A long, long time ago I owned a Winchester 1895 carbine in .30-'06. I hated it. It was probably the hardest kicking rifle I have ever owned. No fun at all to shoot. I took it to a gun show to see what I could find. What I found was a beautiful Model 1892 saddle-ring carbine in .44-40. Bingo. It was love at first sight. Good finish, lovely wood, mint bore, old '73 ladder sight.
Let the haggling begin! Fortunately the guy was as drooly-mouthed for my '95 as I was for his '92. I was 16 and I'm sure he felt victory in his grasp. Neither one of us was letting on about our lust for what the other had. I was young, but not a novice. It took several refusals (ME: "Nah, not today," followed by a walk-away with '95 enticingly in hand HIM: "You don't wanna go home today without this sweet little carbine, young feller!") but we finally edged closer to a deal. I got the '92 with 200 rounds, 500 bullets, a set of dies, half a can of Unique, and a mold plus $20. He was happy, I was happy. In those days vintage Winchesters were not the Gems of the Orient they are now. I had paid $65 for the '95 and had seen plenty of '92s in the same price range, but not .44-40s. Yes, I was a happy boy.
That gun was my constant companion for the next few years. It took so many marmots and suchlike varmints that they took out a contract on me. I loaded for it, of course, and it consumed a steady diet of hard-cast 205-grain original pattern bullets. It got the reputation of "radar gun" because it didn't seem capable of missing what it was aimed at.
It's with me still, although it doesn't get the daily use it used to. I hope she's enjoying her retirement. It's been earned.
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6 comments:
Nice old gun. I can understand the problem with the '06; that type of rifle is too light for an '06. I have an old 1903A3, which is a heavy old bugger, but handles the recoil a lot better.
I extend my envy....
Nice rifle there, and I'd cherish it too if it were mine. The story and history just add to it.
Funny how people can become attached to things like that, after living with them for a lifetime.
Nice Rifle ... and may I add, a nice trade.
I briefly owned a Winchester '94 Trapper model (brush barrel - i.e., short, and light weight) chambered in .32 Winchester Special.
It only took one round for me to hate that rifle. It was had the hardest kick of any rifle I've ever fired.
I was happy to trade it myself.
What a beautiful Winchester. Thanks for writing about its life with you. Made my heart smile!
That's a nice rifle.
Beautiful Rifle...
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