The only experience I have with the '95 is from my teens. I shot my first deer with granddads '95 chambered in .30-GOV'T-06, (that's the way it read on the barrel). My brother has the '95 now, I have granddads .45 Colt New Service revolver and Mossberg M-42B .22 rifle.

Headspace issues? I guess it's possible using todays hotter ammunition, but as I recall, the barrel on granddads '95 was stamped NICKLE STEEL, same steel used in WWI production Rock Island Arsenal M-1903 rifles which had no issues I'm aware of. Possibly the receivers were made of a lesser steel and stretch slightly using modern .30/06 ammunition. The solution to this is to use "Garand Safe" ammo, or .30 M-1 ball duplicate ammo, (150gr. bullet loaded with medium burn powder @ about 2750fps. A favorite loading among match shooters using the M-1 is 48gr. IMR 4064 under a 150gr. bullet. It duplicates both G.I. ballistics and pre-war sporting ammunition, and gives good accuracy). This pertains to original Winchester M-1895 rifles in .30-GOV'T-06.


The above is not holy script carved in stone, just my experience and opinion.

Gametracker, from the picture you posted, that looks like powder fouling to me. Ask the seller if you can poke it with a pin or something to see if it breaks away easily, or ask him to see if it cleans off with solvent and a brush. Considering the cost of an 1895 Winchester, a set of headspace gauges would be cheap.

The gun is in nice shape otherwise perhaps it is worth the 1500 they're asking

What do you folks think?

$1,500.00 I would at least give it a closer look.

They told me that I can return the gun if I wasn't happy with it once I got it. Sound like some pretty decent folks from the communications I've had with them

Waddaya got ta loose then...get it and try scrubbing what looks like fouling/gunk to me and have the headspace checked.

Yup! Not sure where I can find a gunsmith around my rinky dink town to check headspace.

You are best to have a competent gunsmith check it as some rifles need the ejector removed to properly check, I really don't know about the 1895, but both extractor and ejector need removed from an M-1 bolt to check headspacing properly, ( the extractor holds everything else together so it's removal is a must in an M-1).