Winchester Accoutrements

winchestercollector.org $10.00 Fall 2021 • 2021 Cody Show• Consecutive 1886s

34 | WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG • Fall 2021 WINCHESTER ACCOUTREMENTS: Ways to Enhance Your Gun Collection by Jennifer & Gary Gole There's a myriad of choices in collecting Winchester rifles and shotguns. DidyouknowthatWinchester made all sorts of accoutrements for those firearms as well? Winchester made barrel reflectors, cleaning rods, rifle cases, shotgun cases, telescope sights, slings, sling swivels and more. Starting back in 1881, Winchester began making belt buckles and marketing them with Anson Mills woven cartridge belts. These are a rare find and if you have a Winchester lever action rifle...what could be better than complimenting it with one of these beauties. Winchester made three variations of these buckles, shown at the top of the next page. The first was the brass model. The bear engraving would be enticing to any big game hunter. Through research over the years, we have come to believe that Winchester may have realized the brass needed to be constantly polished to keep it looking new. At some point, Winchester decided to nickel plate the finish. This made the finish not only more durable, but more desirable as well. They added a larger buckle and belt to accommodate larger cartridges that corresponded to the calibers offered in the Model 1886. The original brass version is the most difficult to find…but any version will make your rifle display look more complete. There is an ad on the cover of Forest and Stream & Rod and Gun in 1881, advertising Winchester Repeating Arms Co. Store 312 Broadway, New York, NY, as "Sole Agents For Anson Mills' Woven Cartridge Belt." This contract expired on December 18th, 1885. That doesn’t mean that Winchester discontinued the sale…they were just no longer the “Sole Agents” for the Anson Mills woven belts. In addition to the cartridge belts, Winchester offered many items to enhance the use of their rifles. Beginning mid-1887, Winchester catalogs began to advertise the An early Anson Mills woven cartridge belt with a Winchester brass buckle, with buckle details on the lower right of the next page

Fall 2021 • WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG | 35 Winchester barrel reflectors. These items were made, as it says on the label of the box, “For Examining the Inside of Winchester Repeating Arms Barrels.” Today we use a bore light…much more convenient. Winchester offered three different sizes because all were placed into the open action of Winchester rifles. The larger square reflector was used for the Models 1885–1894 lever action rifles. It is dated 1892 which is the patent date. There is also a nickel plated version of this reflector which is much more difficult to find. The next reflector looks like the larger one with a square cut out of the back at the bottom. This facilitated use in the pump-action .22s, such as the Models 1890 and 1906. We have a full box of this version of the barrel reflector. Finding a full box of anything from over 100 years ago is very rare. The last and smallest reflector was created for the semi-autos, like the Model 03. This one is the most difficult to find. We believe this is because it is not marked with the Winchester name or trademark. The reflector is so Above: Anson Mills woven cartridge belts with engraved bear buckles, from the top: brass buckle, nickel plated buckle and a larger nickel plated buckle on the heavier belt intended for larger cartridges Right: Detail of the brass buckle Below right: Marking details from the early brass belt buckle Bottom right: Marking details from the nickel plated belt buckle

36 | WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG • Fall 2021 small that there is no room for the Winchester trademark or the patent date. We suggest finding one or more of these interesting items to kick your rifle collection up a notch. Beginning all the way back to the Henry rifle, the company made cleaning rods. The original Henry rods were fourpiece rods made of hickory with steel connectors. Because they are made of wood and not marked, many people don’t even realize what they are. These can be found…but it won’t be easy or cheap! Many of the lever action rifles that followed the Henry rifle had four-piece steel rods stored inside the stock and accessed through the butt plate. You could also buy these takedown rods through the catalog. Sometime after 1903, Winchester introduced one-piece steel rods for their 22 rifles. And always improving on their ideas, they introduced this "Flexible Cleaning Rod for .22 Caliber Rifles" during the 1920s. Because the cleaning rod was not marked…if you don’t find it in a box, you may not realize it was made byWinchester. During the late teens and early 1920s, Winchester introduced the Model 08 shotgun cleaning rod. It was sold in the canvas case and is stamped with the Winchester trademark and the model number. Just a note…it was also included in the Junior Trapshooting Outfit, but it is not marked Winchester and does not have the model number stamped on it. The one in the Trapshooting Above: Winchester Barrel Reflectors as described in the text, with an early image from a 1887-dated WRACo catalog shown above right

