winchester model 1895|Restoration, Repair and Maintenance|Forum|Winchester Collector

Mitchell,  Your rifle or carbine in that serial range would not have had the jointed rods and the buttplate was not provided a trap door.  So don’t go looking for a chimera that isn’t appropriate.  The caliber should be marked on the barrel at minimum but being a carbine you hopefully have a top handguard.  Don’t mess with it trying to take it off if it is OK and present.  Too many top handguards have been broken inappropriately taking them off or putting them back on.  Some carbines had the caliber also marked on the side of the receiver, but yours is early enough likely to not have been done.  I would about lay money on it being a 30 US/30 Army (OK, also known by many as a .30-40 Krag).  See if you can get it checked by a knowledgeable individual or preferably a GOOD gunsmith.  Don’t let him pry the top guard off the barrel or snap it back on!  The wood is thin and will likely break!  Slide the spring clips forward or rearward on the barrel with the rear sight removed!  But caliber should be able to be confirmed by knowledgeable folks without disassembly.  Tim

Mitchell, I need to give you a better answer.  IF your SRC does not have a carbine style butt plate, there would be no trap door.  There are various reasons why it may not be a carbine butt plate, such as a person having sawn it off straight for a recoil pad or special ordered for something else.  Unless it was made with a trap door butt plate, no cleaning apparatus would have been provided.  If it had a trap door butt plate (SRCs, muskets, special ordered rifles, etc) then a pull through type cleaner would have been provided.  They used a cotton cord with a brass weighted end and a brass ferrule on the other for a jag or a brush.  You may find one somewhere, but odds are it will have had the cord replaced or be a new manufactured item.  Good originals exist but usually are already matched to a firearm.  I’ve no idea of the asking prices.  Your SRC is of a serial number that the Cody Firearms Museum would have a record and that would show the configuration at its build.  IF all a research request or letter says is SRC and caliber, the butt stock and butt plate would be the standard carbine style.  It will show if a special butt was ordered (such as a rifle style butt).  That then would support a higher value on the carbine.  I would recommend you check with them.  Likely cheaper than having a good gunsmith determine the caliber as a plus.  Tim