What Caliber for Winchester 1895, "30 U.S."?

If my buddy wants to buy a new rifle in .30-40 Krag, what are some good ones to recommend? Links appreciated. A lever action one would be cool, those are fun to shoot and they "feel" more historical.
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I would recommend a Browning model 1895. Supply outstripped demand for the .30-40 Krag version because most people wanted .30-06 instead, so you can get them like-new for $1000 all day long on gunbroker.

The Browning version has the original Winchester design (as opposed to the new Winchester lockwork, which is lawyer-oriented) and great steel and fit and finish.
 
One of the few rifles which I regret parting with for a profit, some forty years ago, was a Model 1895. Saddle-ring carbine, military markings, .30-'03. NRA about 90%. Still gotta whine, every now and then. :)
 
I wander if the guy could have been confused because of something like WWII M1 ammunition. Some if it was marked something like armor piercing .30 M1 on the box but the cartridges were marked 30 with other letters or just a 3 with letter codes.
 
"IN 1906 the bullet was changed to 150 gr. Hence the 30-06."

That was not the only change to the .30-'03 to make it into the .30-'06. The .30-'06 case is slightly shorter and the neck and shoulder are slightly different. As a rule, the .30-'06 can be fired in the older chambers without a problem, but the .30-'03 won't chamber in a .30-'06.

Jim
 
While Mauser rifles in 7mm were in use in Cuba and the Philippines, many Spanish and native troops were also armed with rifles (primarily Remington rolling blocks) chambered for the 11mm Reformado cartridge.

The 11mm used a brass-jacketed bullet that, in the tropical climates, would quickly develop verdigris, which led to rumors that the Spanish were using poisoned bullets against American troops.

After the war, many thousands of these rifles, and millions of rounds of ammunition, were sold on the surplus market by companies like Bannerman.
 
I got a Win 1895 made in 1902 in 2013 for $500 in 30 U.S.

I have taken apart a Win 92, weighed before and after and got a pound of dirt out. I got more than that from the 1895.

An 1892 is not only straightforward to disassemble and reassemble, there are instructions and videos to be found.

The 1895, on the other hand, is a mystery and is not straightforward. I think I had to make some slave pins.

I should make a video on how to do it. The world needs one.
 

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"The .30-'06 case is slightly shorter and the neck and shoulder are slightly different."

No, I don't believe that the shoulder on the .30-03 was different from the .30-06.

The only dimensional difference I've ever been able to determine is the length of the neck -- the 30-06 neck was shortened almost 3mm due to much lighter bullet not needing a long neck to support it.

The .270 Winchester, which was based on the .30-03 Winchester because its bullet did need the longer neck, has the identical shoulder dimensions and locations as the .30-06.

Dimensioned drawings of the .30-03 are damned difficult to find, but the military cartridges in my collection show no difference between the shoulder dimensions on the two rounds.
 
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