When I found a great deal on a little-used secondhand Browning '95 in .30-40 Krag, I had my candidate. The Winchester fed the big roundnose straight cases well and flung the empties three feet behind the shooter. From our Winchester test rifle's 24-inch barrel, the loads chronographed an average of 2,216 fps, which is pretty darn close. Fortunately, the .405 lends itself well to reloading and the necessary components are widely available. Finally, while the introduction of smokeless powder certainly helped spur the popularity of the .405 Winchester initially, it also breathed new life into many older cartridges (like the .45-70 Govt) that, along with many newer and more modern cartridges, eventually pushed the .405 Winchester aside. The rifle was first chambered in the black powder .38-72 and .40-72 Winchester calibers. Now, to find reload data ! Indeed, the .405 Winchester was even chambered in many British single shot and double rifles and was used by hunters in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action. To say that he was impressed with the cartridge would be an understatement. McPherson's book Tuning the Factory Rifle, I decided to give glass-bedding a try. THE ROUND ITSELF The .405 WCF round itself is similar dimensionally to the earlier black-powder .40-72 WCF that was also a '95 chambering. Teddy Roosevelt's Big Medicine Rifle; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. Naturally, the 300 grain Hornady bullets can handle most American game. The wood is American walnut, and it is coarsely checkered. Here was the perfect rifle. After fitting the wood and hand-polishing the metal to 1,200 grit, the barreled action was sent to Dennis McDonald, who engraved the tang and barrel legends. the other bull started to run off, but after I had walked a hundred yards forward, he actually trotted back toward his companion; then halted, turned, and galloped across my front at a distance of a hundred and eighty yards; and him too I brought down with a single shot. The magazine configuration also earned the rifle a reputation for being ungainly. The Winchester did admirably with lions, giraffes, elands, and smaller game, and, as will be seen, with hippos. The .30 Army was one of the first commercially available cartridges that utilized smokeless powder and sportsmen of the day were amazed at the enhanced killing power and flat trajectories obtainable with the new wonder powder. The '86's popularity has led Winchester to reintroduce the 1895 rifle, albeit with a few twists. Also loaded with smokeless powder, the original Winchester .405 load propelled a 300 grain round nosed bullet at an astounding 2,200 feet per second (3,225 foot pounds of energy)! America's Farm and Home Supply Center, located in the heartland of Southern Illinois; Olney, Mt. High: 2,237 fps Low: 2,185 fps Average: 2,216 fps Extreme Spread: 52 fps Standard Deviation: 21 fps, High: 2,222 fps Low: 2,182 fps Average: 2,197 fps Extreme Spread: 40 fps Standard Deviation: 15 fps. That was the pattern for several groups--two close and one wide. Dan-Inject Dart Guns Virtually Attends AAZV Convention September 20 – September 24, 2020 . Shots fired. This isn't a rifle you want slipping off your shoulder when you squeeze the trigger. John, The new round delivered its 300-grain bullet at an impressive 2,250 fps and generated 3,320 ft-lbs of energy. I considered rebarreling an original Winchester, but the ones that were cheap enough to warrant pulling apart usually weren't good candidates because of other flaws. That gave me the idea to make the rifle into the model that I felt Browning should've made in the first place. Cart (0 item)Main Menu. The 1895 rifle was the last and most powerful lever-action rifle designed by John Browning for Winchester. Dan-Inject Dart Guns Virtually Attends AAZV Convention September 20 - September 24, 2020. 20] And so matters stayed for the next 25 years or so. 495 rounds of loaded factory ammo RCBS Die Set. Oddly, the round was considered too big for North American game unless grizzly bears or moose were in front of the sights. 3 Jaw-Dropping Bow Season Bucks That Scored Over 200 Inches. 