "might" say - but it also might not.



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[geobru]

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My WAG is that it's been barreled using a .236 Lee straight-pull barrel.

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Pete, Good guess. I think that is what happened. The rifle is in the Lacey WA Cabelas with a price of $510. I was fondling the levers on the used gun rack when I spotted it. I had never seen a 236 USN before. I didn't look that closely at the barrel last night, but after looking at a picture of a Lee straight pull bolt action barrel on Gunbroker, I am 99% sure that those markings match the ones on the barrel of the gun I handled yesterday.

In addition to this one that was messed with, they had a Winnie 94, pre 1951 that looked pretty good other than it had a SRC stock on a standard carbine gun.

[ving-thorr]

Cool, thats a cartridge that i wish would make a comeback!

[Hobie]

$510? Is the rifle otherwise in good working order? You can make brass from the .220 Swift. Man....

[geobru]

$510? Is the rifle otherwise in good working order? You can make brass from the .220 Swift. Man....

Yeah, I know...

They had the gun zip tied, so I couldn't work the action or look at the bore, so the functionality isn't known. I'd be interested, but I'm working toward something else right noe.

[3leggedturtle]

That would be a fun rifle to have. Surprised they have it marked so reasonably priced. Especially if its in good shape. You would be assured of the only one in camp to have a rifle or Lever in that caliber.

[stew71]

Very cool!!

[Ray Newman]

--From Geo. Madis’s “The Winchester Book” (1985 printing), p. 478:

“Caliber 7.62 muskets were made for the Russian Government and muskets were also offered in caliber .236 U.S. Navy but experiments proved that this caliber was not satisfactory in the ’95 and none are believed to have left the factory.”

-- Could be a re-barrel

-- Could be an altered musket

-- Could be a special order rifle

Who knows?? Probably a factory letter would shed some more light on it.

[Blaine]

I saw that same one yesterday, and wondered about it....I am not informed enough to have made that sort of connection

[geobru]

I saw that same one yesterday, and wondered about it....I am not informed enough to have made that sort of connection

Blaine, thats where I was at when I saw it. I would've looked at it a lot closer if i knew then what I know now!

[Blaine]

I saw that same one yesterday, and wondered about it....I am not informed enough to have made that sort of connection

Blaine, thats where I was at when I saw it. I would've looked at it a lot closer if i knew then what I know now!

Go ahead, I have to get a new crown come April

[geobru]

Go ahead, I have to get a new crown come April

I hear ya. The head gasket blew in one of our cars... Kept me from pulling the pin on a nice S&W 686.

[2X22]

The rifle is in the Lacey WA Cabelas with a price of $510. I was fondling the levers on the used gun rack when I spotted it. I had never seen a 236 USN before. I didn't look that closely at the barrel last night, but after looking at a picture of a Lee straight pull bolt action barrel on Gunbroker, I am 99% sure that those markings match the ones on the barrel of the gun I handled yesterday.

In addition to this one that was messed with, they had a Winnie 94, pre 1951 that looked pretty good other than it had a SRC stock on a standard carbine gun.

Hey George! I saw that one too! Scratched my head too. Was there one right next to it still, in .30-06? I durned near bought that one, $799.99. My son kept whispering in my ear, "buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it"!

Instead I bought a '94 30-30 NRA Centennial which was still in the box, in the Gun Library.

[geobru]

Hey George! I saw that one too! Scratched my head too. Was there one right next to it still, in .30-06? I durned near bought that one, $799.99. My son kept whispering in my ear, "buy it buy it buy it buy it buy it"!

Instead I bought a '94 30-30 NRA Centennial which was still in the box, in the Gun Library.

Jeff,
Yep there was one next to it. but I thought it was six hundred something? Anyway, hope you enjoy that centennial! I've been ogling them in the Gun Library myself.

[Blaine]

That place is dangerous to an already over-strained budget

[geobru]

That place is dangerous to an already over-strained budget

You got that right!

[2X22]

Jeff,
Yep there was one next to it. but I thought it was six hundred something? Anyway, hope you enjoy that centennial! I've been ogling them in the Gun Library myself.

Uh oh! If they dropped the price, that could be bad. I'm going to be back up there on Saturday to play with the Grandkids and figured I'd pop over and see what they had. If the price is down, I may at least put it on lay-a-way...

[geobru]

Keep us posted!

[sonny p]

I purchased the 1895 in 236 USN on Gun Broker. It is the real thing. The seller said it looked like a Lee Navy Sporter barrel had been put on the '95. The Winchester address is on the barrel which is correct for the '95 flatside, which would have been used in '95-'96. The Lee Navy and the later 95's had it on the receiver, which the rifle it was on had, (circa 1915). Winchester never put the address on twice. It is probably one of the test barrels or some one took it off the original gun, but unlikely, as Madis said none were ever shipped. I read somewhere Winchester sold the leftover parts. I put the barrel on a flatside I have and it will eventually be in a book on 95's that is being written. Cody museum doesn't have one. I paid more than the $510.00, but you missed a good one, boys! SONNY P

[Sixgun]

Sonny P,
Your full of you know what. One post and you make this exclamation. BSer if I ever saw one.

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

$20K against your 100 if you have a factory yellow slip.

Its now 9:29 PM EST.--------------Sixgun

[airedaleman]

Sonny P,
Your full of you know what. One post and you make this exclamation. BSer if I ever saw one.

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

$20K against your 100 if you have a factory yellow slip.

Its now 9:29 PM EST.--------------Sixgun

Well?

[Sixgun]

Sonny P,
Your full of you know what. One post and you make this exclamation. BSer if I ever saw one.

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

$20K against your 100 if you have a factory yellow slip.

Its now 9:29 PM EST.--------------Sixgun

Well?

Well what? I never saw any pic.

[airedaleman]

Sonny P,
Your full of you know what. One post and you make this exclamation. BSer if I ever saw one.

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

$20K against your 100 if you have a factory yellow slip.

Its now 9:29 PM EST.--------------Sixgun

Well?

Well what? I never saw any pic.

Oh. I see.

[AJMD429]

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

Most folks only 'check in' to a forum like this every day or so, or maybe a couple times a day if they are retired and it's a rainy day, so odds of anyone being able to respond to any challenge within 15 minutes is slim to none. Give him 48 hours...!

[Sixgun]

My thousand dollars against your $50 (if you have that much) says you can't take a picture of the barrel address and caliber roll mark and post it here in 15 minutes.

Most folks only 'check in' to a forum like this every day or so, or maybe a couple times a day if they are retired and it's a rainy day, so odds of anyone being able to respond to any challenge within 15 minutes is slim to none. Give him 48 hours...!

OK Doc, Your right. I was putting the odds in my favor. I'll go as far to say he has the entire weekend to post a pic. I have great confidence in my knowledge. Some things like that do exist but they are not in the pipeline.--------------6