Where are all the Winchester 1895 Contract Rifles?

[browningautorifle]

Actually more likely they were destroyed to "not fall into the hands of criminals."

I'm very certain that's what will eventually happen. I saw them in the lockup and discussed it with an old friend running that lockup. He basicly told me that very thing would happen.

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[pcvando]

I'm very certain that's what will eventually happen. I saw them in the lockup and discussed it with an old friend running that lockup. He basicly told me that very thing would happen.

Damn. How long ago was this?

---------- Post added at 12:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 AM ----------

296,000 Winchester 95s were delivered to Imperial Russia, which I guess in the grand scheme of things isn't really a lot.

Some would have been chewed up in WW1,
then more in the Russian Civil War,
more again in the Finnish Civil War, (Finland had 1700 on hand after the Winter War, and disposed of the last remaining 503 in 1950)
the Soviets sold 9000 of them to the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (most of the examples we see in private hands now have come from Spain),
And more again chewed up in WW2 being used by mlitia, partisans, or second line troops.

Thanks for the numbers, maybe there aren't many left at all.

But why do you think the prices for them are so high? I guess supply and demand.

[browningautorifle]

Damn. How long ago was this?

I'd have to guess a bit, but back about '98? Friend of mine had quit the army and gone into the AGs office working with the CFOs office...he handled FAC issue and firearms disposal at that time. We went upstairs in the RCMP building on Nanaimo St in Victoria and while there he let me paw through the seized stuff...bit of everything. He showed me the mythical case that I'd been told about 20 years previous and it was still as described. I picked up the same mint carbine everyone else had handled, the others were still unhandled since packing. He stated flatly that these would never se auction and were destined for the chipper, just exactly when was always the question...