Question for original 1895 Winchester .30-06 owners/shooters

[Griff Murphey]

I would not use anything but very mild loads. GI match will always exhibit primer flow back. I think it is too hot for the old 95's. Yours is '06.

Whit's is .30-40. Much less pressure.

There is a reason the old '06's are stretched out. I am sure they were fired with either Commercial hunting ammo or WW-1 milsurp ammo.

[snakehunter]

Recently aquired a 1895 SRC made in the late 1920s with plans to shoot CMP's HXP surplus in it.
However, a couple of friends advises me not to since the HXP is too "hot" for the old girl.

I don't want to damage her, so I am calling on knowledgeable experts on the forum. Is HXP too "hot"?

If it is, is there any commercial "light" loads that you use?

I do not re-load but may have to learn.

Many thanks for your help!!

I have the saddle carbine model, which dates to sometime in the 1920s. It's been in my family for most of its life and has been used for deer and bear the whole time. We always shot factory loads in it until the 1980s when we changed to home loads. There have never been any problems with it except it always leaves a slight dent in the case mouth. I don't know what HXP is so I can't speak to that issue but, since you don't now your gun's history, you should have checked by a competent gunsmith before shooting _anything_ in it.

[barretcreek]

Have one which started out as '06, the bolt face is set back from the primers. I'm getting it TIG welded and will load it to Krag pressures. Bought it from a guy who sent the barrel out to be re-bored, barrel got lost so he sold the action. Then the barrel showed up. So I'll have a .35 Whelen model '95 which I'll load down. The weld will be a lot stronger than the original metal.

[Griff Murphey]

Ought to be a great brush rifle.

[Vern Humphrey]

Many of the 1895's have head space problems. It's best to have it checked by a good gunsmith before using it. The quality of the steel is not the best by todays standards so it's best if it is useable to use mild loads in it. I had a 1895 in 30-40 Krag that had an excellent bore but the head space was off by quite a bit. I had a smith check it out and he confirmed that it needed work. He like it so I sold it to him for a bit more then what I had in it. But the point is if the 1895 can stretch in 30-40 Krag then be careful with the 30-06.

The headspace problems are related to both the soft steel and the design. The lugs set back under pressure, causing excessive headspace.

I always wanted a 95 Winchester in .30-06, but the more I learned about them, the more leery of them I became. I settled for a 99 Savage in .308 Winchester.