Avatar
Search
Forum Scope




Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon
Winchester 97 butt plate color
Avatar
Frank Hollingshead
New Member
WACA Guest
Forum Posts: 2
Member Since:
September 28, 2022
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
September 29, 2022 - 12:23 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

I have a dark, reddish brown, hard rubber Win 97 butt plate. Flat, with standard logo and checkering. Can anyone tell me if this is a Winchester-manufactured style or not, and if so, is it from a particular time period? Thanks!

Avatar
Bert H.
Kingston, WA
Admin
Forum Posts: 12988
Member Since:
April 15, 2005
sp_UserOnlineSmall Online
2
September 29, 2022 - 2:35 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

Can you post a few clear pictures of the butt plate?

Bert

WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
High-walls-1-002-C-reduced2.jpg

Avatar
Frank Hollingshead
New Member
WACA Guest
Forum Posts: 2
Member Since:
September 28, 2022
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
September 29, 2022 - 6:21 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

I took a few photos, but it looks more black than brown in them. Was just wondering if anyone had heard of dark brown butt plates and, if so, had any info on them. Thanks for reply.

Avatar
Bert H.
Kingston, WA
Admin
Forum Posts: 12988
Member Since:
April 15, 2005
sp_UserOnlineSmall Online
4
September 29, 2022 - 12:36 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

Frank Hollingshead said
I took a few photos, but it looks more black than brown in them. Was just wondering if anyone had heard of dark brown butt plates and, if so, had any info on them. Thanks for reply.

  

Under certain conditions, the original black hard rubber butt plates could change color to an off colored brownish or greenish color.  Again, I need to see pictures of your butt plate.  You can email them to me at – [email protected]

Bert

WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
High-walls-1-002-C-reduced2.jpg

Avatar
win4575
Montana
Member
WACA Member
Forum Posts: 700
Member Since:
November 2, 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
October 2, 2022 - 4:24 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

The so called hard rubber butt plates used by Winchester, were actually made of gutta-percha.  It was used in many firearms applications, back in the day.  Most “plastic” grips on old revolvers including Colt were made of gutta-percha.  You can tell the difference between this material and plastic, because the gutta-percha will often turn brown and when wet, it will have a very subtle green hue to it.  It also has a very pungent odor to it when damp.

Avatar
JWA
Location: 32000' +
Admin
Forum Posts: 2587
Member Since:
July 17, 2012
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
6
October 2, 2022 - 7:43 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_EditHistory

While I don’t disagree that gutta percha may have been used on some center fire Winchesters, compression molded “Hard Rubber” was in fact used on many of the bolt action Winchester .22s from 1900 until about 1937.  The hard rubber used on the .22s of that era is jet black, even in bright sunlight and when wet.

I have seen the discolored butt plates on some of the center fire Winchesters and agree, it is likely a different material than the hard rubber used on the .22s, I just didn’t want any confusion about the actual usage of genuine “hard rubber” on the .22s.

Best Regards, 

WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire

http://rimfirepublications.com/  

Avatar
clarence
NY
Member
Restricted
Forum Posts: 7119
Member Since:
November 1, 2013
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
7
October 2, 2022 - 11:03 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_EditHistory

Quick test for gutta percha:  a red hot needle will penetrate the surface, but not hard rubber.  Black is not the “natural color,” but the result of adding carbon black to the raw product; both can be dyed almost any color. 

There’s no single “rubber tree,” but many different species; the sap of one is used to produce gutta percha, the sap of a different but closely related tree is turned into rubber.

Forum Timezone: UTC 0
Most Users Ever Online: 4623
Currently Online: Bert H., Bill Hockett, deerhunter, Clint Price, WinKorm94, drjjpdc
Guest(s) 578
Top Posters:
clarence: 7119
TXGunNut: 6474
Chuck: 5876
steve004: 5210
1873man: 4703
deerhunter: 2713
Big Larry: 2559
twobit: 2505
mrcvs: 2213
Maverick: 2042
Newest Members:
drjjpdc
djwalsh
fzando
WASpalding
WinKorm94
Wallyg703
GunLegacy
tcwyb
spikemiller
ob98
Forum Stats:
Groups: 1
Forums: 18
Topics: 14817
Posts: 132604

 

Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 2057
Members: 10054
Moderators: 3
Admins: 4
Administrators: Mike Hager, Bert H., JWA, SethJ
Moderators: Rob Kassab, Brad Dunbar, Heather
Navigation