Posted on 05/20/2012 5:58:32 AM PDT by marktwain
A new exhibit is coming to the National Firearms Museum this June, the Theodore Roosevelt Collection. Teddy Roosevelt is famous for his love of shooting, hunting, and battle. He was an avid gun user and collector, and a great fan of Winchester lever-action rifles, and one of his most-used and prized Winchesters will be a part of it.
That Rifle is a Model 1894 likely chambered in .30-30, which he often called his "Little .30." Roosevelt instantly became a fan of the cartridge when it was first introduced. He was such a fan of their rifles that he tried every new model introduced, and when he felled an antelope at about 180 yards he declared the .30-30 Model 1894 as "Aces," and decided to get one for use at home in Long Island.
Chiefly purposed for varminting on and around his property, Roosevelt had it modified and suppressed with a Maxim silencer, as to be kind to his neighbors. "The President's rifle comes with the usual Roosevelt bells and whistles—the crescent buttplate, no raised check piece, as well as a little something extra; a threaded barrel. Yes, you guessed it, Roosevelt's '94 Winchester comes with it's very own suppressor."
While .30-30 was his go-to cartridge for culling local pests, Roosevelt was exceptionally fond of another smokeless powder chambering, .405 Winchester.
"Introduced in 1904, the .405 Winchester cartridge was the most powerful round ever developed for a Winchester lever-action rifle. Roosevelt had to have not one, not two, but three 1895s in .405, and it proved very effective on almost every sort of game in Africa. The big 300 grain bullet was a hard hitter with an initial muzzle velocity of more than 2230 fps.
"In perhaps the best Presidential endorsement of any product ever, Roosevelt wrote in Scribners Magazine 'The Winchester .405 is, at least for me personally the medicine gun for lions!' He created a sensation for the gun that lasts, to this day. The .405 was discontinued in 1932. However rifles chambered in 'Teddy's caliber' continue to bring a high premium over examples that are chambered in a round still readily available. In 2000, Winchester announced the re-introduction of the Browning 1895 in .405 caliber, demonstrating that the spirit of 'Big Medicine' is stilt alive and well."
That being said, the Model 1894 is one of Winchester's greatest all-time successes, having made over 7 million of these rifles in various calibers, with many other companies manufacturing guns patterned on the design to this day.
We have to wonder what other guns will be a part of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, and we look forward to next month when it is unveiled. Read more about it and the other exhibits at the National Firearms Museum.
Millions of people have lost significant hearing as a result.
There are several very nice pictures at the site.
Looks like a take-down version.
Put a muffler on your gun-illegal
Take one off your car-illegal
Yep - I have been an avid shooter since the '60s and as a younger child in the '50s often went to the rang with my Father. My hearing isn't too bad, but I do have the constant low-key ringing. When I go to the range today, my muffs are in the cabin with me and I don them before opening the car door.
Dunno if it's an Urban Legend. Read where, when he was President, he encountered two Marine guards who were carrying the latest 45-70 Trapdoors that had the "improved" ramrod bayonet extended. He grabbed the rifle and "bayoneted" the door jamb. The flimsy rod snapped in two. Raised bloody hell. It seems to me they would have been armed with Krags or Remington-Lees, but it's a typical story of his dynamic Hands On approach to things.
Model 1888 45-70: 
I have a model 1894 Winchester 30-30 takedown model with an octagon barrel purchased new by my great grandpa in 1895, serial number 37### - good bore, about 60% bluing with a nice patina. Took my first deer with it at the age of 14 (1966).
I probably should get it appraised, might be worth a few dollars.
You should get rid of that old thing. It might explode in your face. LOL
I’ll give you a grand for it.
That’s a fair offer, think I’ll hold on to it for now :>)
There are only a few people who have ever heard of Remington Lees. There were only a few hundred manufactured. I owned one for a little while, and I had to do a good bit of research to find out what it was!
First American military bolt action detachable magazine ping.
You have impressive knowledge of historic American military rifles!
The late Trapdoors had the rod bayonet, and it was on some of the earliest Springfield 1903’s. (chambered in the .30-03, probably the shortest lived US cartridge) The things I have read indicated that it was the ‘03 that Teddy made his point about. That was during his term, and such a item would have compared unfavorably with the Krag bayonet.
I wondered about that as the 45-70s would have been obsolete during his presidency, and thought perhaps the incident was earlier in his political career. The 30-03 makes more sense.
Probably alot! My Apologies to You! I checked out your previous postings and You really are to the Right of RUSH!
That is Fantastic! My deepest apologies, I truly misconstrued your comments as attacks and that is totally wrong!!!!!!
We’re cool, FRiend.
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