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July 31, 2005
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I was wondering if plain wood pistol grip rifles have ebony insert like the fancy stock rifles. I understand that the ebony insert gave way to rubber caps sometime in the 1890’s.
I am referring to the ebony insert on the pistol grip. This would have been on rifles with the pistol grip stock, not the ebony insert on the forearms of single shot rifles.
I looked through my catalogs. I have the 12 volume set by Armory Publications. It appears the option for a pistol grip stock with plain walnut, not checked, showed up in the October 1886 catalog. I suspect Winchester had requests for these before they were listed in the catalog.
Here is Model 1876 SN 10912 showing an ebony insert on the pistol grip.
I call myself a collector as it sounds better than hoarder
November 9, 2008
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I have 2 plain PGs and they do not have the insert.
June 1, 2023
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I have a plain pistol grip 1885 and it does have the ebony insert.
BRP
April 15, 2005
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Blue Ridge Parson said
I have a plain pistol grip 1885 and it does have the ebony insert.BRP
Tim,
Does it have an ebony insert in the pistol grip? All Single Shot “Rifle” forend stocks had the ebony insert in them (as standard).
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
June 1, 2023
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The pistol grip is capped. Thanks for that clarification.
BRP
April 15, 2005
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Blue Ridge Parson said
The pistol grip is capped. Thanks for that clarification.BRP
I suspected as much. The pre-1900 pistol gripped Single Shot rifles did not have a cap, and most (if not all) of them had an ebony insert in the pistol grip and the forend stock.
This is one of mine…
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
July 31, 2005
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I took a better photo of an ebony insert on a pistol grip rifle than the one I used in the first entry of this topic. This is Model 1876 39930 and shows the fleur-de-lis design of the insert used on lever rifles during the 1880’s.
Bert, do you know of the single shot rifles also used the fleur-de-lis insert for a while? The one you showed is a simpler design.
I call myself a collector as it sounds better than hoarder
April 15, 2005
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Bill Hockett said
I took a better photo of an ebony insert on a pistol grip rifle than the one I used in the first entry of this topic. This is Model 1876 39930 and shows the fleur-de-lis design of the insert used on lever rifles during the 1880’s.
Bert, do you know of the single shot rifles also used the fleur-de-list insert for a while? The one you showed is a simpler design.
Bill,
Yes, Winchester did use the fancier style PG insert for a very short time on the Special Single Shot rifles, but it was very short lived.
Bert
Serial number 235
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 20, 2010
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Bill,
The same insert style appears to persist for deluxe rifles to the end of production for the 76′, this one dating to 1896 (#63827).
Chris
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
July 31, 2005
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I should have checked to see if this subject was covered in Madis’ “The Winchester Book.” It is covered in the section on Extras and Special Order Features. In my edition it’s pages 596-597.
Madis refers to the “decorative inlays” as being of four different styles. He says there were two different sizes of the first type I showed in the pictures above. I called it fleur-de-lis but Madis doesn’t. The third style is what Bert showed and is simpler than the earlier style. The fourth variation was the rubber cap.
On special order inlays were made of horn or precious metals.
Apparently, plain wood pistol grips did not get the inlays. As usual, we avoid using always or never when referring to features on Winchesters. 
I call myself a collector as it sounds better than hoarder
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