Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors 1895 .303 British thoughts?

I have 2 1895 carbines, a .30 Army and a 303 British. Do you 1895 guys think that the 1895s in .303 British were intended for the Canadian market more than the U.S. market?

I think they were intended for the British Empire as a whole rather than specifically for Canada. The 303 Brit was the 30/06 of the era as the Brits were the dominant influence in the world pre-WWII. Due to proximity Canada would be a desirable market but getting even a toehold in the rest of the British colonies would have been a significant achievement.

I've had two 1895s in 303 British, both rifles. One had British proofmarks but probably from after WWII. I wish I would have at least lettered them but that had little interest to me at the time. I would love to have them back...

I saw an 1895 in 303 British several years ago at a local gun shop. It was well used but not abused, it sold fast. Only one I have ever seen.

Only conjecture on my part but I'm sure demand for rifles chambered in the current service cartridge of the time and country of use played into it.....i.e. .30 Army/U.S. and then .30 Gov't '06 in the States and .303 British for Canadian and British Empire sportsmen. Probably had more to do with ammo availability in the area of use than ballistics. I have seen a few '95 rifles so chambered but never a carbine.

I was told that my .303 M-95 carbine came out of Quebec, probably via a French-Canadian employee of the Brown Company paper mill in Berlin, NH. I bought it at Ray's Gun Shop in Milan, NH, around 50 years ago. I have the bill of sale somewhere, IIRC I bought some 180 grain Remington factory loads from Ray's to go with the rifle. It has a lot of blue wear on the bottom of the receiver and spots on the top of the barrel and on top of the tang, probably where is rested in a horizontal gun rack, but no pitting and no after-market holes. It is the only M-95 in .303 that I've recall having seen.

Kaywoodie here on the 'Fire has an 1895 rifle in .303 and of course he puts it to good use! https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/16597552/1