Have a neat old Winchester 1895 in 30-40 i picked up here a few years ago. It functions/shoots fine but man its got an long barrel and tiny front bead sight. Its downfall is the stock jas been fitted with a red recoil pad. Still, its just a classy old stick.

Recently i saw a Browning 1895 for sale here with a Skinner rear sight and it had a shorter barrel and man it was sweet looking. So would it be ok to use a Skinner rear on this vintage rifle and chop the barrel back to an handier length and stick a more course and visable sight out front? Should i leave it as is and appreciate it for what it is?

The barrel is 27" but it seems a 20" length would be a nice handling length. Id post a pic but my phone wont resize down that little. Anyway, should i mod it to my liking or leave her alone?

It is yours, do what you want to it, but don't expect to sell it for much after you make such mods..

Don't see why not.

I suppose it is yours to do with as you will, and not everything is about resale value, but there are other options. I have an 1893 Marlin with a 26" barrel, and don't find it unhandy. The longer barrel makes it balance nicely, and swing well - great for those running deer and pigs I've dropped with it.

A longer barrel also means a longer sight radius, which assists in getting the best accuracy out of it with iron sights. If the foresight is in a dovetail you could readily swap it out for something better. I personally like a post foresight, and one big enough to pick up easily. A peep rear would also be a good plan - is your rifle drilled and tapped for a tang peep?

Alternatively, you could perhaps trade this old rifle for something more like what you have in mind.

Chop chop. Just a tool. Make 'em work for you.

NO

Personally, rather than molesting a vintage rifle which can’t be replaced, I’d sell it and buy the configuration that I want.

I would not.

Years ago, I have a very nice, original 760 in 35 Remington that I was going to have rechambered to 358Win. I sold it for a profit and bought a beater and had that one done instead.

I wish I had not sold the nice one and kept it original.

Its not drilled and tapped. Im warming up the metal bandsaw in the metalshop. Gonna give her a try. Bought a new Dremel attachment to recrown the muzzle. Wish me luck.

Well, did you cut it? If you did, I hope it turned out ok.

Up until two weeks ago, I had an old 1895 in 30/40 with a barrel that had been cut off to 24 inches. The stock had been cut off to about a 12.25 inch length of pull, with some kind of hard rubber home made butt plate and then the wood was shattered at the grip. Years ago I replaced the butt stock. Turned out to be a good rifle, but it was no where near original. If I hadn't sold it, I'd have offered to see if we could swap barrels.

I probably wouldn’t, but wouldn’t presume to tell you not to. If the stock was shortened for the pad, it already took a hit as to the value; how much I couldn’t say.

Are you concerned about the resale? If so, don’t cut it. If not, chop it, but also consider what will happen to the balance.

Mod the hell outta it. Till it's as mod-ern as you need it to be.....

Nice rifle. You might want to mod the crack in the stock though Macgyver..

Aaron, here is a point to consider. I have no idea how you carry a rifle when hunting, but when I carry, I usually hold it at the balance point, somewhere below my right hip. The old '95 with the original 28" barrel has the balance point forward of the magazine, makes a comfortable carry. In my youth, in an absolute fit of gross stupidity, I took a perfectly good 1895 Russian contract rifle and chopped off 4 inches of barrel to end up with a balance point on the damn magazine, about an awkward a carry point as you could imagine. Something to consider.

Bandsaw? I'd torch about 4 fingers worth off the barrel. Old guns look good with some patina. :-)