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July 15, 2024
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I took off the steel butt pad of a 1886 I own and in the hole drilled in the back was a piece of paper rolled up and very yellow. I pulled it out and although it’s very hard to unroll without damaging it, inside was a note written in old school writing by the man named Franklin E. Dixon who apparently originally bought the rifle. It is dated June 18th 1887, And his company was called Chico Butte company Calif. Its basically just says in very fine cursive that he wanted to document the purchase. I thought it was very interesting. The rifle is 26″ octagon barreled in 45-70 and has a serial number of 1297 in well used shape. Its also interesting that this rifle came to me from Utah but it was owned by a man not too far away from me now and in the same area where I hunt wild boar on a 25 thousand acre cattle ranch (whenever I get a chance that is!) Pretty neat now I need to have Cody do the look up on what they have.. I wonder if this note leaving 
was commonly done back then or just a fluke. Thanks Nick
November 1, 2013
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hawssie said I wonder if this note leaving was commonly done back then or just a fluke.
It’s a very rare fluke–I’ve removed countless plates hoping to find a rolled up US gold certificate put there for “emergency money,” but dirt has been my only reward. I’d bet not one out 10,000 guns can be traced back to its original owner, so it adds immensely to the history of the gun, esp if you can uncover more info about Dixon; I’d start with census records. I also like the general used but not abused cond of the gun, inc the two rivets! As honest a gun as you could find, & thank heaven it never fell into the hands of some dope who’d send it off to be “restored”!
June 4, 2017
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I to have found a note in the butt of a 86. Written on old paper, it said presented to, a name, and date. The factory letter shipping date was a year after the date on the note. The gun had been smoozed with signs of non factory work. The seller showed me the note prior to sale. The name Googled.
Your gun has been cleaned and repaired in recent history so your not the first person to look under the butt plate. I know of an old gun dealer that used to plant things under the butt plate. An old cartridge or coins wrapped in an old piece of newspaper of the period.
I’m not saying your note is a plant, just it does happen. T/R
November 1, 2013
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TR said I know of an old gun dealer that used to plant things under the butt plate. An old cartridge or coins wrapped in an old piece of newspaper of the period.
I thought I’d heard of every underhanded trick a dealer might pull, but not that one.
However, if genealogical research reveals the same Dixon living in the same area about that time, no reason to think note isn’t genuine.
November 9, 2008
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I have an early EL 86 made in 1897, I removed butt and it had 2 extra front sights rapped in brown paper in the hollowed out section of butt. They were Lyman #4 hunting sights in new condition.
June 1, 2023
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When I went to sell two Winchester 1886 rifles that had belonged to my father, I found a receipt from the early 1950’s, showing Dad had paid $35 for one of the rifles. It was in the butt stock hole beneath the steel butt plate. I rolled the receipt back up and put it back in the butt stock hole, as a sort of message in a bottle for subsequent owners. (And yes, I received quite a lot more than $35 for that 1886.)
BRP
March 31, 2009
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The only thing I have found is an original cleaning rod in a 76. Had the rifle for a week or so and all of a sudden it started rattling. Hole had a lot of the dried red powdery rust that must have held the rod tight.
November 7, 2015
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Chuck said
The only thing I have found is an original cleaning rod in a 76. Had the rifle for a week or so and all of a sudden it started rattling. Hole had a lot of the dried red powdery rust that must have held the rod tight.
I found a relatively modern screw in the magazine tube of an early 1894 once. Still looking for one that has a bundle of cash stashed in the butt stock. Preferably silver certificates or earlier.
Mike
April 30, 2023
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Of all the milsurps (maybe the Swiss rifles if I remember correctly?), the soldiers tended to write their information down on paper and place into the stock. Makes it fun for milsurp hunters later on… was hoping to find similar in my two M1 Garands, but no.
December 12, 2019
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Now I have another project. I need to remove the butt plate of all my old Winchesters.
Nevada Paul
Life Member NRA
November 1, 2013
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Nevada Paul said
Now I have another project. I need to remove the butt plate of all my old Winchesters.
Hope you have better luck than I! Seems all the gold certificates, Lyman sights, treasure maps, etc, had already been found & removed by prior owners of the ones I checked. I’d have been satisfied with only a $5 gold piece.
January 27, 1992
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I found some “Kitchen” matches wrapped in waxed paper in the butt of a well used Model 54 that has a “Stainless Steel” barrel. I have left them in place. RDB
July 15, 2024
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Thanks for the replies, Im a skeptic by nature so It did run thru my mind it could be less than authentic, and it has at the very least had the butt stock repaired although it looks like a Long long time ago, (but that doesn’t mean the steel end was removed per se.) and repaired definitely in an old time way. But with that said, if it was planted for marketing reasons it wasn’t to sell it to me, as the seller didn’t mention it in any way and really wasn’t much of a salesman at all. Also although I am no expert the paper seems very old and deteriorated a bit so I doubt if it was a trick, it wasn’t done recently. Also if I for instance was the seller and did it to gain something I think I would have tried to make the message more tied to some history or historic thing, but it was just his name. Who really knows for sure. One thing I can say is it would be nice if the Cody letter revealed anything related to this Chaps name. Also if this was found previously and the guy who found it was like me, he would have just rolled it back up and put it back as thats just what I did!
July 15, 2024
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Oh I wanted to ask something else, I only have had 2 1886s and one came to me without any rear stock at all, So my question is, did the early 1886 stocks like mine normally have a hole bored in it under the butt? None of my 1894s or 1892s do and the 1873s I have do but it is of course in relation to the access door in the butt cover. Just wondering if the hole was done by someone other than Winchester. Thanks Nick
November 1, 2013
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One thing I can say is it would be nice if the Cody letter revealed anything related to this Chaps name. hawssie said
No, it won’t–you’re going to have to do your own research if you wish to know more. (Or pay a genealogist to do it for you.)
A forgery would be of no value to a seller unless he made the potential buyer aware of it–which would, or should, raise a red flag to the buyer, if he had a lick of common sense.
December 19, 2006
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I used to have a Winchester model 61 with octagon barrel, serial number 10943 in Long Rifle. In the butt cavity under the butt plate were locks of real fine light brown hair, a Series 1935A Silver Certificate one dollar bill and pieces of newspaper from the Denver Post from around July 16 of 1935 or 1936.
I put them back in and they went with the rifle when I sold it.
Here is a picture of what was there:
December 31, 2012
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On a deer hunting trip to the Western Slope Mts. outside of a little town in Colorado, my BIL and I, both avid Winchester collectors, stopped in to a local gun store. We bought an old, weathered, M1897 shotgun. Got it home and pulled the buttplate off. Inside was a 1927 Colorado Deer hunting license. I rather doubt the guy that put it there was hunting deer with a shotgun Put the license back and it was later sold with the gun. Big Larry
March 31, 2009
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In Iowa you still must use a shotgun to hunt deer. Except some straight wall cartridges can be used in rifles.
March 31, 2009
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Every Winchester I own I have pulled the wood and buttplate. I record whatever I see on the tang, stock and buttplate. Other than the cleaning rod I have not found anything like some Ben Franklins.
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