Well I changed the rear sight on my 405 new made Winchester Take Down, to a Williams with a wide V. DID NOT like it. Also it would not go "low" enough.

So, I reinstalled the factory rear sight.
I can see the front bead much better with the Factory rear.

I took it to the range today to get it re zeroed as I plan to hunt pigs with it and deer as well this season.

Shooting at 100 yards with factory Hornady 300gr FP, and a reload with 54.5gr of IMR 3031 and the North Fork 300gr SP I was shooting groups, with both loads combined 2.5 to just under 3" at 100 yards late in this cloudy after noon.

Also I did a little experminting and found that 2 steps up on the factory rear sight equaled @ 9 inches at 100 yards.

Now with a 100 yard zero the factory Hornady 300gr FP is 9 inches low at 200 yards, which is 4.5 MOA low...


So when I came up one "step" on the rear sight, I could hold center and hit the 200 yard gong, every time...

My groups at 100 yards were very good, I do not think that the Take Down feature of this rifle is effecting the accuracy.

Of ALL the Lever Actioned Rifles I have ever shot, I like this one the best...

Now, Winchester 1892's, 1894's, Marlins, Winchester 1886's and "71's" are good rifles, no doubt.... But there is SOMETHING about the 1895 in 405.... Especially in a Take Down...
That makes IT, MY favorite Lever Action.

they are pretty neat, the box magazine gives you the option of using spitzer bullets. The crescent butt plate does provide a pretty solid whack with hunting loads.

The TD makes it very portable.

I'm still an '86 man, I have a 50-110 in the vault that is my go-to timber rifle.

Rich

Rich

The 1886, and the Model 71 used top be the best levers IMHO, until I shot Prairie Dogs with a 1895 in 405.

My 405 has a Shotgun [flat] buttplate.
I have installed a Galco slip on butt pad as I like my LOP a little longer.

Actually I do not find the recoil of the 405 to be bad at all.

Most 45/70's, with top loads, or the 9,3x74R, or the 375 H&H seem much more "kicky".

A 300 Win Mag is a lot more "hurtful" off the bench than the 405, IMHO.

NE 450 No2
Are you using the factory front site?

I love those rifles. Any idea what kind of accuracy that is achievable with them?

From my experience I have to be happy with 2,5" groups with plain open sights but they drop to around 1" with a good aperture and globe.

Shotgun butt plate on a '95? Isn't that like cheating?
Seriously, the 95's are great rifles. I have my great-grandfather's 30-40 Krag rifle.
Did you know that Providence Tool Co, LLC is offering the Model 21 sight, the Lyman 1895 Patent?

www.peabodyrifles.com
or www.buffaloarms.com

Rich

I like the 1895 also, but lean toward the 30-40 and 30-06. If I need big power I to to the 50 alaskan.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Shotgun butt plate on a '95? Isn't that like cheating?

Rich

There was an orignal 1895 .35 Win for sale up here a few months ago with a shotgun butt Rich..
I almost bought it... A friend has a 1895 35 Win. that has a cresent butt..

Low Wall
Yes it is the factory front sight.

Idaho Sharpshooter
I am afraid a "peep" sight on the reciever might not be very accurate because of the takedown feature.

I think if I shot at a different target my groups would be smaller. I was shooting at the 75 yard M 16 Zeroing target.

I need to dig out some of my round NRA targets.
I think I could get a more consistent "aim" with them.

Also I was shooting with my hand under the fore end and no rear bag like I would be in the field.

I think the rifle would definately shoot consistently under 2 inches at 100 if "benched" properly with the right target.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
I like the 1895 also, but lean toward the 30-40 and 30-06. If I need big power I to to the 50 alaskan.

Nothing wrong with those calibres in an 1895, but I prefer the 405. I figure if I am going to be using iron sights I might as well have the bigger bore and heavier bullet.

