timmy wrote:Miroflex, yes sir, I think you are right: each has its own trade offs.
Please don't get me wrong: I love the M1895. I love almost everything Browning designed, but the M1895 is one of the mo complex and intriguing guns he designed. But it is a long action, and you will see that there's a long throw to the lever when firing off a number of rounds. The Tsarists bought them because they needed guns, and the fact that the M1895 held up under that sort of use speaks very well for it. But that sort of trench warfare isn't quite the same as what you are looking to do.
On the other hand, the double has issues, as well. I've never owned a double rifle. I have a double hammerless shotgun and keep it stored with snapcaps, so that the hammers are not cocked all the time. Maybe that's silly of me. The gun is quite old and was probably stored for many decades with cocked hammers. Besides, storing a double empty or with snap caps is not the sort of thing that makes for a quick, ready defense weapon. And if it is kept loaded and cocked, the safety on mine is certainly not safe. The double you are looking at may not have that problem. The half cock on the Winchester would be preferable to some double safeties that prevent an accidental firing of a cocked gun, I think.
Yes, these two choices are not to be rejected immediately, but they aren't ideal.
A Winchester M1894 in .30-30 is a lot lighter and handier. I don't know how easy it is to get .30-30 in India, but it seems to be fairly available world wide.
I can see why you are scratching your head over this.
Timmy Sir,
I too am intrigued by the curious machinery that comprises the action of the Model 1895 Winchester. The Model 1894 is an equally impressive piece of machinery. I agree that the 1895 action has a long throw which renders it slightly slow to operate. It can provide five well spaced shots but is difficult if not impossible to operate from a prone position. This is also true of the double rifle. It is only bolt actions that can be operated easily even when lying on the ground.
I agree that for reasons of safety it would be advisable to keep the Winchester as well as the double rifle with the chambers empty. Even if the double rifle is stored empty, it can be loaded quickly, perhaps as quickly as levering a round into an empty chamber of a Model 1895 or a Model 1894 Winchester.
Rifles in .30-30 calibre are occasionally available for sale in India but do not come on the market as frequently as .405s. The latter have lost their popularity with the ban on hunting or shikar and the increaing cost of cartridges. The .405s are therefore coming up for sale more often.
One reason why I am inclined towards the .405 is that I may be called upon to deal with a marauding wild boar or some other equally large animal for which a .30-30 may be on the lighter side. Another aspect I have to deal with is that most .30-30s available on the market have seen heavier use than comparable .405s.
Nevertheless, I have been looking at .30-30s. Also at .250-3000 Savage Model 1899s. Cartridges for these last are difficult to obtain and costly. The rifles themselves are reasonably priced. Some .32-40 Winchesters are also the market, including a single shot in Martini action by Westley Richards.
I have a fondness for lever action Winchesters from having grown up with a .44-40 in the house and from reading cowboy stories in childhood. If I was not restricted by the three weapon limit my task would have been easier.
