WIN. MDL1905
I just got this rifle and it is marked.30 US. The .30 carbine ammo is what it takes. The mag is marked .35 .....(4 digit ser.#....2nd. year of production)
The bbl. is Winchester proof marked on top, right by the receiver. According to the person I got it from it was his Dad's and "Dad had it for a long time".
It works OK but is in rough condition.
I can't find .30 US as an ammo choice, help me out on this one folks.
Deerhide.,
The bbl. is Winchester proof marked on top, right by the receiver. According to the person I got it from it was his Dad's and "Dad had it for a long time".
It works OK but is in rough condition.
I can't find .30 US as an ammo choice, help me out on this one folks.
Deerhide.,
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The Model 1905 Winchester is chambered for the short lived 35 Winchester Self Loading cartridge. I don't understand how or why the rifle would have been marked .30 U.S.? It would be best if you could post quality photos of the rifle. On the top of the main page of the forum there is a "stickey" with instructions for posting photos in the forum. 0 -
Rufe, they also made it in a .32 Winchester Self Loading caliber, which was similar to .30 Carbine except it was semi-rimmed. If that's what he has, he won't find ammo at Wally World!
https://www.msu.edu/~muell132/ammunition.htm
But maybe they could be modified for .30 Carbine?0 -
You don't reckon ol Dad was shooting .30 carbine in his .32 WSL do you. Or, considering the markings, had it rebarrelled for a common caliber? 0 -
Just a bit of history...
The Model 1905 was introduced in August of 1905, in the 32 W.S.L. and the 35 W.S.L cartridges. Years later, when the M1 Carbine was developed, the 32 W.S.L. cartridge was used as the basis for the .30 Carbine cartridge.
Typically, when a Winchester is found with the marking "30 U.S.", it is chambered for the 30-40 Krag cartridge.
The fact that the rifle in question has a ".35" marked magazine indicates that it originally was made in 35 W.S.L. The good news is that the Cody Firearms Musuem has the original factory records for all of the early production Model 1905 rifles, so this rifle can be researched to determine what configuration it left the factory in. If deerhide will provide the serial number, I will have it checked.
With all of that stated, this is what I suspect has transpired with the rifle. In the 1930s, 35 W.S.L. ammo became obselete. Sometime in shortly after WW II, a creative gunsmith removed the original barrel (35 WSL), and installed a barrel chambered for the M1 .30 Cal cartridge.0 -
I guess it must of been re-barreled because the rifle was made before the .30 carbine ammo was. It shoots OK, rattles them right off. The empties are good, not split or swelled. All I ever fired at was a block of wood at 25 or 30 ft., (hit it), the previous owner(s) used it for shooting caribou.
I'll try to send a close-up or two, after the weekend, I'm poor at taking pictures.
Thanks a lot for the quick replies.
Deerhide.0 -
The .30 carbine is an awfully hot cartridge for a blow-back action. ("used it for shooting caribou.")???!!!
Can't have been re-barreled if it has the WP proof on the barrel.0 -
If the fired .30 Carbine brass is in good shape, i.e. not swelled or split. And the barrel still has the original Winchester markings. The only thing I can see is that the gun smith who did the work was a pro, who sleeved the chamber and reworked the extractor to work with the .30 Carbine ammo. As the .32 Winchester Self Loading bullet is larger in diameter then the .30 Carbine, there must be enough gas blow by to prevent the receiver from self destructing. 0 -
(Rufe-Snow)The barrel only has: 30 US and the p on top of the w in the oval on it.........no other markings show. I haven't disassembled it, only taken it in two, so I don't know if there are anything else out of sight.
Deerhide0 -
Deerhide, I recall being told on this forum that the P on the barrel indicated a mail order replacement barrel. I have one on a 94 take-down 0 -
moretoys; I believe deerhide is refering to the standard P over W in an oval Winchester proofmark. If that P were to indicate a replacement barrel, then every Winchester I have would have a replacement barrel which seems unlikely. You must be thinking of a separate stamping. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by moretoys
Deerhide, I recall being told on this forum that the P on the barrel indicated a mail order replacement barrel. I have one on a 94 take-down
That is correct, but deerhide mentioned a P on top of a W.
Just to clarify this for all who still have questions, the first picture below is a standard Winchester Definitive proof mark. The second picture shows a mail order Winchester barrel. Note that it has both a circle "P" and the superposed "WP" proof mark, indicating a mail order barrel.
Mail order barrel...
If anyone wants to discuss this further, please start a new topic "Winchester Proof mark stamps"0
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