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August 8, 2024
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I recently examined a Model 75 Sporting rifle. It featured a grooved receiver top. Along with the rubber style Winchester marked grip cap. Collecting Model 70s I know that the steel type grip cap on the Super Grade replaced the earlier rubber Winchester marked style in 1955. Would the Model 75 have the same change in 1955?
January 20, 2023
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Bo Rich said
I recently examined a Model 75 Sporting rifle. It featured a grooved receiver top. Along with the rubber style Winchester marked grip cap. Collecting Model 70s I know that the steel type grip cap on the Super Grade replaced the earlier rubber Winchester marked style in 1955. Would the Model 75 have the same change in 1955?
Bo, My understanding of the way Winchester made such changes is this:
1. As inventories of the old style got low and an order for further production (or an order to an outside contractor) would otherwise have been placed, an engineering change order would stop it and production of the new style would begin.
Or, sometimes, if there was a large enough inventory of “new style” parts — originally intended for a slow selling or obsolete model, the change order would direct use of those.
[Higher Authority needed my attention and I hit “send” inadvertently]
As a consequence, for a time — sometimes years — the old and new style parts would be used for current production until the old style was used up.
My point is, the exact date of a change order [records in Cody] is not a hard stop in use of the older style part, particularly as it pertains to cosmetic parts
For example, from Houze we learn the first grip caps for the Model 52 Sporting were steel caps originally designated for several styles of the Model 21 shotgun. However, there are specimens of late production Model 52B Sporting rifles also wearing the same steel cap – and yet other 52B Sportings with even later serial numbers that still wear hard rubber caps.
Given Winchester’s obsession with never throwing away a usable part – ar least until McNamara’s Band took over — it is nearly impossible to judge authenticity based on old vs new style parts, particularly cosmetic parts.
My answer to your exact question is an uneducated probably.
JWA has written a definitive book on the Model 75 that has gone to press and will soon be available. If anyone has a copy of the change order from the Model 75 production file, it would be Jeff. He would also be the expert to ask.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
July 17, 2012
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Bo,
That is an excellent observation and question! Zebulon is spot-on with his response. To answer it completely I have included excerpts from pages 272 and 273 in the upcoming book on the Model 75. Part number 7475A Type 1B is the stamped steel grip cap.
Hopefully that will answer your question (and whet your appetite for the upcoming Model 75 book next month).
Best Regards,
“On December 3, 1951 a set of drawings was produced to illustrate a new style of stamped steel pistol grip cap. The new cap was formed from .031″ sheet steel and had a pierced key plate swaged to the back side to create a complete unit. The pistol grip cap was then polished and Du-Lite blued. The drawings specified the new style metal grip cap was used on the same models as the hard rubber cap however it is likely that the existing supply of hard rubber caps continued to be used on the Model 75 Sporting rifle until the end of production. To date, no Model 75 Sporting rifles have been observed with the stamped steel grip cap. Although mentioned here, the change may not have been implemented prior to the discontinuation of the Model 75 Sporting Rifle.”
“7475A Type 1B – Initial drawing is dated 12/3/51; although the Winchester drawing specifies the usage of this style blued steel grip cap for the 75 Sporting rifle it was likely never utilized, or only used on a limited basis, due to a surplus of remaining hard composition rubber grip caps. None have been observed on Model 75 Sporting rifles to date. The blued steel pistol grip cap was also indicated for use on the Model 12 (some), Model 21 (some), Model 43 (Special), Model 52 Sporting, Model 70 Super Grade and the Model 71. The 7475A Type 1B material was specified as “Steel Spec. 10A” with a thickness of .031″ although an alternative thickness material of .040″ was allowed to be used from the “skate store” until the existing supply was exhausted.”
The Winchester Model 75 – Diversity in Design – copyright 2024 – Abendshien – 648 pages.indd
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
August 8, 2024
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JWA, since no Model 75 are known with the newer steel grip cap. We can assume that the Sporting Model did not include this change, and kept the Winchester marked rubber style grip cap. I talked to another Collector that has a Model 75 Sporting Model with a grooved receiver, and his does indeed have the older rubber style grip cap. This leads me to believe that not many later Model 75 Sporting guns were made.
April 15, 2005
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In addition to the Model 43 Special and Model 71 Special, Winchester also began using the stamped blued steel grip cap on the Model 64 Deer Rifles. The following are the earliest documented (surveyed) steel grip caps by Model & serial number;
1. Model 43 Special s/n 51254A, PR date November 28th, 1951.
2. Model 64 Deer Rifle s/n 1909414, September 1952.
3. Model 71 Special s/n 40262, October 1952
The hard rubber/composite grip caps are found interspersed with the steel grip caps on the three mentioned models through the end of their respective production runs. (December 1953, December 1956, and December 1958 respectively).
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
June 1, 2023
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Great info, guys!
BRP
July 17, 2012
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Bo Rich said
JWA, since no Model 75 are known with the newer steel grip cap. We can assume that the Sporting Model did not include this change, and kept the Winchester marked rubber style grip cap. I talked to another Collector that has a Model 75 Sporting Model with a grooved receiver, and his does indeed have the older rubber style grip cap. This leads me to believe that not many later Model 75 Sporting guns were made.
Bo,
I agree, about 1/3 of the total production (89000+) Model 75 rifles were the 75 Sporting version (about 30,000).
While the Model 75 was officially discontinued in 1958 there were rifles with serial numbers applied up to November 1961 and it is those final parts clean-up rifles that “may” be equipped with a steel grip cap. The latest Model 75 Sporting I have in my reference collection is number 88998 (SN applied March, 4 1959, after the 75 was discontinued) and is only 340 numbers from the final serial number. It has the hard rubber grip cap but because production dragged-on sporadically until late 1961 I cannot discount that there may be some very late, post-production 75 sporting rifles with the steel grip cap, which is why I mention them in the 75 book.
To cover that specific topic in the 75 book I had to collaborate with Seewin, Lou Luttrell and Bert to sort out the models and grip cap timelines. There was not a black and white answer for the 75, the drawings said “yes”, the empirical evidence said “no” 
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
November 7, 2015
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Y’all made me go safe-diving! Serial number 85021 (1956) is indeed composite.
Mike
