Bucket list rifle, PS. Bob (Whelen) will love it!

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I really love how we can tease on this site. I take my hat off to all of you for keeping up the good spirits. Thanks guys and sorry if I derailed your thread @sestoppelman

@Jörg Krüger
Thanks for the PM mate may be one day but I will bring the Bundy.
Bob

 

[Jörg Krüger]

No bro, it will be my place to supply the Red Heart rum. We can compare the stuff like 6.5 against 6.5. Or if you want an Victorian Bitter against a Tafel Lager. At least I know which beer will come out tops

@Jörg Krüger
Thanks for the PM mate may be one day but I will bring the Bundy.
Bob

 

[sestoppelman]

Just scored a new set of RCBS dies on fleabay! As one can imagine, not an easy find. Everyone that makes dies is either out or backordered for who knows how long.
Checked earlier nothing, changed the search a bit and VIOLA! NIB dies for .35 Win at about half price!
I should go and buy some lottery tickets!

 

[BigSteve57]

Anything so long as it's chambered in .243.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Been looking for years for the right deal to come along and it finally did. Havent shot it yet but with a good bore, tight muzzle and sweet trigger I should be able to hit the target.
Model 1895 Winchester in .35 Winchester. Always been a fan of the '95, my first was a Krag some years ago, sold to a buddy who passed away a few years ago, and sold all his guns beforehand.
This rifle made in 1903 has a 24" barrel with a 1-12 twist as measured by a tight patch on a cleaning rod, so should handle whatever bullets I want to shoot in it. I have on a hand a good supply of weights from 200-250 of various brands.
It came with the hard to find and expensive Lyman 21 ( Climbin Lyman ) rear sight and an oddball front sight in the dovetail that rotates from an ivory bead to a tiny little almost Barleycorn post that can hardly be seen!
Seems to function properly, feeds, extracts and ejects with alacrity.
I have a sizing die coming from Midway, bullets can be seated with my Whelen die so dont need a full set. Good thing too, also very hard to find.
Picture shows two rounds of Win, one current made factory round RN, and one handload with Hornady 200 gr FTX bullet, alongside one Whelen on the right for comparison.
Grafs had two bags of brass from Quality Cartridge so snagged them.
Being a very old rifle I have no intentions of trying to "hoss" it up. In a new rifle it could be loaded to about equal the .348 Winchester but I plan to keep loads down around .35 Remington levels, perhaps a tad more.
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I just looked at the photos again and that wood looks really nice for it's age.

 

[meigsbucks]

What a wonderful find. The sights are really unique. I've never seen a front sight like that.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Anything so long as it's chambered in .243.

SAAMI has just redesignated it the Toe-mah-toe-for-thee...in honor of our illustrious mate currently confined to hunting soap operas on the telly: Couchaphile Bundee.

 

[crs]

Ses, Welcome back to the Winchester 1895 rifles! Even if yours is a wimpy round/cartridge.

My 1895 .405 just came back with a nicely done Magnaport job and is ready to hunt.

Spent some time at the rifle range today with my 45-70 DR and my son who can see well enough to shoot the target at 100 yards and adjust the scope to bring all into focus. It only took him 3 shots and it is ready to hunt. Next I will shoot it at 100 yards before we go punching holes into piggies.
Those 400 grain JSP bullets at 1600 fps should put a real hurt on those hogs.

 

[sestoppelman]

Got to shoot this thing today and it a was a hoot! Went bang every time, worked perfectly. Took me a few rounds to get sighted in but the first shot at 50 yds was on the paper and after 5 there I took it to 100 and while I was still chasing my tail, ( old eyes and peep sights ), I was staying on the paper and most in the 6" bull with the 200 gr RN factory load I had.
This thing going be fun!

 

[sestoppelman]

Shot this a couple more times and its really a neat rifle, no regrets here. I was curious though about the rifles history so I sent for and today received a so called "factory" letter to see what I could learn about its birth.
I sent to the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody WY. Its a neat place we visited it some years ago, man you never have seen so many neat guns!
They offer a serial number search for many Winchester rifles, the 1895 among them so I sent my SN (and $75) in and the model and they looked it up and printed me out a nice letter that I got today.

I was curious mostly because most of my reading seems to indicate that the .35 Winchester round saw light of day in 1903 and based on most SN info I could find this rifle was made in '03.

I mostly wondered if the .35 barrel was original to the gun. I guess it is.
My letter states the rifle was issued its SN in August and sold in October 1902 in caliber .35! So if that is accurate this must have been one of the first .35's to go out the door, and that the .35 was actually already out before 1903.

I did swap out that odd front sight for a more normal looking front bead sight. I asked a gent who specializes in old sights and he said he had never seen one like it.

According to my reading the Lyman rear side sight is most likely factory installed as well as it is a proper Lyman for a Winchester '95 and the two whitish dots are according to one source an indicator of factory installation. Either way it works, its valuable and I like it.

I think this is another fine old rifle that will remain with me until they shovel dirt in my face.

 

[CBH Australia]

No bro, it will be my place to supply the Red Heart rum. We can compare the stuff like 6.5 against 6.5. Or if you want an Victorian Bitter against a Tafel Lager. At least I know which beer will come out tops

Most any Beer will come out in front of Victoria Bitter (VB), it's one I avoid and I live here.
Bundaberg Rum is an acquired taste but its unique like Bob but you grow to like him , sorry the Rum.
It's Aussie and it's good.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Most any Beer will come out in front of Victoria Bitter (VB), it's one I avoid and I live here.
Bundaberg Rum is an acquired taste but its unique like Bob but you grow to like him , sorry the Rum.
It's Aussie and it's good.

@CBH
Chris VB is better than that shit in south Australia called Southwark also known as the green death.
XXXX Gold is a nice beer as well.
Bob