I have not shot anything with it yet, but I have shot deer and several pigs with my 450/400 double and a 300gr bullet at @2330fps, and nothing has taken a step after being hit, so I am looking foward to busting some pigs with the 405. And I will take it on my next black bear hunt in Idaho for sure.

I'm a big fan of the 95 in .405 Win also. Great round.

Model 21 Copy

http://www.peabodyrifles.com/p...blished_1847_007.htm

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,7197.html

Thanks for the links guys..


On the Model 21 Peabody sight...

What "holes" does the sight need?

My rifle has the hole toward the front of the reciever near the top that looks like where the pivot screw goes...

And my rifle has the two holes for a Lyman reciever sight at the rear of the reciever...

Would I have to drill any new holes, or modify any of the holes I already have???

The Color Case Peabody sight looks pretty good.

I have seen original Model 21's on old 1886's, and can appreciate their ability to quickly go from a 100 yard hunting zero to a rock busting/gong ringing 500 yard zero...

This is NOT intended to be nasty, argumentative, or any similar things....

I truly wish I could say I don't mind the recoil of the .405. If I could learn to like it, I'd buy one of the Model '95s chambered for it. I DO really like the '95 as a rifle. I had a M '95 Carbine in .303 Brit when I lived in both Alberta and Saskatchewan; it was a wonderful woods rifle.

But honestly, I have two .405's now...one on a Springfield '03 action, and the other in a Ruger No. 1. I hate shooting either one because of the recoil from each one. Whatever the real recoil velocity and foot-pound levels of their recoils are respectively, both seem to have about 4 times the felt recoil of my M'86 45-70 with HOT loads.

I also have a .404 Jeff, ,458 Win
Mag, a .404 Barnes Supreme (a .416 Rem Mag clone which uses .411" bullets) and have had a lot of much bigger boomers. I didn't/don't find them to be any problem.

But my .405's make me shudder at the very possibility of shooting them with my fingers inside the lever loop of a lever-gun.

Do you have any tricks (or even need any) to make your .405 M'95 comfortable to shoot?

"But my .405's make me shudder at the very possibility of shooting them with my fingers inside the lever loop of a lever-gun".

Same here!!!...any advice appreciated.
Alex (ex-Manitoba Canuck)

WRT my TD 1895 .405 WCF, it has also become my favorite big bore rifle.





Gotta go now to tend the Nilgai(shot with the .405) chili before it burns.

Tony

The forward hole is useable with the 21/38 sight but you might have to get a metric screw made for it. By now most should have a metric screw for it but I don't know whether they do or not. The rear hole will have to be all new so you will wind up with three holes in the receiver. You might want to talk to Ernest first. He had some bad experiences with his #38. They don't call it the climbin' Lyman for nothing.

As you might guess, I really like my 95 in .405!

I have the new version and it came with the metal shotgun buttplate. When shooting it with just a tee-shirt in the summer, it bucked pretty good. I installed a Kick-Eez pad and a Buffalo Arms reproduction of the Lyman 38 sight. The pad made the rifle a joy to shoot and the sight reduced my 100yd groups from 3" to about 1.5". Because of the location of the windage wheel on the 38, I had to also install a taller front sight.

I shoot IMR 4320 behind a Hornady roundnose at 2200fps. The effect on game is simply devastating.

405wcf

A friend has been teasing me with a 405TD the last couple years at our big summer gong shoot. We were real close this year, but a CPA Stevens 44 1/2 3-barrel set, 22lr, 40-65, 45-70; came between us. If he still has it next summer it will be making the trip back to Idaho with me.
My wife says I am developing a bad habit of bringing a nice single shot rifle home with me each year. Time to break that trend with an 1895 .405WCF I guess...

Rich

Alberta and Conifer....

I do not find the recoil of the 405 to be bad at all. maybe I have shjot too many nitro Express Elephant rifles and light weight 375 H&H's and 300 Mags.

