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I am looking at a model 1894 rifle .32 WS, serial # 316372, 1/2 OB, 1/2 magazine, crescent buttstock with metal crescent buttplate. From photos I have seen the rifle looks very nice and the buttstock appears to fit well with the receiver and buttplate as if original to the rifle. Here’s the rub. The Cody Firearms Records Office serial number check reports “From stock Shotgun butt rubber.” The wording is peculiar to me. Either the rifle was shipped as is now with a separate buttstock thrown in or, more likely, someone did a nice job replacing the “From stock Shotgun butt rubber” stock with the current crescent buttstock. Cody has no record of return and repair. Care to ponder and opine?
Thanks.
Mac
Online
Mac,
I have seen similar entries in the warehouse ledgers, and my take on the Model 1894 rifle in question, is that it was originally assembled with a standard stock and butt plate, and then sent to the warehouse. After it was in the warehouse, a special order came in for the same configuration rifle, but with a shotgun butt versus a standard stock and butt late. The rifle was pulled from stock, reconfigured, and then shipped (with the shotgun butt & HR plate).
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
I have seen the same sort of ledger entry for Model 1892 rifles.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
Mac, Any markings under butt plate or tangs on the wood? Is the pull normal length? Does the grain and condition of the butt stock match the forearm? The answer to these questions could give you a clue. That said, it is my experience that butt stocks on 94’s in that time period were made to a close tolerance and many times can be swapped with little or no fitting to the tangs. T/R
Bert, Michael, TR,
Thanks for your responses. I appreciate the comments regarding the ledger entry. FWIW Cody Firearms Records Office reports the rifle serial number applied AUG 29, received in warehouse OCT 5 and shipped from warehouse OCT 11. So I suppose there was sufficient time for the stock reconfiguration as Bert postulated during it’s 5+ days in the warehouse and especially given TR’s comment about close tolerances requiring little/no fitting.
I won’t get an eyeball on the rifle until this Saturday and won’t have answers for TR unless I purchase. At this juncture as I am unable to convince myself of originality I’ll probably sit on my hands at auction.
Great to exchange thoughts with you’all on the forum.
Mac
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