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Safe to shoot 1895 ".405 WCF"??
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Troutdale, OR
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March 9, 2018 - 4:41 pm
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I’m not interested in this gun at all, but was just surprised to see an old octagon barreled 1895 re-bored to .405 WCF.  If you zoom in on the top barrel flat, you can see the two proof-marks (indicating a mail order replacement barrel) and the remnants of an old caliber marking (guessing 40-72 WCF).  Since the .405 WCF is such a hot smokeless cartridge, it surprises me that someone would re-bore for that caliber from a barrel that was designed to shoot only black powder cartridges.  That would sure make me flinch touching one of those off in this rifle.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/gun-library/winchester-gun-library%7C/pc/103792680/c/103589280/winchester-model-1895-405-win-caliber/2755456.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fwinchester-gun-library%2F_%2FN-1103078%2FNo-640%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_103589280%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D80

Don

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Kingston, WA
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March 9, 2018 - 6:16 pm
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Don,

I doubt that it was originally a 40-72 WCF barrel. The bore diameter of the 40-72 is too large to cleanly rebore & rerifle it to the 405 WCF dimensions. Instead, it must have been a 38-72 WCF barrel. Further, if it is not a nickel steel barrel (smokeless powder), it was not designed for jacketed bullets at 2200 fps.

In regards to your trepidations about shooting it, I agree… I certainly would not do it either.

Bert

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March 9, 2018 - 6:19 pm
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Not only is it unsafe to shoot it is so messed up it shouldn’t be bought.

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March 10, 2018 - 4:36 pm
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I think the rifle is a mess and wouldn’t be interested in it.  I suppose if someone gave it to me, I might shoot it.  I would use lead bullets with reduced loads that would duplicate .40-72 black powder factory equivalent loads.  I’d want to slug the barrel too.  But, this is a rifle to stay away from for sure.  Way overpriced for what it is.

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