M1895 Winchester Lee Straight Pull Rifle and the Road to Camp Perry

[Culpeper]

Camp Perry or bust 2027 or maybe 2028. Meh. Some time in the future

Keeping in the same vein of the M1895 Winchester Musket project I am starting the 1895 Winchester Lee Straight Pull Rifle project. This one is going to be a real slog down the rabbit hole. I have a couple of the rifles, one that I have fired, that need to be looked over by someone smarter than myself. The one I shot years ago was good as a single loader. Thumbs up, YEAH. But it did not work at all from a loaded clip. I had five clips and now I have four and a sad relic of my incaution. Thumbs down, pfffft. Those things are less common than dentures for chickens.

Yesterday I started case prep on six pieces of original brass and one from RCC. Wet tumbled to start, resized, a second wash and dry and loaded with CCI #34 primers. Finding the correct powder will be interesting. I seem to recall Tenacious Trilobite was using IMR 3031. Phil Sharpe lists Unique, 2400, and 4064 in his 1937 book. The military load was 2540 fps which is in line with the 32.5 grain charge of 4064 according to Sharpe. I am going to presume that is IMR 4064.

It is gonna be an interesting trip.

[psteinmayer]

Well... you bring that to Camp Perry for the Vintage Match, and you will have onlookers galore!!! I dare to say that those on firing points next to you will be so anamored to watch that they'll forget about firing their own rifles!!! Awesome Culp!

[waterman]

Right after I retired in 2007, I went on a serious search for a Lee Navy. I'd played with a sporter enough to learn that .220 Swift brass = Lee Navy, but with a short neck. Went to the big gun show in Reno. Came across another sporter, but wanted a USN job. Came across one of the batch salvaged from the USS Maine, but I didn't want the history, just a good rifle. Came home without one.

About that time, some guy (maybe from Sarco?) was killed when a case made from 30/40 brass (why that ?) failed. What I heard was that it blew the striker into the guy's head. I looked at close up pics of all the Lee Navy actions I could find. Some appear to have been modified, probably by the USMC, with a U-shaped steel bracket that slipped into grooves milled into the outside of the rear part of the bolt. That looked to me to be a safety modification, one that would contain the striker if a case failed.

Been looking for the book on the Lee Navy, but have not found one. Expensive, I think.

[Culpeper]

Right after I retired in 2007, I went on a serious search for a Lee Navy. I'd played with a sporter enough to learn that .220 Swift brass = Lee Navy, but with a short neck. Went to the big gun show in Reno. Came across another sporter, but wanted a USN job. Came across one of the batch salvaged from the USS Maine, but I didn't want the history, just a good rifle. Came home without one.

About that time, some guy (maybe from Sarco?) was killed when a case made from 30/40 brass (why that ?) failed. What I heard was that it blew the striker into the guy's head. I looked at close up pics of all the Lee Navy actions I could find. Some appear to have been modified, probably by the USMC, with a U-shaped steel bracket that slipped into grooves milled into the outside of the rear part of the bolt. That looked to me to be a safety modification, one that would contain the striker if a case failed.

Been looking for the book on the Lee Navy, but have not found one. Expensive, I think.

Ah yes the Joe DeRuitter incident. The educated guesses are too much brass was removed from the case head and creating the extractor groove during the conversion, a possible charge or double load of a fast pistol powder, and my favorite guess the bolt stop was not in the correct position.

There are always Winchester Lees on Gun Broker. It is just a matter of buying a pig in a poke. Next time if I was get another one I would require two round be fired in it and have a video of it.

I found a copy of the Winchester Lee rifle book at an unlikely site. Cost me 57.20. I just happened to stumble across it and said "HELL YEAH!" And If you really want one... Just think of it as five or six boxes of .30-40 and the price will be easier to choke down. Do it today. Operators are standing by.

https://www.amazon.com/Winchester-Lee-R ... 1880677156