I stopped to see a friend today, and the conversation eventually moved to talking about guns. He’s 60 this year, and he pulled out an old 95 carbine that had belonged to his grandfather.
It obviously has some issues, but also some attributes… someone removed the rear sight, and installed a bolt peep. Saddle ring and hand guard are also missing. He said he may have the rear sight and the ring somewhere in the attic of his old family farm house.
He said the story was that his grandfather bought it from the local law enforcement during a sale of confiscated weapons.
The bore looks great, barrel blueing is good. Wood is also nice original finish. Receiver worn from carrying I suspect.
My questions: could the sling studs be factory, could the Marbles front sight be original to this gun? Has anyone seen this make of bolt peep? It appears to have been installed long ago. Is an original hand guard tough to come by?
Would Cody have information to warrant getting a letter on this one. If so, I would consider doing it for him as a gift.
Marble’s sights were listed in the cat by 1916, maybe earlier, but that’s an insignificant concern; front sights are as personal a choice as one’s clothing. I believe the usual factory position for the rear swivel stud is about 4″; original or not, they make it a better rifle. Rcvr sight looks gunsmith-made to be. Is it adjustable?
I can add a few comments, but Mark is way better qualified than I. Yes, hand guards and rear barrel sights are scarce as hen’s teeth. Should you be so lucky as to find an original top hand guard, the odds of it even coming close to similar condition to the rest of the wood is very unlikely. It is possible the sling studs are original, but I would need a good measurement from the toe to decide on the rear stud, but it looks about correct to me. Currently I don’t have access to my records to see if the serial number is within the letterable range but an inquiry would be very advantageous if it is. As to the bolt peep, I haven’t seen one like that, but again I don’t have access to see if there are any in the sight books that appear similar. I am guessing that it may be a one off by a smith and also the front sight was selected to get the rifle on target. Like Clarence, I don’t get too upset with changed front sights as the old fellows were shooters as well as we can be today. It is unlikely to be original though and it would turn off some folks today. It is not unusual for 1895’s to have good barrel blue and a totally unblue receiver, if it was used regularly like this one appears. Great story of family connection. Tim
[email protected] said
Here’s a close up of the marking on the receiver sight. Doesn’t look to be adjustable. Anyone ever seen one like this. Looks to be very well made to me.
It does; however, if it’s not adjustable, it would be by luck that it was properly aligned for windage. The name is that of no commercial sight maker.
Yes, hand guards and rear barrel sights are scarce as hen’s teeth. Should you be so lucky as to find an original top hand guard, the odds of it even coming close to similar condition to the rest of the wood is very unlikely. tim tomlinson said
What was supposed to be the purpose of a handguard on a carbine, anyway? On military rifles, it’s purpose was to facilitate use of the bayonet if the brl was overheated. Because the wood was necessarily thin, all handguards were prone to cracking. Given the overall cond of this ’95, doesn’t seem worth the trouble to replace it. Nor, for the same reason, do I think it’s worth the cost of a letter.
November 7, 2015
Warehouse and SNA records are available for this carbine from the Cody Firearms Museum. You may want to contact them for a search or letter.
https://centerofthewest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SerialNumberRanges2024-Winchester.pdf
Mike Hupp
TXGunNut said
Warehouse and SNA records are available for this carbine from the Cody Firearms Museum. You may want to contact them for a search or letter.
https://centerofthewest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SerialNumberRanges2024-Winchester.pdf
Mike Hupp
Mike,
It might be worth getting a letter. My friend who owns the carbine lives in Leelanau County here in Michigan.
For years Al Capone had a “Hidaway Cottage” just down the road from him in Leland. I guess Capone spent a lot of time in the area during the summers.
If this gun was indeed a “confiscated weapon” by the local police as his grandfather says….. maybe it was owned by someone famous 😂😂😂
November 7, 2015
[email protected] said
TXGunNut said
Warehouse and SNA records are available for this carbine from the Cody Firearms Museum. You may want to contact them for a search or letter.
https://centerofthewest.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SerialNumberRanges2024-Winchester.pdf
Mike Hupp
Mike,
It might be worth getting a letter. My friend who owns the carbine lives in Leelanau County here in Michigan.
For years Al Capone had a “Hidaway Cottage” just down the road from him in Leland. I guess Capone spent a lot of time in the area during the summers.
If this gun was indeed a “confiscated weapon” by the local police as his grandfather says….. maybe it was owned by someone famous 😂😂😂
CFM likely won’t have any shipping information other than the shipping date. Destination or recipient is generally not in the warehouse records.
Mike
[email protected] said
Statement printed just above hotel ad–nothing’s changed whatsoever; hear it every day on TV.
Al was supplying the public with products they wanted but the US gov’t tried to deny them. So who or what was the “public enemy”?
clarence said
[email protected] said
Statement printed just above hotel ad–nothing’s changed whatsoever; hear it every day on TV.
Al was supplying the public with products they wanted but the US gov’t tried to deny them. So who or what was the “public enemy”?
I agree…. Everyone in that area said he treated them all wonderfully during interactions. The newspaper boy said Al would give him $5.00 for a $0.20 newspaper.
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