Cody Firearms Museum Model 1895 Rifle
Cody Firearms Museum Model 1895 Rifle
To a firearms enthusiast, a trip to Cody, Wyoming is a pilgrimage of sorts. After all, the museum that bears the same name contains the most comprehensive firearms collection in the United States of America. Named after the legendary showman, hunter and scout, William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is comprised of five museums including the Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. The Cody Firearms Museum houses more than 10,000 firearms and associated historical relics.
To support and sustain the educational and preservation efforts of the Cody Firearms Museum, Winchester Repeating Arms, Baron Engraving and Davidson’s Inc. have come together to create a one-of-a-kind, hand-engraved Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle that will be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds benefitting the museum and its mission to ensure that generations to come will have the opportunity to learn about the beauty and function of firearms and how the use of firearms has impacted history. This rifle will be auctioned on GunBroker. Bidding will close at 10 PM Mountain Time on Sunday April 18, 2021.
Engraved by Robert Bunting of Baron Engraving, this beautifully hand-wrought and gold-embellished Model 1895 will feature serial number 1. Two other famous rifles were Bunting’s inspiration for this example, both created by the legendary John Ulrich at the turn of the 20th century. One rifle belonged to famed Western author Zane Grey and the other rifle was presented by President Theodore Roosevelt to a close friend in 1915. According to the press release from Baron Engraving, The Cody Museum Model 1895 is decorated with “a fine English scroll pattern on the receiver, magazine housing, upper tang, barrel and thumb safety. Exquisitely detailed high relief gold inlaid animal scenes sit proudly on each side of the rifle with vignettes of a grizzly bear and a running buck on the right side of the receiver, and a stalking mountain lion on the left side. The scrollwork and animals are further accented with numerous gold inlaid borders that surround the receiver and lever. Inlaid barrel bands grace the muzzle and breach of the octagonal barrel. The rifle is hand finished to a high sheen and blued. To ensure this gun’s collectability, the rifle features special serial number 2020CFM001.”
To bring additional awareness to the Cody Firearms Museum, and to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the iconic Winchester 1895 lever action rifle, Davidson’s Inc. has also commissioned Baron Engraving to create 99 limited-edition replicas of The Cody Museum Winchester Model 1895 Lever Action Rifle. These guns are modeled after the serial number 1 rifle seen here, only embellished using modern engraving techniques and selective gold plating. The serial number range of the commemorative models will range from 2020CFM002 to 2020CFM100.
The Winchester Model 1895 was developed by legendary gun designer John Moses Browning and was his final design for Winchester. An important historical distinction is that the Model 1895 utilized the innovative non-detachable “box magazine” that made it possible to chamber more powerful pointed bullets that utilized smokeless powder. Few Winchester rifles had both strong sporting and military popularity. The Model 1895 was the rifle Theodore Roosevelt called his "Big Medicine" and accompanied him on his legendary African Safari. It was also purchased by a number of nations, most notably the Russian Empire between 1915-1917. The Model 1895 remains a sought after collectible.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DATE March 14, 2021
ONE-OF-A-KIND BARON HAND-ENGRAVED WINCHESTER 1895 AUCTION TO BENEFIT CODY FIREARMS MUSEUM
Milford, CT -- The Cody Firearms Museum houses the most comprehensive collection of firearms in the United States. To help support the museum and to sustain its efforts, Baron Engraving has joined forces with Davidson’s Inc. and Winchester Repeating Arms to make a highly collectible one-of-a-kind hand-engraved serial number 1, Winchester 1895 Lever Action Rifle.
Baron Engraving’s Robert Bunting engraved the Cody Firearms Museum Winchester 1895 in the Factory Grade No. 1 pattern. For inspiration, Bunting referenced two rifles that were engraved by John Ulrich at the turn of the century. One belonged to the famed western author Zane Grey and the other was presented by Theodore Roosevelt to a close friend in 1915.
The Cody museum rifle features a fine English scroll pattern on the receiver, magazine housing, upper tang, barrel, and thumb safety. Exquisitely detailed high relief gold inlaid animal scenes sit proudly on each side of the rifle with vignettes of a grizzly bear and a running buck on the right side of the receiver, and a stalking mountain lion on the left side. The scrollwork and animals are further accented with numerous gold inlaid borders that surround the receiver and lever. Inlaid barrel bands grace the muzzle and breach of the octagonal barrel. The rifle is hand finished to a high sheen and blued. To ensure this gun’s collectability, the rifle features special serial number 2020CFM001.
This rifle will be auctioned on GunBroker. Bidding will close at 10 PM Mountain Time on Sunday April 18, 2021.
One hundred percent of the proceeds of this auction will benefit the Cody Firearms Museum and help to ensure that future generations are provided an immersive opportunity to learn about the important role firearms have played in shaping human history and existence.
The winner of this auction will have the option of allowing this rifle to be displayed at the Museum for up to one year following the sale and be recognized during that time for the loan of the rifle.
To further support the Cody Firearms Museum and celebrate the 125th anniversary of the iconic Winchester 1895 lever action rifle, Davidson’s commissioned Baron Engraving to create 99 limited edition replicas of this one-of-a-kind hand-engraved serial number 1, Winchester 1895 Lever Action Rifle. These production replica guns were modeled after the hand engraved, gold inlayed gun number one seen here, but were created using modern engraving techniques and selective gold plating. The serial number range of this commemorative model range from 2020CFM002 to 2020CFM100.
About Baron Engraving
Baron Engraving is the premiere custom engraving and finishing company. For nearly 40 years Baron Artisans have blended old-world craftsmanship with leading engraving technologies to transform ordinary surfaces into distinguished works of art. Find out more at Baron Engraving.
About the Cody Firearms Museum
One of five museums at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, The Cody Firearms Museum interprets over 800 years of history with more than 10,000 artifacts on display. The museum, which was built in its own space in 1991 and renovated in 2019, seeks to lay a foundation for all visitors to learn about the history of firearms and the many ways in which they have been made and used, including manufacturing and technology, sport and war, defense and crime, as well as presentation and art. The museum houses an international collection of firearms, ammunition and accoutrements ranging from the 1200’s to the present. Visit them here Cody Firearms Museum.
About Davidson’s and Gallery of Guns
Founded in 1932, Davidson’s is one of the nation’s leading firearms and related accessories distributors. Davidson’s central focus is on the customer. Often referred to as the Davidson’s Difference, this passion for unparalleled support serves as the basis for many of Davidson’s service-oriented programs such as Gallery of Guns and the Davidson’s GuaranteeD® Lifetime Replacement Program, which extends to both the dealer and final customer. The Davidson’s Difference is backed by a great team of industry professionals across the United States.