helidriver72 said

kevindpm61 said
I like the look of that rifle. I don't know what would have been involved in converting a musket to its current configuration. It looks like it could have been in sporting configuration from the beginning. Do serial numbers on the rifle and the Cody letter match?
  

Thanks for your post. Even with glasses I saw 9804 not the actual 9304. I’ll post what Cody Museum sends. 
  

Don’t feel bad! The seller posted 9804 as well 😁. I am surprised at that price. Big congrats on a great rifle and a great deal!

kevindpm61 said
I like the look of that rifle. I don't know what would have been involved in converting a musket to its current configuration. It looks like it could have been in sporting configuration from the beginning. Do serial numbers on the rifle and the Cody letter match?
  

Thanks for your post. Even with glasses I saw 9804 not the actual 9304. I’ll post what Cody Museum sends. 

Bert H. said
It most certainly is not in its original Musket configuration, but for $1,100 you did well for a bona fide "antique" Model 1895.  Somebody truly loved & hunted that old rifle!
I just happen to be a true fan of the old 30-40 Krag cartridge.  I own two original Single Shot (high-wall) rifles chambered for it, and a very old Model 1892 Springfield Krag (sporterized) rifle.  As of today, I do not (yet) have a Winchester Model 1895 chambered for it, but it is on my short list of rifles to add to my collection.
Bert
  

So my 24 year old son informed me that the serial number is 9304 NOT 9804. I really miss being able to see🙄. I will let you know what the new letter says, feeling kinda dumb right now.

I have 3 of these 30-40’s now and they all shoot factory jacketed bullets really well.

My one adventure with muzzle loaders actually involved Pyrodex, which is even more corrosive. I had bought a Ruger 77/50 inline model - all stainless steel and laminate stock. Standard cleaning procedure was to remove the stock, remove the bolt and dump it into a pot of boiling water, followed by the barreled action. Retrieving the barrel via a wire temporarily attached to the trigger guard, several quarts of boiling water were pored down the barrel until it was shiny clean. Everything was fished out of the tank and laid on a towel to dry, which it did pretty quickly. Before the steel could oxidize at all, I sprayed BreakFree liberally inside and out of everything. 

I would not like to contemplate doing this to my pristine 1886 45-90 Sporting Rifle. Because the receiver does not have removable sidelines, getting corrosive powder residue out of the lockwork would be a troublesome worry. 

A single shot would be easier, I'd guess.  

There's nothing wrong with the chambering, particularly if you're a handloader. The 1895 is a strong action design and the 30-40 Krag cartridge was loaded from inception with smokeless powder. There should be a rollmark on your barrel identifying it as being made of a nickel steel alloy.

I don't mean you can or should load up cartridges beyond SAAMI pressure limits. A rough barrel can increase breech pressures, so be cautious. An eroded barrel typically shoots more accurately with jacketed softpoint ammunition. Unjacketed Lead bullets snag on the rough spots and become unstable. They can also solder and build up lead in the barrel to the point breech pressures become dangerous. If you do shoot cast or swaged lead, inspect the bore and remove lead buildup. 

There are products on the market that are advertised as improving pitted bores. You apply a solution to the bore and let it dry, then shoot jacketed ammo to heat the barrel so the dried material melts into the pits. It hardens into a  ceramic-like plating. I have no idea how effective or expensive it is. 

The good news is you can load spitzer bullet designs to improve downrange performance because the Model 1895 doesn't have an inline, tubular magazine. 

Because the steel is mostly bare of finish, I would recommend treating it with BreakFree or a similar metal rust preventative that bonds at the molecular level. I would remove the wood furniture and seal the inletting against moisture and oil seepage. If you are reluctant to use a clear epoxy or urethane topcoat for that purpose, at least apply a thick coat of paste wax to the inletting and let dry. Don't polish it off. In any event, apply paste wax to the exterior wood and polish off, repeating this exterior treatment from time to time, because the wax eventually evaporates with exposure to the air. 

There are certain mechanical points of high friction in a lever action gun that require tiny - I mean minute - dabs of wear-relieving grease, rather than liquid oil.  It should be chemically insensitive to heat so it doesn't melt into a liquid and migrate into the wood or places where it isn't needed. I'm going to rely on other members to advise on that subject.  Except to say a very little goes a long way and overdoing is worse than not doing at all. If you can't restrain yourself, use Ballistol instead. It doesn't work as well but it won't damage wood. 

Be careful and have fun.

I just happen to be a true fan of the old 30-40 Krag cartridge.  I own two original Single Shot (high-wall) rifles chambered for it, and a very old Model 1892 Springfield Krag (sporterized) rifle.  As of today, I do not (yet) have a Winchester Model 1895 chambered for it, but it is on my short list of rifles to add to my collection.

Bert

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1179653506

and this is the Cody info which lists it as a musket.

Everything looks original and intact to me right down to the 31 stock notches, what do you guys think? Is this an error in the records department or did someone swap out all the parts?

it doesnt matter to me I got it pretty cheap and I’m just hoping to add a few more notches to the stock.

WINCHESTER MODEL 1895 - SERIAL NUMBER 9804

Serial number applied on July 01, 1898

Type: Musket

Caliber: 30

Received in warchouse on July 19, 1898

Shipped from warchouse on July 23, 1898, Order number 187

Steven Gabrielli said
BP is the only way to go in my 1886, then again I’m a BP Sharps shooter.
  

Agreed. The 45-90 is at its best with BP in the Sharps or the 1886. Those big cases need to be filled with Holy Black.

Mike

Be safe and start low and work up.

The forearm has the same wood as the stock, but is darker. Don't know if it's from oil or what. 

I'm not comfortable with black powder loadings. So I'm planning on starting with a 350 grain LFPGC bullet sized to .459

And I'm starting with IMR 3031 and RL7, and loading for 1300-1400 fps.

I'd gladly listen to any suggestions.

It must have the 1 in 32 twist, as it has a 26" barrel and the cleaning rod with a tight patch only made about 3/4 of a revolution.

While I understand why collectors worship an all-original, high condition gun, I think it is wrong to say a knowledgeable and skillful refinish "wipes away a gun's history and character."  What this rifle and others like it exemplify is a well-used but well cared-for piece. The Brits shoot in rainy weather and a man lucky enough to possess a matched pair of Boss bird guns is not going to let their steel go bare. The receivers are cased or coined with fine scroll that holds protective oil, but the barrels go back to the maker for "re-blacking" as required. Regularly. Americans who go shopping for such weapons expecting a huge discount are in for a rude shock. 

I'm not suggesting refinishing an 1886 Winchester won't affect its market price; it provably does. Nor do I condemn collectors who refuse to have a refinished gun in their collections. I do suggest voluably regarding with derision a fine piece that has been carefully and correctly refinished, is ignorant and short-sighted. The tail is wagging the dog. Caveat: "carefully and correctly" means an experienced collector has to look twice to be sure. 

The stock has a lot of figure for what appears to be a standard grade rifle. Is the forearm as dark as it appears in the photo?

I assume this rifle has the 45-90 "express" barrel with 1-in-32 twist? How do you plan to load for it? 

It looks like a fine adventure to me. 

Mike