M1895 Winchester Musket and the Road to Camp Perry

[Culpeper]

In the middle of rebuilding my war reserve in the tunnel complex I shot the rifle more than a few times at the range to see what it can do or not do.

About the same time I discovered this outstanding article.

https://www.vgca.net/education/US%20MIL ... -02-20.pdf

Two things the authors found from the Ordnance Report are my biggest obstacles. Those would be a crappy rear sight that slides under recoil and reloading under fire or in my case under the clock.

I think I have a work around for the rear sight. I am going to let the slider be in the forward position on the lowest setting. That is where it moved to after two shots so why fight it. Keeping it in that position and filing down the front side so the elevation is spot on at 200 yards will make it a Go at Camp Perry.

Speaking of front sights

I have three front sights from when I had a new barrel installed. The original, a middle one, and a taller one. Shooting the rifle with the rear sight pushed forward gave me the results in the photo. The original one and the middle shot too high. The tallest one will make it easy to sneak up to a two hundred yard sight in. I'll have to go slow with the file since I have not decided if I'll stick with my 175 SMK loads or roll with 220 RN loads.

As for the rapid reload I will down fifty points from the jump if I cannot get a handle on it. I have a couple of ideas but first things first. Get the gun to perform.


The road to Camp Perry goes ever on.

[waterman]

Chewing gum might suffice to solve your moving rear sight problem.

Lyman made a receiver peep sight for the 95. Can't remember the #. Also, the Lyman rear sight made for the 3rd Model Winder Musket would probably work. Can't remember that # either. Much easier to find, and almost period correct. But they are fragile, easily damaged if the rifle gets knocked about.

[Culpeper]

Thanks for the info. However changing the sight is verboten because then the musket would not be "as-issued" for the CMP games.

[RickyG]

I solved this with a couple small pieces of moleskin. Clean all oils off and trim a couple pieces to fit both sides of slide fore and aft.

Shoot straight!

[Culpeper]

Really? That sound s good. You wouldn't happen to have a pic of the set up would ya'?

[RickyG]

No unfortunately. I used the same thick moleskin we used in the Corps on humps. A layer or two fore and aft will keep the slide in place. I trimmed with moleskin. Granted mine were used on an 03 ladder but same theory.

It's also good for marking turrets and sight knobs with stop points that are even less permanent than paint

[Culpeper]

The tweaking continues. Looks like things are moving up. I shot a SR-1 target and was hitting low in the black. So I exceeded my exuberance and tried for the SR at 200.

At least I am now on paper at 200 yards. Oh joy.

[Culpeper]

Alrighty. Spent two hours at the range working on the rifle. I forced the rear sight slide to stay in the 200 yard position just to have a constant and take out at least one variable. It was shoot one, walk to the target and check the shot. I don't have a spotter scope and I was the only one there so had the place to myself. Plus I could use the exercise.

You can see how the shots moved as I adjusted the windage. The elevation was a bit tougher to get a feel for starting at shot #4. The sight picture is pumpkin on the fence post with no light showing between the bullseye and the front sight. The ten shots were on bags from a bench. I knew I whiffed #8.

I did try five shots on a SR target from the bench just to see what that would be like. Two hundred will need some work if I am going to use the rifle at Camp Perry. However it'll do fine for our 100 yard CMP matches at the club. Practice practice practice. picture to follow.

Then I shot five slow-prone at one hundred yards. Ugh. This is not going to be an easy project. The trigger pull must be twenty pounds on this beast. Again, picture to follow.

[ebruce]

Ah the 1895 Winchester! Probably at it's best w/ the .30-40 round. Your rifle looks to be a labor of love getting it ready for competition. Following. Sincerely. bruce.

[butlersrangers]

I'd love to have a model 1895 Winchester, in .30-40, to play with!