What became of the 1895?

[Dan Cash]

I will kick this off by opening a discussion of the rise and demise of the 1895 Winchester. It is probably my favorite lever gun though only one specimen keeps company here. This old friend was born in 1900 and has had a full and useful life. Like lots of old folks, it is now in the white and shows the dents and wrinkles of years of activity. It got a new lease on life when John Taylor of Puyallup, WA sleeved the rotten bore back to original .30-40. It now resides on the dash of my pick up and is ready for any work. As soon as I crack thecode, I will post a picture.

One always hears that the 1895 was too costly to make so it was dropped from production though it seems a simpler design than the 1894. The whole family of 1895s seem to have dropped of the face of the earth. What a shame as they are a great rifle.