Winchester Model 1895 Saddle Ring Carbine by Miroku|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

Victorian Shooter said
Miroku made saddle ring carbines for Winchester, but did they make any SRCs for the Browning Model of Winchester model 1895s?

  

No, there was only a single Browning Model 1895, a full-length rifle made in two calibers, 30/40 Krag and 30/06.  Straight grips, crescent buttplates, and 24″ round barrels. There were two grades available. Grade 1 had blued steel and plain, uncheckered Walnut. Grade 2 had a nitride receiver, some engraving and gold overlays. Better Walnut, checkered. 

Grade 2 was a little gaudy but the ’06 I had was a remarkably accurate rifle. I shot a couple of 1.5 ” 100 yard groups and I don’t shoot that well with open sights. 

By the time FN acquired the Winchester gunmaking assets,  it had learned buyers wanted Winchesters that were finished like the originals.

The Winchester branded 1895 guns are finished reasonably correctly, the downside being an unobtrusive tang safety and a less unobtrusive rebounding hammer. For those who can’t stand these “outrages”,  Turnbull and others will eliminate the rebounding hammer and introduce a half-cock position, remove the tang safety and weld up and refinish the tang. Bring serious money or plastic. 

I have two Miroku made 1895 Winchesters, a 405 rifle and a 30/06  carbine. Both have decent but not perfect trigger pulls. They can be worked on by a Smith who knows how. They are beautifully made and finished, although the left receiver wall of the carbine is defiled with a small gold- washed line of print commemorating the Centennial of the Springfield cartridge, for Pete’s sake. 

For the record, I actually like the tang safety and find it useful and worthwhile. Of course, not everybody has had a 32 Special round planted between his feet, as I have, by some fool trying to unload his carbine at the close of an Opening Day.  

If you like traditional lever action Winchesters, the Miroku Winchesters [and, to be honest, the discontinued Brownings] are very pleasing in the field or at the range. 

348win said
Were any 1895’s from Winchester, pistol grip stock or were all 95’s straight

  

Some of the very early 95 are PG, there wasn’t many made 

TXGunNut said

Victorian Shooter said

Miroku made saddle ring carbines for Winchester, but did they make any SRCs for the Browning Model of Winchester model 1895s?

  

I like the way you think, Vic. One in .405 would make a world-class hog gun and an interesting load development project to boot! Eh….probably just as well. Several years ago I would have been sorely tempted.

 

Mike

  

Mike, you don’t get off so easy as that. Sooner or later you will have to help me work up some lead bullet loads for my 405.  I’ve got 2 boxes of Hornady ammo and 100 new unprimed brass in my locker. I’m too feeble to do all the range work. My rifle does have a shotgun butt, fortunately. 

Zebulon said

TXGunNut said

Victorian Shooter said

Miroku made saddle ring carbines for Winchester, but did they make any SRCs for the Browning Model of Winchester model 1895s?

  

I like the way you think, Vic. One in .405 would make a world-class hog gun and an interesting load development project to boot! Eh….probably just as well. Several years ago I would have been sorely tempted.

 

Mike

  

Mike, you don’t get off so easy as that. Sooner or later you will have to help me work up some lead bullet loads for my 405.  I’ve got 2 boxes of Hornady ammo and 100 new unprimed brass in my locker. I’m too feeble to do all the range work. My rifle does have a shotgun butt, fortunately. 

  

Sounds like fun, Bill. I don’t enjoy thumpers as much as I used to. Bert has been dabbling a bit with the 40 caliber but it’s all new territory for me north of the 38-40 and the 40S&W. I have an old Winchester 40-72 mould but it may drop a bit small as it was designed for soft lead and Holy Black. I’m still thinking about the OP’s carbine quest. I haven’t tried any of my 30-06 Guvmint loads in a carbine but I’m pretty sure I have a 30US load that could work. I bought a pretty sweet 1895 rifle from Mark a few years back and quite honestly I’ve gotten nowhere on that project. The rifle has a nice bore, I have a mould that ought to work and I have dies and brass. 

