Winchester Model 1895 Saddle Ring Carbine U.S. Marked, Blue 22” RARE Lever Action Rifle & Letter, MFD 1899 C&R

SOLD FOR: $3,506.99
LSB#: 160318HW08

Make: Winchester

Model: 1895 Saddle Ring Carbine

Serial Number: 19889

Year of Manufacture: 1899

Caliber: .30-40 Krag (.30 U.S.)

Action Type: Lever Action with Internal Box Magazine

Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. PAT. NOV.5.95.NOV.12.95.AUG.17.97.JAN.25.98.”. The upper tang is marked “WINCHESTER / MODEL 1895.”. The lower tang is marked “19889”. The top of the bolt is marked “KSM” (Kelley S. Morse Winchester M1895 Rifles 1893-1915). The bottom of the lever is marked “D”. We didn’t want to take the handguard off, but we did take off the forend. The bottom of the barrel at the receiver is marked ‘3”, “N.S.”, with a small 5 pointed star, “Y”, “VP” in a circle and “W”.

Barrel Length: The round barrel is about 22” in length.

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a German silver blade pinned into a slotted base fixed to the barrel, which is the Type 2B front sight used on carbines. The rear sight is a Type 1 sliding elevator/ladder sight as used on carbines only. When the ladder is folded down, the slider is used to control the elevation using the marks on the left side of the base “200 300 500 700”. The rear face of the slider is marked from “8” to “18”. There is a “U” notch on the rear face of the slider for use when the ladder is folded down and another on the top edge of the slider for use when the ladder is raised.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are three piece walnut with a lacquered finish consisting of a buttstock, forend and handguard. The buttstock has a smooth straight grip with a curved carbine style blued steel buttplate. The forend is held with a single barrel band and has finger grooves on each side, and the handguard is cut-out in the center for the rear sight. There are a few drag lines in the left side of the buttstock with one deep and long drag line. The rest of the buttstock shows a few minor handling marks with a sharp compression mark in the top of the comb and another in the right side of the wrist that is dark with oil staining. The forend shows several small dings with a cluster of several dings in the left side just behind the barrel band. The handguard also shows several small dings. The LOP measures 12 7/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate, which fits the butt well. The buttplate has a trapdoor in it for storage of cleaning equipment. The buttplate shows surface loss with a dark patina forming, light wear at the heel and a few scabs of solid erosion. The trapdoor shows thinning and spots of surface frosting. The buttplate rates in about Very Good condition. The stocks rate in about Very Good to Fine condition.

Type of Finish: The rifle is blued.

Finish Originality: The finish is original.

Bore Condition: The bore is bright tending to gray at the muzzle. The rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. Our bore gauge measures a ME of 0.5.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 70% of its current metal finish. There is pinprick surface erosion in the right side of the barrel at the back of the rear sight, on the top of the barrel just in front of the forend and on the top and sides of the receiver. There are tiny spots of solid erosion sprinkled over the lever and the bottom of the magazine. There are also a few handling marks through the finish on both sides of the barrel, and several scratches through the finish in the receiver, lever and magazine. The left side of the receiver also shows a mark from the saddle ring. There is thinning along the sides of the barrel and barrel band, the receiver and the lever, with surface loss on the upper tang. These areas are all developing a plum colored patina. The hammer checkering shows light wear. One of the screw heads is disfigured and the rest are sharp with light marks from a screwdriver. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The action is fairly smooth and the lever locks up correctly. We have not fired this rifle.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This carbine comes with a print from the Cody Firearms Records Office identifying this carbine as having its serial number applied on March 3, 1899, and confirming that this rifle was shipped as a Carbine, not as a Musket.

Our Assessment: The 1895 Winchester was the first model to incorporate a non-detachable box magazine. This is the model Teddy Roosevelt called his “Big Medicine” that he used in hunting here and in Africa. With its quick handling characteristics, box magazine and pointed bullet capability, the Model 1895 changed the world of sporting rifles forever. This rifle became the preference of major powers worldwide, with Russia alone purchasing nearly 300,000 1895’s just before World War I. In 1898, the United States ordered 10,000 of the rifles in musket form with handguard for use in the Spanish-American War, but the war ended before they could be delivered. One hundred were issued for field testing in the Philippines and the remaining 9,900 were sold to M. Harley Company. Many of these were shipped to the new Cuban government in 1906 and some found their way to Pancho Villa’s troops in Mexico. The U.S. Government also ordered carbines, but we can’t find records as to how many. We do know that known serial numbers of U.S. marked muskets were in the 17,000-18,000 range. This saddle ring carbine was made in 1899, just after the Spanish-American War ended. It is chambered in .30-40 Krag and has the U.S. inspection marks of Kelley S. Morse (Winchester M1895 Rifles 1893-1915) on the bolt and lever. It has the correct sights as used on carbines, including the Type 1 carbine rear sight that was only used on carbines. The rifle is in about Very Good condition with about 70% of its original finish remaining. It shows pinprick surface erosion on the barrel and receiver with tiny spots of solid erosion sprinkled over the lever and the bottom of the magazine. There are scratches through the finish in the barrel, receiver, lever and magazine. There are strips of thinning on the sides of the barrel and the barrel band, with thinning on the magazine and lever, and surface loss on the upper tang. The wood shows a few drag lines on the left side of the buttstock and several dings and bruises scattered over the buttstock and forend, with a few light marks in the handguard. The bore is bright, tending to gray at the muzzle and our bore gauge measures a ME of only 0.5. Again, we are not sure how many carbines were ordered by the United States, but there had to be far fewer than the 10,000 muskets ordered for the Spanish American War. This rifle comes with a Print from the Cody Firearms Records Office confirming it was shipped as a Carbine, and not as a Musket. This is a rare rifle and with its U.S. markings, original finish, and nice bore should make a nice addition to any collection of U.S. Military Weapons as well as to collections of Winchester lever action rifles.