I blame NF Mike for my 405 addiction/affliction, as it was his 405 1895 that I first shot and then took it Prairie dog hunting. After around 40/50 rounds at P Dogs I knew I had to have one...

NF Mike, I have seen the original Model 21 sights on 1886's and I worried about them comming loose and changing zero...

I will probably just keep shooting the factory sights... An inch or two will not make any difference in my game killing ability out to 200 yards or so, IMHO, baised on what I have done with my iron sighted double rifles.

The way I hunt, I shoot much more game under 50 yards than over 100 yards.

I did put a Galco leather butt pad on my 405 as I liked the stock a little longer...

I always heard how ill ballanced, ungainly, and hard kicking the 1895 in 405 WCF was.... But I found those stories to be NOT TRUE...

One thing I really like about the 1895 is how SLICK it handles and works...

I used to think the 1886/Model 71 was the best lever action rifle....
Not any more, the 1895 is Nirvana....

I always wondered why the Texas and Arizona Rangers carried 1895's....

NOW I know...

My case color sight looks as if it were made for my 405 TEX case color.

Frank @ Providence is a good guy.

He may not make the case color ones right now ,as he is concentrating on the Peabody's.

The sight comes with detailed instructions,all the screws and parts--AND the drill bit and tap.

Installation is straight forward.

I have not had sight movement problems even a steady feeding of the 400 gr loads .

Well, the Nilgai chili turned out great and my son said it was the best in a long time. That may have been due to the can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies that I sneaked into it.

Idaho Sharrpshooter - If your friend wants to sell that 1895 TD .405, I have a friend that wants one (like mine ) and will be happy to help it migrate to Texas!

N E 450No2 + 1 on the slick handling and action on the 1895 .405 WCF. I also shoot 1892 and 1886 rifles, but none of them handle like the 1895 in the field.
Also, WRT the Rangers rifles, they always carried the best they could get their hands on at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Alberta and Conifer....

I do not find the recoil of the 405 to be bad at all. maybe I have shjot too many nitro Express Elephant rifles and light weight 375 H&H's and 300 Mags.

I blame NF Mike for my 405 addiction/affliction, as it was his 405 1895 that I first shot and then took it Prairie dog hunting. After around 40/50 rounds at P Dogs I knew I had to have one...

Maybe it is something to do with the drop/length/ etc. of the current M'95 stock which makes yours comfortable.

I have owned and shot a lot of various "elephant" cartridges, so I'm sure it isn't that you've become numb.

I had/used regularly a .577NE, a .470, a .450-3 1/4" NE a .45/400 3-1/4" (all DRs), a .475A&M, and a LOT of others. Still have/use the ,404 Barnes Supreme, a .450/.400 SS which is no particular heavyweight, a .404 Jeffery bolt gun, a .458 Winchester Mag, a 9.3x74R, a couple of .375 H&Hs...those are not problems. I've even shot a 4-bore a bit, and didn't find that particularly bothersome.



But, I suspect both of my .405 Winchesters could be used to kill small to medium deer more comfortably than now, just by letting the deer shoot them at ME.

I guess I'm gonna have to try a couple of "limb-savers" or something akin to that.....

AC

You might be correct about the shape of the stock on the new Winchester 405's.

I fired a few shots at the range with NF Mikes 405, found it comfortable to shoot, and then I bought 3 boxes of factory Hornady ammo and took it Prairie Dog hunting...

I shot over 40 rounds in one afternoon at
P Dogs and was none the worse for wear.

The stock does not hurt my shoulder or my face, and I have never had my hand banged by the lever.

And we were setting down with thin shirts on. Dang it was hot that day. We're all out of P-dogs but the jacks are coming back.

I'll mention that to him, but since I will already have counted out the greenbacks it will be a moot proposition at that point.

Rich

A slip on Limbsaver butt pad cancelles that recoil real well. The recoil on my 95 is manageable with any load I put through it.