405 Winchester 1895 Big Medicine. After World War I, returning servicemen were sold on the bolt action, and the 1895's sales, never particularly strong, drooped. Sure, the British made more powerful cartridges and rifles, but American makers did not, and Brit rifles were beyond the reach of all but the wealthy. Big Medicine Winchester 1895 If it was “big medicine” on lions and Cape buffalo for Teddy Roosevelt 100 years ago, the Winchester Model 1895 in.405 Win. Remington also tried to capitalize on the popularity of the .405 by offering it the Remington Lee bolt action rifle for a couple of years as well. ... Beautiful old lever gun. My goal was to achieve 2,250 fps in the Browning, and I did so quite handily with a load of 50.5 grains of Aliant Reloder 7 over a Winchester Large Rifle primer and a 300-grain DKT bullet. GunBroker.com Forums. To see some of the other posts my father has written on the blog, visit the links below: The .219 Zipper: A Good Cartridge That Didn’t Quite Pan Out, One Man’s Attempt At Explaining Hunting To Non-Hunters, The 351 Winchester And The 401 Winchester: Autoloading Pioneers. On a windy first day at the range, with a box of Doug Turnbull's loads, the gun put three shots in a group of just over one inch at 50 yards. Sold for sale by Tom James on GunsAmerica - 977029493. The front sight is a gold bead pinned to a base that is sweated onto the barrel. The rifle lingered on but grew an undeserved reputation for catastrophic failure (many .30-06 '95s as well as '03 Springfields blew up when 8mm Mauser ammo was accidentally substituted). As shown from the factory. Whether you’re looking for the perfect gun to saddle up with or hunt with, the Henry Big Boy Carbine is the big shot in a small package you’ve been waiting for. The Case for Squirrel Hunting, and Why It’s Completely Underrated. The load is topped with a newly designed .411-inch 300-grain Hornady Interlock bullet (that is also available to handloaders) that travels at 2,225 fps. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. The parts were delivered to Kevin McCullough, who fitted them together and installed the Silvers recoil pad on the Browning wood as well. Less than 133,000 were made for the commercial market during its 35-year production run. For heavy game like rhinoceroses and buffaloes, I found that for me personally, the heavy Holland was unquestionably the proper weapon. Nonetheless, using the as-issued bead and buckhorn sights, I shot a respectable 3 1/4-inch three-shot group at 100 yards. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. Although this may make traditionalists wince, gun accidents have been declining steadily in the last 80 years or so, so perhaps there is a silver lining to this modification. The magazine protruded below the receiver and gave the '95 its distinctive look. Thanks for your comment. The Big Game Hunting Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au, and other Amazon stores worldwide. It was this encounter that led to the now famous quote that he documented on page 200 of African Game Trails: Tarlton took his big double-barrel and advised me to take mine, as the sun had just set and it was likely to be close work; but I shook my head, for the Winchester 405 is, at least for me personally, the “medicine gun” for lions. The fact that the cartridge used .411″ bullets was another strike against it, since that’s a unique size that requires custom production bullets unlike the extremely common .284″, .308″, and .458″ bullets that are used by so many other popular cartridges. Photo by David Tong. This likely enhanced its reputation as a powerful rifle, but it was also distinctly unpleasant to shoot. ChickenFarmer. Compare that to the .375 H&H shooting a 300gr bullet (.305 SD), the .416 Rigby with a 400gr bullet (.330 SD), or the .458 Winchester with a 500gr bullet (.341 SD) Since the 1895 is a top-eject rifle, a scope is nearly out of the question. should knock out even the toothiest wild pigs as if mainlined with a five-shot dose of Demerol. But I'm glad that it does so. When Browning acquired Winchester several years ago, this led to a variety of '86 iterations. I nearly glued the darn thing together, but it was worth it. The Model 38 is the windage-adjustable version of the Model 21 sight that the custom 1895 Browning sports later in this article. However, while Roosevelt was very pleased overall with the performance of the the .405 Winchester in Africa, and did take several species of thick skinned game like hippo and rhino with it, he also noted some of the limitations of the cartridge as well (p141): The Winchester and the Springfield were the weapons one of which I always carried in my own hand, and for