Winchester Model 1895 Russian Musket & Charging Bars, Blue 28” Lever Action Military Service Rifle, MFD 1915 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,715.00
LSB#: 151221ST41

Make: Winchester

Model: 1895 Musket

Serial Number: 172779

Year of Manufacture: 1915

Caliber: 7.62x54mmR also known as 7.62 Russian

Action Type: Lever Action with Internal Box Magazine. This rifle has charging bars added to the sides of the receiver for loading the magazine with stripper clips.

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 “ MODEL 1895 / WINCHESTER / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. & FGN.”. The lower tang is marked “1727789”. The top of the chamber ring is marked with a circled “WP” proof and “7.62 / M.M.”. An “n” or Russian character for NA is stamped over the top of the proof mark. The right side of the receiver is marked with a boxed ‘XN8”, where the “N” is backwards (Russian character for “i”).

Barrel Length: The round barrel is about 28” in length.

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a thin blade pinned into a slotted base fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a combination elevator/ladder sight. When the ladder is folded down, the slider is used to control the elevation using the marks on the left side of the stepped base “4 6 8 10 12 13 14”. The rear face of the ladder “15-31” for used with the slider and there is a “U” notch at the top of the ladder that is marked “32”. There is a wide “V” notch with a tiny “U” notch at its bottom on the top of the slider and another on the rear face of the slider for use when the ladder is folded down.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are three piece walnut with a re-finished lacquer finish, consisting of a buttstock, forend and handguard. The buttstock has a smooth straight grip with a curved carbine style blued steel buttplate and the handguard is cut-out in the center for the rear sight. The forend has bayonet lug installed at its front with two barrel bands with a stacking swivel on its bottom surface. The forend is held in the center with a single barrel band and has finger grooves on each side in its rear section. The barrel band has a sling swivel on its bottom and there is a sling swivel inlet into the belly. There is a thin crack along the right side of the upper tang and the top and bottom corners of the stock at the back of the receiver are chipped or worn. The wood is shy of the metal along the upper and lower tangs. There is a large chip of wood missing from the front of the forend in front of the bayonet lug and smaller chips of wood missing from the heel area around the edges of the buttplates tang. All three pieces of the stock are dark with oil staining and show multiple dings and bruises. There is also a chip out of the surface on the underside front section of the forend and several gouges, the worst being on the right side of the wrist. The LOP measures 12 3/4” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate, which is slightly proud of the wood at the toe. The buttplate has a trapdoor in it for storage of cleaning equipment. The buttplate shows surface loss at the heel and toe, moderate wear at the heel, light wear at the toe and several tiny dings and scratches in the center. The buttplate rates in about Very Good condition. The stocks rate in about Good to Very Good condition as refinished.

Type of Finish: The rifle is blued.

Finish Originality: The finish on the receiver and barrel bands is original but the barrel has been refinished.

Bore Condition: The bore is dark with light to moderate wear in the rifling. There is light erosion in the grooves the length of the bore. Our bore gauge measures a ME of 1.7.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 40% of its current metal finish. There is light pitting and light scratches from sanding under the finish of the barrel over its entire length. There are also a few spots of solid erosion on the barrel, with heavier pitting around the front sight. The bayonet lug and barrel band show surface loss with a plum colored patina forming. The bayonet lug shows several scratches and a few dings. The receiver shows surface loss with moderate pitting on its right side and is sprinkled with light erosion on its left side. The receiver shows a few dings and scratches with tool marks around the screw heads. There are a few deep dings and several scratches in the trigger guard, with smaller dings and tiny spots of solid erosion in the lever. The lever and magazine have a dark patina forming, with surface loss on the edges of the lever and the bottom surfaces of the lever and magazine. There are traces of thinned metal showing in the lever and sides of the magazine. The hammer checkering shows light wear. The screw head at the front of the receiver on the left side is badly disfigured but the rest are sharp, with a few showing marks of a screwdriver. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The action is a little stiff because the sear is slightly worn, which raises the hammer and allows it to ride on the underside of the bolt when the lever is open. The lever locks up correctly. We have not fired this rifle.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

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. Russia had more troops than any other nation in Europe, but only about half of them had guns. Russia ordered the rifles chambered in 7.62x54R, which is what they used in their Mosin-Nagants rifles. The 7.62x54R is about the ballistic equivalent of the .308 Winchester. This musket falls in the correct serial number range of those rifles sold to the Russians and has Russian characters marked on the top of the chamber ring and on the right side of the receiver. The rifle is in about Good condition with about 40% of its current finish remaining. There is light pitting under the finish along the length of the barrel with heavier pitting around the front sight. There is also moderate pitting on the right side of the receiver with light erosion on the left side. The receiver shows a few dings and scratches, with tool marks around the screw heads. There is surface loss on the front edge of the barrel, on the barrel bands, receiver, the bottom surfaces of the magazine and trigger guard and the edges of the lever, with thinning on the sides of the magazine. There are a few scratches and dings in the left side of the receiver, with several deep scratches in the trigger guard and a few dings in the lever. The wood shows a thin crack along the right side of the upper tang, a large chip missing from the front of the forend, and tiny chips missing from the front corners of the buttstock where it meets the receiver. There are also chips missing around the buttplate’s upper tang. The wood is shy of the metal around the receiver’s tang and at the toe of the stock. There are multiple handling marks and dings in the finish with a deep gouge on the left side of the wrist and a surface chip in the underside of the center section of the forend. The bore is dark with light to moderate wear in the rifling and light erosion in the grooves. Our bore gauge measures a ME of 1.7.With 300,000 of these rifles made, we are sure that there are many still existing, but most are probably in Russia. This is the first Russian musket we have seen in a long time, and must be somewhat rare amongst US collectors. The barrel and stocks have been refinished, and the receiver appearance isn’t the best, but a lot of Winchester collectors don’t have one, and we think they will be bidding on this one, if for no other reason than to keep it as a place holder until they can find a nicer one.