Fall 2021 • WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG | 37 Outfit also does not have the canvas case. As early as 1880,Winchester made a full-length leather case for their lever action rifles. It was marked "WINCHESTER REPEATINGARMS CO NEW-YORK" with a leather strap around the middle of the case (shown on the next page). These high-end leather cases were sold exclusively at their store in New York City at 312 Broadway. We have been fortunate enough to have owned two of these full-length leather rifle cases. The two we owned were marked for the Model 73 and the Model 94 Rifles. The model number and barrel length were marked on the buckle strap that fastened the case. These cases are extremely rare and should be considered as Above: One-piece steel .22 caliber cleaning rods Below right: A flexible cleaner and original packaging Top left: Four-piece Henry rifle cleaning rods Top: Later four-piece lever action rifle cleaning rods Above: Shotgun cleaning rod set with canvas case

38 | WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG • Fall 2021 an addition to your collection regardless of the price. In addition to leather cases, Winchester made leather slings for all of their rifles. With the slings, swivels to attach them to the gun were included. Many of these were a special order added to the gun at the factory. By the year 1893, Winchester made leathertrimmed canvas takedown cases for all of their current models, including the lever action and pump .22 rifles. These early cases are not stamped with the Winchester trademark, but they do have the model number and barrel length marked on the leather strap of the case. You can also tell by the type of canvas whether it is a Winchester case or not. A similar marking was used on the straps of the later leather-trimmed canvas takedown cases. There are several examples of the markings on these cases shown at left. As the Winchester Store became a reality, the leather-trimmed canvas cases were still offered. However, at this time Winchester stamped their trademark as well as the model and a catalog number on the case. Sometime after Winchester introduced the 1897 shotgun, they offered these style cases for their shotguns, as well. At some Above: Canvas takedown cases with marking details as described in the text Right: Winchester-marked shotgun case detail Below: A Winchester sling with hooks Above left and opposite right: A full-length leather case, right and left views Lower far left: Full-length leather case marking detail

Fall 2021 • WINCHESTERCOLLECTOR.ORG | 39 point in time, Winchester introduced the leg of mutton style case for the Model 1897 and 1912 shotguns. The leg of mutton cases came in different lengths and sizes for the different shotgun variations and options offered in their catalogs. These were much more durable and protective for the shotguns they were designed to hold. They were apparently made in large numbers because they are still fairly easy to find…and at a reasonable price. They also look great on a Winchester shotgun display! Most of you are aware that Winchester made telescopic sights. When Winchester introduced its A-5 Telescope Sight in 1910, the USMC adopted it for its competitive ’03 Springfield match rifles. Winchester’s telescopic sight was developed from Prof. Hastings optical calculations and patents were obtained in 1907. Are you aware that Winchester also made two different leather carrying cases? The first use of the telescope sight was adopted by the military and the leather case shown here was made for and used by the military. The second more slim-line case was introduced for the private market. Either of these cases hold both the A-5 and/or the B-5 scopes made from 1910 all the way through the 1920s. The slim-line cases are shown in all of the Winchester catalogs from the teens. The cases are not marked but are very specifically designed and can be authenticated by comparing them to catalog pictures of the time. Originally, the Winchester telescope sights came in a paper box with paperwork. The set on this page is a very fine example of the A-5 Telescope Rifle Sight in the original box with all of the paperwork and tags included…a rare prize indeed! No matter what models of Winchester rifles or shotguns you collect…there are so many wonderful accoutrements to enhance your collection! Get busy and find one today! Jennifer Gole #9526 is a Benefactor Life Member of the NRA, Past and Current WACA Director, Past Secretary of the WCA and Member of the OGCA. Email Jennifer at [email protected]. Gary Gole is WACA Member #4283, Life Member of the OGCA and Benefactor Life Member of the NRA. Above and left: Leather Winchester scope carrying cases as described in the text Below: Winchester A-5 Scope with box and paperwork

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