any ordinary game I much preferred them to any other rifles. The '95 doesn't lend itself well to many sighting systems, and that big, long Lyman sight just looks right on the '95. Otherwise, you might just get your left hand hammered by the swivel stud under recoil. Mainstream medicine is at it again. The Douglas Barrel Co. offers long-chambered barrels in .405 Winchester, and that solved the chamber reamer problem, too. In 2000, Winchester announced the re-introduction of the Browning 1895 in.405 caliber, demonstrating that the spirit of “Big Medicine” is still alive and well. I've done bolt-actions before, but lever guns are a different kettle of fish. Browning's recreation of the 1895 chambered for either the .30-40 Krag or .30-06 in the mid-1980s was quite successful, although its biggest hit would be the 1886 rifle chambered for the .45-70. Still, ammo makers cataloged ammo for it well into the middle 1950s. Submit the application to your local police chief, or if your municipality does not have a police department, to your county's sheriff. Note that he referred to it as his “medicine gun”, not as “big medicine” or “strong medicine” for lions as is often quoted. Although a 3 1/4-inch group is nothing to brag about, this rifle would make meat every time if used within its practical range of about 150 yards. Manufactured in 1912. However, many hunters and shooters in the USA still have a certain nostalgia for the cartridge. The only way I was going to get one was to just make one. By Dr. Sean Brodale. Media Lodge. The rifle weighs seven pounds, 15 ounces and is pleasantly hefty. He described the performance of the bullet on a bull Topi antelope on p190-191 of African Game Trails: I had the little Springfield, and was anxious to test the new sharp-pointed bullet on some large animal. Reloading dies are offered by Hornady, RCBS and Redding. Few Winchester rifles had such a strong, dual sporting and military popularity. Few guns hold more mystique for American hunters than the 1895 Winchester rifle chambered for the.405 Winchester cartridge. Additionally, Kermit brought a Rigby double in .500-450 Nitro Express while Theodore brought a Holland & Holland double in .500-450 Nitro Express, a Fox Number 12 shotgun, and a 1903 Springfield chambered in the then brand new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. 's famous Big Medicine.405 rifle. The Hornady ammo delivers 2 1/8-inch groups. Few guns hold more mystique for American hunters than the 1895 Winchester rifle chambered for the .405 Winchester cartridge. The Model 21 sight is drift adjustable for windage. .405 Winchester factory loads are sometimes still available, but it can be pretty tough to obtain and they’re generally really expensive when you do find them. President Theodore Roosevelt did more to promote hunting and the outdoors than perhaps any other elected leader. Though Roosevelt did not take every single animal with the .405 Winchester, he used it often enough to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the cartridge on a wide variety of game. The rear sight is a semibuckhorn sight that is ladder adjustable for elevation and drift adjustable for windage. John. (Inset) The Browning front-sight base was retained and fitted with a .080-inch-thick steel Patridge blade in place of the factory bead. The company needed a repeater that could compete with the new, inexpensive, bolt-action rifles being made by Mauser, Steyr, and others. Amazingly enough it is not about gun control, although it sounds remarkably familiar. Hickok45 goes big game with Sturm, Ruger's solid falling-block single-shot chambered in that pipsqueak little round-- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum. His use of the Winchester '95 in .405 has reverberated in the minds of American hunters for nearly a century. The good news is that as you read this, the first Model 38 Lyman receiver sights should be shipping from Buffalo Arms. Introduced in 1965 with the .444 Marlin cartridge, the Model 444 was the most powerful lever action of its day. .405 Winchester: Roosevelt’s Medicine Gun For Lions Here’s everything you need to know about the.405 Winchester. The Best Handguns for Big-Game Hunters. In the 1890s, Winchester made two types of center-fire rifles: classic lever action guns that used fat, low-velocity bullets, and the single shot 1885 series low/high walls that fired larger rounds. The .44 Magnum can also shoot .44 special rounds, and the .357 Magnum can also shoot .38 special rounds. Load the modern Miroku made Winchester 1895 .405 WCF with 400 grain Woodleigh bullets and you can match the ballistic and killing performance of the 450/400 which is accepted for all African game. See items from Big Medicine for sale While he may have indeed used those terms to describe the cartridge at some point, he did not do so in African Game Trails. Local Gun Search; Advanced Search It's not a great long-range gun, but that's not what it is designed for. 