Winchester Model 1895 NRA Musket & Krag M1901 Sight, Blued 24” — Lever Action Rifle & Leather Sling, MFD 1921 C&R
Sold For: $1,404.99
LSB#: 160720JF20
Make: Winchester
Model: 1895 NRA Musket
Serial Number: 401370
Year of Manufacture: 1921
Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
Action Type: Lever Action with Internal Box Magazine.
Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. PAT. NOV.5.95.NOV.12.95.AUG.17.97.JAN.25.98.AUG.23.98.AUG.6.1907.”. The upper tang is marked “ MODEL 1895 / WINCHESTER / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. & FGN.”. The lower tang is marked “401370” and “B”. The top of the chamber ring is marked with a circled “WP” proof and “.30 / GOV. / .06”. The upper tang on the buttplate is marked ‘20”.
Barrel Length: The round barrel is about 24” in length.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a tall brass bead pinned to a tall slotted base fixed to the barrel. The left side of the blade is marked “MARBLE” and the right side “SHEARD / 465”. The rear sight is a Krag Model 1901 early model combination elevator/ladder sight for the rifle as shown on page 102 of “The Krag Rifle” by Lt. Col. William Brophy. When the ladder is folded down, the slider is used to control the elevation using the marks on the left side of the stepped base “1 2 3 B 4”. The rear face of the ladder is marked “1-19” for used with the slider and there is a “U” notch at the top of the ladder that is marked “20”. There is a “U” notch at the top of the slider and another on the rear face of the slider for use when the ladder is folded down. There is also a peep sight at the bottom of the slider. There is a serrated binding lever at the front of the base that allows the rear of the base to be moved from side to side for windage adjustment. The knurled screw that tightens the slider has been removed and replaced with a set screw. The top surface of the base is marked “4”. Three holes on the left side of the receiver have been drilled, tapped and filled for mounting a receiver sight. Two additional holes were drilled, tapped and filled on the left side of the receiver, with the screws cut-off, leaving about 0.050” of the screws sticking out the side of the receiver.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are three piece walnut with a re-finished lacquer finish, consisting of a buttstock, forend and handguard. The buttstock has a smooth straight grip with a curved carbine style blued steel buttplate and the handguard is cut-out in the center for the rear sight. The forend has bayonet lug with two barrel bands installed near its tip, with a stacking swivel on the bottom behind the bayonet lug. The forend is held in the center with a single barrel band and has finger grooves on each side in its rear section. The barrel band has a sling swivel on its bottom and there is a sling swivel inlet into the belly. The buttstock, the left side of the handguard and the front section of the forend are noticeably darker and redder than the rest of the wood. The wood to metal fit is excellent overall, but there is a gap between the handguard and the forend at the front of the receiver. The buttstock shows numerous dings and drag lines with a deep bruise on the left side of the comb and a large but shallow bruise on the right side. There is also a sliver of wood missing at the surface at the toe. There are tool marks around the pin holes in the handguard, along with several light handling marks and a spot of short scratches in front of the rear sight. The rear section of the forend shows two dings in its forward right upper corner (just behind the rear barrel band), a small ding behind the finger groove on the right side and a shallow bruise at the rear on the right side. The remainder of the forend shows only a few light marks. The LOP measures 12 13/16” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate shows surface loss and numerous light handling marks, and is mottled with dark spots of surface frosting. The buttplate rates in about Good to Very Good condition as do the stocks.
Type of Finish: The rifle is blued.
Finish Originality: The finish is original.
Bore Condition: The bore is dark with moderate wear in the rifling. There is light erosion in the grooves the length of the bore with moderate erosion near the muzzle. Our bore gauge measures a ME of 1.0.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 25% of its metal finish. The barrel shows thinning with multiple light handling marks and spots of surface loss. The bayonet lug band shows surface loss with several tiny pits in its top surface. the barrel band shows surface loss and is developing a plum colored patina. The receiver, magazine and lever show surface loss with a large spot of bluing remaining on the forward section of the lever on the right side. The upper tang shows surface loss and the lower tang shows thinning. The receiver shows a small ding on its right side, several tiny dings on its left side, several scratches and is mottled with spots of surface frosting on its upper right side. There are light scratches in the lever and magazine. The hammer checkering shows light wear. The screw heads show light marks from a screw driver and two of the screws on the left side of the receiver have been cut off with exposed parts of the screws showing. The markings are clear, but a few of the letters on the left side of the receiver have been partially removed by the addition of drilled holes. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The action is a relatively smooth but a little sticky because the sear is slightly worn, which raises the hammer and allows it to ride on the underside of the bolt when the lever is open. The lever locks up correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a two piece leather target style sling. The two pieces are jointed together with a square “D” ring and each section has a brass covered steel double pronged hook for adjusting length. There are also two leather sliders. The leather is supple, dark with oil/conditioner, and shows two areas where the leather is wrinkled from sharp bending. The brass coating on the double hooks shows thinning. The sling is in about Very Good condition.
Our Assessment: The 1895 Winchester was the first model to incorporate a non-detachable box magazine. This is the model Teddy Roosevelt called his “Big Medicine” that he used in hunting here and in Africa. With its quick handling characteristics, box magazine and pointed bullet capability, the Model 1895 changed the world of sporting rifles forever. This rifle became the preference of major powers worldwide, with Russia alone purchasing nearly 300,000 1895’s just before World War I. This rifle is a rare Model 1895 NRA Musket. With the exception of those muskets made for the Russians, fewer muskets were produced than either rifles or carbines. The NRA Musket can be recognized by its short 24” barrel and its rear sight, a Model 1901 Krag sight, which is rare in its own right. The NRA Muskets were approved by the NRA for competition shooting. This rifle has seen some use, and is in about Good condition with 25% of its metal finish remaining. The bore is still shootable. This rifle has had some holes drilled in its left side for a receiver sight and the thumbscrew in the rear sight slider has been replaced with a set screw, but otherwise this is a very rare and collectable rifle with a correct and collectable rear sight. We think the Winchester collectors are going to be very interested in this rifle.
