Win 1895 History

[mete]

Watching a Kurosawa movie filmed in Russia. While the men carried bolt action rifles the officer carried a Win 1895. Was the '95 ever used by the Russian army ?

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes, many, even a majority of Winchester '95s were in 7.62x54R for Russian sales.

 

[Neruda]

Yes, it was chambered for 7.62x54R Russian ammo. There's a photo of one at http://world.guns.ru/rifle/rfl25-e.htm

 

[mete]

Thanks. The movie is "Dersu Uzala" the only movie Kurosawa made outside Japan .It takes place around the Ussuri river where the Sino-Soviet war was fought. An excellent movie about a surveying crew and a 'mountain man' which is showing on TCM channel.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Roughly 66% of all Winchester Model 1895s made were made on contract order for the Czarist Russian armies.

Virtually all ordered guns were sent to Russia before the revolution (maybe a few hundred didn't go), so they are VERY rare here in the United States.

There was a thread here a few days ago about a Russian 1895 for sale.

 

[Gunplummer]

Isn't someone reproducing them? I thought I saw new ones at a gun show last year. Color cased receivers on them, if I am thinking of the same model. I could be wrong, I really don't pay attention to Winchester lever guns anymore. Not that I don't like them, I just have other interests right now.

 

[mete]

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=015C&mid=534070
Various models are available but none other than 30-40, 30-06, 405.

 

[Steven Mace]

Winchester began reproducing the 1895 in 2001. But none in 7.62 Russian.

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/category.asp?family=015C

Steve Mace

 

[Gunplummer]

Probably still a lot less expensive to rebarrel one of those new rifles than to find an original, although they did not look cheap.

 

[James K]

There were 293,000 (66% of total production) made under the Russian contract; all or almost all made it to Russia, which is why that caliber is rare in the U.S. The Russian model has a bridge type clip guide made for the standard M-N clip.

Jim

 

[Mike Irwin]

"66% of total production"

There seems to be an echo in here...

 

[kraigwy]

Russians ordered Model 95s in the 7.62 rim Russian round. After the revolution the communist refuse to accept future deliveries of a capitalist rifle.

Several years ago, (forgot what mag.) I read about a guy who bought two un-openned cases of those model 95s.

One he broke open and sold the individual rifles which covered his expenses and made a few bucks.

The Second case, he cut the top out of the crate, pealed back the packing, exposing the rifles. He put a chunk of glass on the case, polished it up and made a coffee table. The article had pictures, it really looked nice.

Quite the conversation piece.