Winchester 1895 Russian
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1915
Also known as: Winchester Model 1895 Russian Musket, Russian Contract Model 1895, Winchester-Browning M1895
Overview
The Winchester 1895 Russian is a military-contract variant of John Browning's Model 1895 lever-action rifle, produced for the Imperial Russian Army during the First World War. Chambered for the rimmed 7.62x54mmR Mosin-Nagant cartridge, it used a box magazine ahead of the trigger guard to safely feed the era's spitzer ammunition, and was unusual among lever guns in accepting Mosin-Nagant stripper clips via a charger guide. Russian contract rifles were fitted with a longer musket barrel, an extended forestock and a bayonet lug. Roughly 300,000 were delivered between 1915 and 1917.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4200 g (148.2 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1170 mm (46.06") |
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Lever Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 840 m/s (2756 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3387 J (2498 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 550 m (601 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1800 m (1968 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 240 mm (9.45") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.62x54mmR · primary — also known as 7.62x54R, 7.62 Russian, 7.62mm Mosin
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Internal Box Magazine, Stripper Clip
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Stripper Clip Guide, Bayonet Lug, Extended Forestock, Box Magazine, Musket Handguard
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Russian Imperial Army · adopted 1915
- Red Army · adopted 1918
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
- Russian Civil War (1917-1922)
Production
Estimated total produced: 300,000 · Production years: 1915-1917
Approximately 300,000 rifles built for the Russian contract, about 70% of total Model 1895 production prior to the type's 1936 discontinuation.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Browning
Discontinued: 1917
Notes
The single largest contract in Model 1895 history; Russian deliveries accounted for the majority of total 1895 production. Many rifles later saw service in the Russian Civil War with both Red and White forces.
Background
Browning's last lever-action design, the Model 1895 was robust enough for full-power smokeless military cartridges. When the Russian Empire ran short of Mosin-Nagants in WWI, it turned to Winchester for hundreds of thousands of stripper-clip-fed lever guns in its own 7.62x54mmR caliber.