What’s the twist on your 405, Bill? 

Mike

Zebulon said
Mike, 

I haven’t proved it myself but in a 2022 American Rifleman review of the Miroku Winchester. 405 Model 1895, the reviewer alleges its rate of twist is 1:14. 

I haven’t slugged the barrel either but my Honady 300 grain jacketed softnose bullets mike. .411 in diameter. I would assume lead should drop at .412 or so unless very soft. 1100 to 1300 fs would be fast enough and less feisty than the 2200 fs Hornady factory ammo..

  

Maybe this will work. Bullet Design Details | Accurate Molds

It’s a gas check design but that may be a plus. I don’t know what Bert finally found for his project.

Mike

Bert-

I seem to recall you were loading for another 40, maybe 40-95 (or 40-65) awhile back. I cast a few bullets from an old 40-72 mould to weigh and measure the bullet it would drop. I was trying to remember what you wound up using for a bullet as your bore was a bit over .40. It seems the .405 will use a bigger bullet after all. I have no experience with 40 caliber rifles other than the 38-40 but it seems there are more than one common bore diameters. 

Mike

Bert,

That’s a good looking .405 High Wall – in fact, all three are.  (What’s the handsome Deluxe octagon barreled one on the bottom?)

Truth of the matter is I’m edging toward learning to cast some lead bullets, when and if our current family worries get over and clear. Maybe starting this coming Summer.  By that time, Mike will have his loading room in order and be in a position to show me how it’s done.  Just something new to learn that’s been on my bucket list for a while. 

With luck, I figure I’ve got maybe 7 to 10 more years in which to get into the field and hunt game, before I go in for my last driving layup. Might as well make it interesting. I’ve been told by die gruppenfuehrer that any feral hog venison needs to go straight to Rudolph’s for smoked sausage and bacon and not to cross the garage-to-kitchen door threshold.  

As Mike has said, big bore moderate velocity lead in an 1895 would make a good feral hog gun. Most of the hog killing I’ve done has been incidental to servicing hog traps on deer leases, as part of the tenant’s obligation to the landowner. I distinctly recall shooting a big penned boar in the ear with a hot .38 Special 158 grain SWC, upon which he sat on his haunches, stared at me and opened his jaws to show me what he had to work with. He would snarl from tiime to time as the time went by but gave no evidence of injury for a full five minutes, when his eyes rolled up and he collapsed dead.  I would never consider shooting a big hog in fair chase at close range with a .357 pistol, unless I was in a tall tree well out of his reach. And I would much prefer my .44 Smith. I figure a .40-72 is about right and a 45-70-400 not overkill for a 300 pound boar with attitude. 

I haven’t found my .405, which has a shotgun buttplate, all that unpleasant to shoot full velocity Hornady factory ammunition but +2000 fs isn’t really necessary for the task.  I’ll slug the bore on mine and would be happy to see a .410 groove diameter. 

Is there any public land near coastal Washington State where hogs roam?

Bert-

An absence of wild hogs is a good thing, IMHO. Farmers and ranchers in my area hate them for all the damage they do. They provide good entertainment but unlike most game animals a few have little or no fear of hunters. Years ago I was sent to dispatch a small boar in a trap and he kept charging the fence panel (with me behind it) until he finally paused long enough for me to put a 45 Colt slug between his eyes. Unlike his bigger brethren he was pretty good eating!

Bill-

Main thing holding up my loading projects at the moment is most of the cases I want to load need their current tenants evicted. I’m in no hurry to do so as I don’t enjoy said eviction process during uncomfortable weather. At the moment I’m enjoying cleaning the neglected bore of a SRC I picked up awhile back. According to the weatherman the process will take at least a few more days.

Mike

Bert, Thanks for sharing some of you’re collection pics, with information.

For me it never gets old!

Anthony