Included in this lot is one of the least produced and rarest of Winchester’s line of rifles is this Model 1895 Winchester-Lee Straight Pull Sporting Rifle! Originally this Model was manufactured beginning in 1895 for the United States Navy in full military musket form with full length stock and hand guard. Interestingly, a number of these Winchester-Lee Straight Pull Military Rifles were aboard the U.S.S. Maine when it sank in Havana Harbor in Cuba which precipitated Theodore Roosevelt to declare war with Spain. Nearly all of Winchester’s production of this unique, ahead-of-its-time, smokeless powder, small-bore rifle chambered for the new 6mm Lee (.236 U.S.N.) cartridge were in this military configuration. Only a very few Winchester-Lees were made up into sporting or hunting rifles. During this time, the single shot and lever action rifles were considered standard for civilian use. American sportsmen of the day were a traditional and conservative lot, they used what worked and often what their fathers and grandfathers used. A new type of repeating action loaded from the top and using a very small diameter bullet at very high velocity was simply too much for most hunters and outdoorsmen to consider! Hence, very few of this model were made or sold. Specimens today are almost never offered on the collector market and many advanced Winchester collectors have never even seen a Straight Pull Winchester-Lee Sporting Rifle outside of photos in books! This example with serial number 14601 was made in 1904. It displays a 22” round sporting weight barrel clearly marked “.236 U.S.N.” on the barrel top ahead of the receiver. The stock has the correct smooth steel shotgun butt plate with standard plain pistol grip fitted with the original Winchester embossed black hard rubber grip cap. The forend has the standard finger grooves on each side along with sling swivel studs. The barrel has a King marked heavy buckhorn rear sight matched with a blade/bead front sight. The stock is solid and without cracks or chips and the barrel displays fine lightly aged blue along with standard and correct Winchester address markings in two lines plus “NICKEL STEEL BARREL” over “ESPECIALLY FOR SMOKELESS POWDER.” The bore is a bit dark but retains fine rifling throughout. The left side of the action shows all of the Winchester patent dates and markings plus it has a very significant agent or dealer marking “FROM F. W. SHEARD TACOMA, WASH.” F. W. Sheard was an arms dealer and sight manufacturer in Livingston, Montana from 1885-1895 after which he moved to Tacoma, Washington where he continued in the arms business from 1895-1934. Having this location known indicates this unusual and rare Winchester as a western sold and used rifle. The bolt assembly retains excellent blue and the action works perfectly. The safety is also intact and functional, these are often not present or functioning in existing examples of this model. A very interesting and historical Winchester with a western provenance, this Winchester Lee would be right at home in the most advanced of Winchester collections. A rare opportunity to acquire an almost never encountered Winchester sporting rifle. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check. For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.