Page 32 - Auction84-Book1

LOT 23
Exceptional, Rare Early Production Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1895 Flatside Lever Action Rifle with Factory Letter - Serial no. 4076, 30 U.S. cal., 28 inch round bbl., blue finish, checkered walnut pistol grip stock. Offered here is one of the first 5,000 Winchester Model 1895s manufactured with the flat sided receiver. This is an outstanding deluxe variation, making this Model 1895 flatside rifle even rarer and more desirable. The accompanying factory letter lists this rifle as chambered in .30 caliber with checkered pistol grip stock and Lyman receiver and front sights. Per the factory letter, the rifle was received in the warehouse on August 5, 1897 and shipped the same day. The top of the barrel is stamped with the two-line New Haven address ahead of the rear sight and “30 U.S.” at the breech. The model designation “WINCHESTER/MODEL 1895” is stamped on the upper tang. The patent dates are stamped on the trigger plate. The serial number is found on the lower tang. The rifle is fitted with a pinned blade front sight, an elevation adjustable rear sight, and a Lyman receiver peep sight mounted on the left side. The left side of the lower tang is marked “4186 CFSRB.” The assembly number “4186” along with “95” is stamped on the stock inlet. Mounted with a checkered schnable tip forearm with ebony insert and pistol grip stock with hard rubber Winchester grip cap and hard rubber Winchester checkered shotgun buttplate. According to Winchester expert and author George Madis, a total of 286 Model 1895s were originally manufactured with a pistol grip stock, which was “offered for this model for only a short time,” and about 387 Model 1895s featured checkered or carved stocks (see “The Winchester Book”, pages 460 and 463). Higher grade finishes “will be found less often on the Model 95 than on other models,” continued Madis, “partly due to the fact that it was a higher- power arm intended for the more rugged hunting.”These deluxe flatside rifles certainly make for a rare Model 1895 configuration, and this example is one of the finest we have cataloged. CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 90% plus of the original blue finish. The wood is also excellent with some minor handling marks and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. This exceptional, rare Winchester Deluxe Model 1895 Flatside rifle would be hard to improve upon and is a must have for the serious Winchester collector. Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
Collector’s Fact
One of the first 5,000 Winchester Model 1895 rifles manufactured with a flat side receiver.
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