Idaho Sharpshooter - Drat, missed another one!
Enjoy that TD and I will just tell Joe to keep looking! I offered to sell him my 1895 Deluxe .405 safe queen, but he has his head set on a TD.
BTW, my TD .405 is due back from the shop next week with the chamber throated to take the Woodleigh 400 grain bullets and I am looking forward to trying those soon.

love my 405 no problems with recoil

quote:

Originally posted by tr 405:
love my 405 no problems with recoil

I have to agree, I actually feel my 405 is very soft shooting for the power it is producing...

It is MUCH more plesant to shoot than the Marlin 45/70 and the Ruger No1 in 45/70 shooting 350gr bullets at @ 1900fps.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:

quote:

Originally posted by tr 405:
love my 405 no problems with recoil

I have to agree, I actually feel my 405 is very soft shooting for the power it is producing...

It is MUCH more plesant to shoot than the Marlin 45/70 and the Ruger No 1 in 45/70 shooting 350gr bullets at @ 1900 fps.

I've been playing "doggo" and watching this thread....and you guys have me convinced that it must be something peculiar to my two .405 rifles which makes them both miserable to shoot. I regularly (and by that I mean frequently) have used 60 grains or so of 4895 behind 350 grain Hornady's in my Winchester (Browning version) M-86 .45-70, and don't even notice that recoil as any kind of nuisance.

It's not just me. One of my shooting partners who tried my .405s flat refuses to shoot either one of them ever again, not even for just one round, but he's always trying to borrow my .45-70., even if the only ammo I may have lying around at the time is some "B---s to the wall" 500 grain loads. He's also shot everything else I have, and had no complaints about any of the others.

Hhhmmmmm......

Alberta Canuck,
Probably those .405s just need to be broken in some. Just ship them down to me in Dallas and I will arrange to have them shot a bunch for you at no charge. Might even be able to sell one of them for you if it is a TD.

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:
Alberta Canuck,
Probably those .405s just need to be broken in some. Just ship them down to me in Dallas and I will arrange to have them shot a bunch for you at no charge. Might even be able to sell one of them for you if it is a TD.

Yeh, maybe that would do it.....on the other hand, I wouldn't want to put you and your friends through all that just as a public service to one of us olde "crispy critters"....maybe I should send a barrel of cash with them to help ease your Pain?

Nah, I couldn't do that to you folks. I'll just send them to some of the guys over on BR.com and let them scrub it out to about .685" bore diameter with their constant cleaning....should reduce the pressures enough to solve any "kick" problems.

Or maybe I'll save us all some time, money, and fret, and try a couple of those new super-absorbant slip-on recoil pads.

If you want to, just in case I do decide to send them, you could keep a weather-eye out for them. Should be there about Friday next week if they are coming at all. So's, you guys could try a trick I heard about on the Obamanet for insuring UPS delivers on time. Seems if a guy forcefully holds his breath when he first expects something, and keeps it held 'til he sees the Brown Truck in his driveway, it guarantees the goods' arrival.....


Thanks for the offer....most kind of y'all.

AC

The load I am using now is 45gr. of imr 4198 and300gr barnesX 1 1/2 groups from the bench at 100 yrds ihave only shot woodchucks so far never notice recoil inthe field. when hunting with my 405 it seams i never see game put it away anduse somthing else bang we got venison on the table one of these days i'll work it out

tr 405 -
My favorite(so far) loads:
I worked up to 55.6 grains of N133 with any of the North Fork 300 grain soft point or solid bullets for the .405 give 2250 fps and good accuracy. The factory Hornady bullets also give good accuracy and are very effective on most game, but for tough stuff like the water buffalo, Nilgai, and such, I went to the North Fork.

Alberta Canuck - thanks for the good thoughts and the cartoons. Please do try a big thick Limbsaver recoil pad and see if that helps. If not, maybe you could try a lead sled (worked for me).