Of all the lever actions my personal favorite is the Win m/1895.
I'm fairly familiar with the various factory calibers the rifle was made in, but to which calibers have you converted it to or to which do you know it to have been converted to?
What is the most powerful cartridge you know of in the 1895?
I know about Z-Hat's conversions to the various Hawk/Scovill calibers, do you have any experience in using them: do they achieve the promised velocities and is the gun durable enough for heavy loads?
I've also seen pics of one in .35 Whelen.
Both rimmed and rimless caliber conversions interest me.

What's the biggest game you've taken with a 1895? And with what caliber was that?

Apparently a conversion from rimmed to rimless can cause extraction problems, but from what I've heard those guns that have originally been made for rimless work ok. Comments on this?

I have one of the original Russian ones re-chambered for 8,2x53R, i.e. .323 caliber.
My main game is Finnish elk.
Only one factory load is available: Sako's 200grs Hammerhead.
This summer I hope to try out some loads with heavier bullets.

so that is a 200 gr bullet at what 2250
fps maybe 2300fps? guess here 730-750 meters ps
i am thinking that is plenty for any moose
you are gonna run into.

the only cartridges i can think of in the 95 are 30-40 krag ,the one i have.
7.62x54R, 30-06 30-03, 405 winchester.
there may have been others like 303british.
mine is staying as it is.

I have one (very nice) in 9.3x62. Regards.

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
so that is a 200 gr bullet at what 2250
fps maybe 2300fps? guess here 730-750 meters ps
i am thinking that is plenty for any moose
you are gonna run into.

Yes, it's plenty - especially in view of the load being 2526fps (770m/s)!
Sako loads 200grs 7,62x53R and .308Win @ 745m/s, i.e. 2444fps and this has also been proved to be plenty for both elk and bear.

I've got a Browning variant in the safe, that will eventually become 375 Whelen.
I'm happy with my two shooters, 30-06 and 405, using cast bullets.
Jim

Here is mine in .35 Whelen.



Dave

In 405 with a 30/40 custom barrel from Wild West Guns.

Rich

I've got a 411 Hawk on the Win 1895. Have yet to draw blood with it though...

FWIW I have one of the Miroku .405's


Now I think if you've got an original M-1895 it's sacrilege to alter the caliber! If however, you've got one of the Re-Intro's from Miroku, then by all means have at it. Go hard!

But IN MY OPINION the .405Win is the ultimate caliber for the M-1895.

Now if I were able to afford it, and could get my hands on more Miroku M-1895's to do this sorta thing, then I think I'd look at some of the suggestions like .35Whelen or .50-110, something like that.

My best hunting buddy had a Browning 1895 .30/40 converted to .35 Win. by Doug Turnbull and they did a beautiful job. You'd swear it was factory.

I have fired nearly 1000 rounds in pressure testing the 411 hawk. It is capable of launching a 300 grain to 2500+fps and a 350-360 grain to 2250fps. That is a pretty good thump in a rifle of that stock design. I personally wouldn't want much more. I limited the pressures to 10+% under the parent cartridges (270-30-06). The rifle will take the full factory pressure but the brass life will suffer. There was very little velocity to be gained from the extra 7-8Kpsi anyway.

The two most practical conversions are to either 35 Whelen or 9.3x62. Both are capable of taking nearly any game desired and both have factory loads that are loaded to pressures that are compatible with the rifle. Both can be done by boring the existing barrel whereas, the larger calibers are best done with a new barrel.

I had no troubles with OALs in the area of 3.25" but the stock magazine will not handle 3.34" loads so choose the loading components accordingly.

NFMike,

Have you only tested the gun, or also hunted with it? If so, what bullets do you use?

I also doubt whether anything above 9,3x62 would really be needed, and a fine caliber it is.

I know several others that have taken it hunting but I only did testing for pressure, velocity, and terminal performance. Mostly I used my own bullets, which are not available anymore.

Judge G has a really nice .405 that he had worked on to be able to seat the bullet out and he get 450-500 velocities with it, a 400 gr. bullet at 2100 FPSm that would be my choice for a lever action elk rifle.

I also think the 95 in a 9.3x62 is a very desirable elk caliber..

HI,

I been off this forum for awhile,but I just got a Browning 1895 back from Z-hat custom.I had it converted to a 9.3 x 62 and had the barrel cut down to 20.5,a quick release scout scope ,2.75, with ghost ring sights. I like it alot,the action is better than any rifle I have.

Pictures, pictures, my friend!

How is to shoot?
Did you alter the stock to get it a tad more recoil friendly, maybe? I've been thinking that less drop, and maybe a more rounded comb would be good ideas if going up to 9,3 caliber.

HI,

I cannot tell a differents between an 06 and the 9.3,as recoil is concerned,so I did nothing to the stock. I am just setting up my computer so pic's will be slow coming,

Here is my .405 winchester. I love it. I'm haveing a receiver peep sight installed as we speak. Sweet shooter.

Looks the business!

About the sight: is the Buffalo Arms' one?
I ordered one from them awhile ago, you see, but they had a problem in getting them delivered from the manufacturer in Ukraine (I thought, whyn't I get an Ukrainian bride and fetch the sight while I'm at it?), and they offered another sight, instead. But even that one has not yet been delivered...
So I am still awaiting delivery.

quote:

I also think the 95 in a 9.3x62 is a very desirable elk caliber..

The more I think of a '95 in 9.3x62 the more I like it.