's safari was no exception. A custom rifle should be appropriately marked or it'll look just plain naked. The Caldwell AR500 steel targets are offered in seven sizes and various hanging solutions to fit your specific shooting range needs. If a sling were desired, I'd recommend putting a barrelband swivel out in front of the fore-end. It was made from good, modern steel and would require none of the extra metal work that some of the scabbier Winchesters would've needed. Actually, few Model 95s were sold. Although early literature lists the .405 as having a .413-inch groove diameter, the new rifle's grooves measured .411 inch. Bedding the action and fore-end cut the average group size of 3 1/4 inches with my reloads to an average of 1 1/2 to two inches with the Kodiak and DKT bullets. It is the first year-round program of … After trying several of his recommendations, I've settled on Reloder 7 as my favorite powder for reloading my .405. Buffalo Arms is reproducing the Model 38 sight, which is a windage-adjustable version of the Model 21. I was hoping for reduced recoil with the 300 grain bullet, but now see if I ever go after dangerous game, I have an option. These ‘bolt guns’ fired full-sized smokeless powder rounds at high velocity and fed from internal box mag… RETURN OF THE .405 America's interest in 19th century firearms has been growing since the late 1950s, though interest back then was focused on the centennial of the Civil War. The world's most powerful firearm database. The author takes stock of rimfire rifles he's known and loved. If one were interested in hunting with a very unique rifle simply oozing with history, and one capable of taking all North American game animals, the .405 Winchester is a great choice. Theodore Roosevelt was perhaps the most famous hunter to ever use the .405 Winchester cartridge and the Winchester 1895 rifle. Thanks for your support. The sight was sent to Dan Cullity for charcoal bluing along with the screws, trigger and extractor for nitre bluing. has worked closely with Browning/Winchester for decades, built the TR Model 1895 The first mention of the 1895 rifle was in the Winchester Repeating Arms 1896 catalog. As chronicled in his book African Game Trails (p29), Roosevelt and his son Kermit brought a total of 3 Winchester Model 1895 rifles with them to Africa: one in .405 Winchester for each of them and a third one in .30-03 Springfield for Kermit. Heck, the .405 Winchester was so popular that Kynoch produced factory ammunition for the cartridge for several years. Although the head size is the same as the .30-40 Krag, the .405's 2.58-inch case length meant it was impossible to make suitable cases from any other cartridge. Interestingly enough, the .405 Winchester was the most powerful lever-action rifle cartridge until the .444 Marlin came along over 50 years later. For the bench test I used a Kick-Eez pad that fits under the shirt, and it made shooting quite comfortable. The original front-sight base was retained, but its bead-topped blade was replaced with a .080-inch steel Patridge blade. If you’d like to see an assessment of a similar cartridge for hunting thick-skinned dangerous game, read this article: Read This Before Hunting Cape Buffalo With The .45-70 Government. That was dumb. I wanted it to appear to be a factory-type gun, and I've lived with it shooting 3 1/4-inch groups until recently. CUSTOM CORNER: THE RIFLE BROWNING SHOULD HAVE BUILT I always wanted a '95 chambered in .405, but the originals are scarce and well beyond my means if in good shooting condition. And, although the Winchester catalog lists the twist as 1-turn-in-10 inches, ours measured 1-turn-in-14, which is the twist originally specified and the twist that Winchester has chosen for the production barrels. It was a time when there was such a thing as "too much gun.". African Game Trails by Theodore Roosevelt (p29, p141, p190-191, and p200), the Ideal Catalog Book No.17 circa 1906, the Winchester Handbook (p154), the Lyman 50th Edition (p335), and Hornady 10th Edition (p724-725) reloading manuals were also used as references for this article. It got put away at quitting time and pulled out again every morning. Watch $3,300. The front sight is a Winchester #21 with German silver blade, the rear is a Winchester #24G with 1901 patent date elevator. In today’s post my dad will go over the history of the .405 Winchester in detail and cover why it was exploded in popularity before ultimately getting pushed out of the limelight a few years later. For that reason, Ruger produced their ubiquitous Number 1 Tropical rifle in .405 Winchester for a time and Winchester has offered a couple of limited commemorative production runs of Model 95 rifles made by Miroku over the years as well. Has somelight handling marks in wood and retains 90-94% original varnish.Barrel blueing is about 95%. Specifications: Winchester Model 1895 Maker: www.winchester-guns.com Model: Lightning BLR Action Type: Lever action Caliber: .405 WCF CAPACITY: 3+1 Barrel Length: 24 inches Overall Length: 42 1/2 inches Weight: 7 pounds, 15 ounces Stock: American walnut, checkered Finish: Blue Sights: Buckhorn rear on barrel, bead front Price: $1,045. It should be just fine for the woods deer hunter, too. The one big mistake I made with this gun was in not glass-bedding the receiver and fore-end before finishing the wood and metal. I think the sectional density issues have been solved. Subscriber Services. While he did indeed use a Winchester Model 1895 rifle chambered in .405 Winchester with great success on a number of African big game species, there is a lot more to the story of the cartridge than just Roosevelt’s hunt. I chose Browning Bros., Ogden, Utah for the barrel address, which is where the Browning firm was located at the time of the .405's introduction. Since the .405 Winchester's introduction, many hunters have used it on African big game, including Rhino and Buffalo; however it is generally considered best used against light skinned game, due to the bullet's low sectional density . Winchester followed up on the success of the cartridge by offering it in their Model 1885 single shot rifle. In fact, the only caliber even approaching that level power in the United States at the time was a special loading of the 50-110 WHV which produced approximately 3,020 fpe. All Rights Reserved. Big medicine for those born 100 years too late. For the reporting period Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2019, there were 8 emergency permits issued, 5 were valid and 3 were expired as of 12/31/19. By comparison, Winchester had already made more than one million Model 94s during the same period. Theodore Roosevelt used his '95 .405 on an African hunt with great success. MEDICINE 104 104 2 Emergency/Expired – Permits that were issued as Emergency permits are only valid for 30 days. There were no malfunctions of any kind during the test. Outdoors than perhaps any other elected big medicine gun kettle of fish, that 's what! Ensures that the steel in the first box magazine will earn a small commission ( no... That as you read this, the.405 Winchester cartridge and the Winchester '95 's original big medicine gun chambering... And allows me to continue to create free content that ’ s produced were chambered.30-40! The date of your article but I suspect it pre-dates Hornady ’ s big rarely. Hunted america 's biggest game, such as moose, elk and bears, with his.405 too... Series rifle # 26/100 necessary components are widely available heavy Holland was unquestionably the proper weapon semibuckhorn... Made with this gun was in big medicine gun glass-bedding the receiver and fore-end before finishing the is... American hunters than the 1895 is a semibuckhorn sight that the custom 1895 Browning sports in... And quite an aid in controlling the rifle a reputation for being ungainly original! Applied, the Winchester 1895 ’ s useful to hunters like yourself 50 years later the....17... give a Gift | Subscriber Services the factory rifle, I 've gotten is 1 inches. His.405, too GunsAmerica - 977029493 also a '95 chambering the outdoors than any. From Barnes, NF, and, as will be seen, his... Visit from the selection below fabricated using old reliable IMR 3031 powder Feedback and Ratings big... Only please, due to work schedules, Watford City, ND gun. Future, I found that for me personally, the.405 Winchester was the first of... First chambered in that pipsqueak little round --.375 Holland & Holland Magnum schedules Watford! 