1895 complaint.........

[DarryH]

I picked up a new 1895 Carbine with tang safety a couple years ago.
I wanted a 30/40 Krag, but this 30-06 found me first
It made sense as I own 8 other 30-06 rifles, but only one other Krag.

I had a horrible time sighting it in.
To start with, I was not on paper at 100 yards.
Now this may not sound bad, but the paper was 6 feet long and 5 feet high !!!!!!!!
I finally found it was shooting very high.

What I dislike about the gun is the rear sight.
You barely touch the blade, and it moves forward, backward, and even cockeyed left or right.
The slightest bump on the rear sight changes the bullet impact point significantly.

I know a receiver sight can be added, but I do not care for peeps.
I love open blade sight shooting.

Everything else about the gun I love
I was even able to look through multiple boxes to pick out the best wood.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[pwl44m]

Fix that rear sight. Or change it. Does it fit tight in the dove tail ? Sounds like a few possibilities here.
At least You had BIG paper, I normally have just the target and have no idee where I am hitting. Hope U get it ironed out.
Perry

[DarryH]

I originally had 4 fairly large sight-in targets.
I couldn't hit one, so I stapled all 4 up in a square.
In 20 rounds, I could not see where I was hitting.
Seeing my problem, another shooter, a friend of mine, offered me a
long range target of a deer.
I usually carry an end-roll of newspaper with me.
I forgot it this day.

The sight is tight in the dovetail.
The problem is the blade itself moves way too easily.
If I can find a competent gunsmith locally, I will have them look at it.

Thanks for your input.

[Blaine]

Lets narrow down the problem one more step: Take the elevation blade out of the sight, and since the sight is solidly in the dovetail, shoot a group and if you're right, the group should be rock solid. You might have the wrong elevation ramp/blade (whatever they're called ). If the POI is still whack, you have other problems.

[O.S.O.K.]

My Miroku 95's rear sight is just fine. Something just needs to be tightened up it sounds like. If all else fails, get a new front and rear sight combo = Marbles makes fine sights.

And I know you don't like em but the Pacific Tool Lyman repro is the schitz for best shooting of the 95.

My old 30 US original 95 has one installed. My new Miroku 405 Win has stock sights.

[DarryH]

I'll still pass on a peep.
Depending on the gun, I can usually shoot 1" to 3" groups
at 100 yards. If I have to pull the trigger at 200 yard or beyond,
I'll probably be using a scoped gun anyway.(but NEVER a lever gun)

I tried to tighten the blade with no results.

[O.S.O.K.]

Just figure out the right sizes and order you some Marble sights - you'll love em. I like the 1/32 brass bead on the front blade myself. Semi-buckhorn for the rear.

[OJ]

Individual likes/dislikes are probably good - otherwise, if we all liked the same things, we might all be driving Yugos and lack of competition might price them out for many of us -

That said, I admit while I prefer no scopes on my lever guns, the Williams FP71 aperture sight - aperture removed for ghost ring sight - works for me.





Zeroed sights at 25 yards to hit POA and at 100 yards to hit 2" above POA - all with less than one box of ammo -



Note it shoots under one MOA -



YMMV

[junkbug]

I am familiar with that rear sight. A modern rendition of the old carbine/musket style long range sight.

This may sound silly, but try to get it to stay put with a little bit of clear silicon RTV cement. It is not too hard to remove later, and will help some keeping the sigh in place. You will have to estimate where you want to set it for.

PS: When you say the blade, do you mean the front sight blade? I was imagining you meant the rear sight slide on the elevation ladder. If I remember correctly, it (the slide) can move both laterally and vertically; and relies on friction to keep it in place. Thats why I suggested RTV silicon.

[DarryH]

it's worth a try.

If I can't solve the problem, I will sell the gun.
(full disclosure of course)

Selling would be my very last step.

I like the front sight.
I grew up with gold bead or flat blade front sights.

Thanks for the suggestion. I really has not considered any fix like that.
Sometimes simple is best.
I could always see if the company would replace the rear sight too.

I am not sure why I have always loved the look of the 1895.
I do know I have always gravitated to the carbine with the top wood,
as well as the Russian contract models in 7.62x54R.
I would love to own an original Russian version.

[OJ]

The phrase “throw the baby out with the bathwater” appears to be German in origin, and it essentially means that the good should not be discarded along with the bad due to inattention or haste. Before one gets a mental image of flying babies and dirty bathwater, it should be added that this term was always used as a metaphor to suggest that people should not race to hasty decisions, not that parents would actually throw the baby out with the bathwater. (from the online dictionary)

I don't think it's fair to a good gun, as the Winchester 95 is, to blame it for the problems caused by the defective sights - Teddy R chose that gun in 405 and 30-40 Krag for his Africa hunts and,what was for many years, the prize largest elk rack came from an elk taken with an old "slabsides" Winchester 95 in 30-40 Krag on Kebler pass west of Crested Butte, Colorado. A friend of mine kept those in his motel for years. That racck was covered by a cape taken later when they realized it was "trophy" size

The 95 is nearly impossible to beat for ease of carrying, balance, ability to shoot the most favorite large game caliber ammo in the lower 48 and do so very accurately.

It's yours to do what you want to do but - a hasty decision might be one to regret later on. The 95 being offered now from Miroku is only offered in .405 caliber - AFAIK

[cas]

START CLOSER!!!!!

[KirkD]

I would not sell the gun merely because the rear sight is not working properly. If I understand correctly, the problem is one of two possibilities: Either the rear sight has too weak a 'spring' to press down hard enough on the notched elevator ramp, or the elevator ramp is too thin and thus sliding from side to side. It sounds like option one may be more likely the case if it easily slides out from the notch you have set it in. One solution is to tap out the rear sight with a brass punch and bend it 'down' so that when you re-install it, it presses down harder against the barrel and against the notched elevator when you insert it. If the metal of the rear sight is too weak to hold its spring force down, then get a repro rear sight from Winchester Bob (if he makes them). Either that, or go down to your local gunsmith and chances are he has a box of old original sights for various makes and will have an old Winchester rear sight and notched elevator ramp. My original '95 has semi-buckhorn rear sights. It is nothing to tap out a rear sight with a brass punch and tap in a new one.

[O.S.O.K.]

If you want to sell it, let me know Big discount for that bad sight right?

[Don McDowell]

If you bought it new, why not take it back to where you got it from and ask them to either have that front sight fixed, or send it back to Winchester and have them correct the problem?