Log In
February 2, 2013
Offline
To carry it even a little further, I wonder if the bullseye stamp might have been for rifles that had optional sights ordered and factory installed i.e. tang, globe etc. My 1890 is documented as having a tang sight.
May 24, 2012
Offline
Len,
What is the serial number on your .22 Short? My early 3rd model and late 2nd model in .22 WRF does not show the bulls-eye stamp, and the WRF marks are on the face of the receiver and not the upper tangs. The WRF’s that I have been able to find on the internet with this marking including the one shown in Schwing’s book were made prior to 1902.
James
February 2, 2013
Offline
James,
According to the factory records my 22 short left the warehouse in June 1898. I wonder if the bullseye stamp is associated with sights ordered other that standard. Were your 2nd & 3rd model 1890’s completed with a tang sight or other non standard sights?
Len
May 24, 2012
Offline
66M20e said
James,
According to the factory records my 22 short left the warehouse in June 1898. I wonder if the bullseye stamp is associated with sights ordered other that standard. Were your 2nd & 3rd model 1890’s completed with a tang sight or other non standard sights?Len
Thanks. My early 3rd model has a minimum of two, and more likely than not three special order sights, one of which is a correct period Lyman tang sight. The 2nd model has standard sights.
The only thing that I know about the bulls-eye stamp for sure is that it appears on what must be a very tiny percentage of the 1st and 2nd model 1890’s in WRF caliber, plus your .22 Short. Matt mentioned that he might have seen it on one of his "1894s or 55s."
Schwing notes that special sights were quite rare on the model 1890. For example: Between serial numbers 1 – 329,999, 3003 or 0.9% had special sights, as opposed to the 316,996 or 99.1% having standard sights. That said, I guess it could have something to do with special order sights, but I’d not bet on it, or the previous scenario I put forth either!
James
Well Pards
Bert Hartman sent me an e-mail about this subject and here is another opinion for ya’ll to mull over. I may have seen more of these than most of you, based purely on age (76) and the number of guns I have personally inspected.
My opinion is that, that mark whether one single circle or several circles inside each other is the Receiver Polishing Inspectors stamp. It occurrs to me that with more than one Inspector on duty at various time, some form or combinations of circles form the identifing factor for that receiver polishing job. Unfortunately I only have an opinion based on experience and not on any docunentation. At this point in time I will continue to believe I am correct until someone can prove me wrong. 😀 I do not believe any of those stamps were engraved.
Sorry about my error on the previous page, It was not Bert Hartman, but another of your loyal Berts. Thanks
Thanks Don for your input. Could very well be a polisher’s stamp. One other thought occured to me after reading the sight comments above. Could it signify that it was factory zeroed or that the rifle was sighted in at the factory prior to shipment? Seems a possibility; especially if special order sights were in place?
April 15, 2005
Offline
All Winchester rifles were factory sighted with the sights they shipped with. Winchester did not ship a rifle without test firing it, and setting the sights.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Good point. Doesn’t sound like anyone really knows what the bullseye/target stamps meant… too bad at least one of those old timers isn’t still around to verify what really went on in that factory. Save us all alot of speculation.
May 24, 2012
Offline
ohlode said
Good point. Doesn’t sound like anyone really knows what the bullseye/target stamps meant… too bad at least one of those old timers isn’t still around to verify what really went on in that factory. Save us all alot of speculation.
Agreed, but what a lot of fun, huh?! 
James
May 23, 2009
Offline
The exception too the rule is that in special certain circumstances the customer ordered the gun without any sights on it. Then the gun obviously wouldn’t of left the factory with sights. Rob Kassab has such a gun on his website.
http://www.rarewinchesters.com/gunroom/1873/M73-007043/1873%207043%20Cody.pdf
Its a most unusual example and exception!
Sincerely,
Maverick
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