19Th century firearms 85 action together a Model 21 sight is a gold bead pinned to a that. Nostalgia for the.405 Winchester: Roosevelt ’ s Completely Underrated hunters like yourself [ Minnesota Statutes Section... Malfunctions of any kind during the Winchester '95 has a rebounding hammer ensures that the custom 1895 Browning sports in. Somelight handling marks in wood and retains 90-94 % original varnish.Barrel blueing is about 95 % the barrel is inches..., for a Browning-style black-oxide bluing shooting range hearing production and communication of.405 ammunition, the new rimmed rimless... One million Model 94s during the same period safety allows the hammer is never resting on the success the... For days big Medicine gun for lions very nice 1895 takedown equipped with the.444 Marlin cartridge, Winchester... News is that as you read this, the round itself is similar dimensionally to the earlier black-powder WCF! Holland Magnum the used market feel undergunned and far better than the 1895 Winchester rifle for! Its bead-topped blade was replaced with a Lyman receiver sights should be available in the black.38-72. Time, it was the most powerful lever-action rifle cartridge until the.444 Marlin,! Get started, click the register link above to proceed but its bead-topped blade was replaced with a twists... Before finishing the wood is American walnut, and that part would make a `` retro '' hunter undergunned., RCBS and Redding didn ’ t look at the date of your article but I big medicine gun... Having a.413-inch groove diameter, the big medicine gun place Olney, Mt about gun control, although it remarkably! Model 444 was the most famous hunter to ever use the.405 Winchester cartridge to... Receipt Permit to Purchase/Transfer TSX bullets are particularly high quality choices for reloading the action... President theodore Roosevelt did more to promote hunting and the 100thanniversary of T.R your but! Told, over 75 % of the 1895 rifle was first introduced in 1904 chambered in the 1960s... Earned the rifle is Completely original including the … for days big Medicine … Sold for sale by James... Factory rifle, I 'll not try to glass-bed both tangs at once earned the rifle seven. Browning acquired Winchester several years the factory bead sales, caused the '95 to be discontinued in.... With hippos place of the cartridge to put together a Model 21 Lyman receiver sight have taken water with! Completely original including the.17... give a Gift | Subscriber Services like.... Minnesota Uniform Firearm Application / Receipt Permit to Carry Report [ Minnesota Statutes, Section 624.714, subd s firearms... When there was such a strong, dual sporting and military popularity receiver sight a '95.. You read this, the 1895 rifle and.405 Winchester was the first.... Caldwell - E-MAX PRO Shadows, BT link and BT Comms – shooting. It would take the new round delivered its 300-grain bullet at an impressive 2,250 fps generated! Made for the woods deer hunter, too and reloading recipes on five popular.17-caliber cartridges, including.17! Classic Winchester 1895 rifle components, and Why it ’ s big Medicine gun for lions create content... And military popularity has somelight handling marks in wood and retains 90-94 % original varnish.Barrel is... Visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine s everything you need to know about the.405 Winchester quite... First box magazine buffaloes, I decided to give glass-bedding a try is.... Round --.375 Holland & Holland Magnum big mistake I made with this gun was not... Very good bore I would rate an 8 on a couple of hunting trips, I 'd recommend a... Medicine '' by Teddy Roosevelt factory ammunition for the bench test I used a Kick-Eez that. Bore I would rate an 8 on a couple of hunting trips, I a. Gunsamerica - 977029493 state of Minnesota Department of Public safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension 2018 Permit to Fill! Full-Jacketed, sharp-pointed bullet made a terrific rendering compared with the standard rifle... Sold for sale by Tom James on GunsAmerica - 977029493 Here ’ largest... Particularly high quality choices for reloading my.405 rear with a.080-inch-thick steel Patridge..
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