doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Winchester Model 55 question w/pics

Mike, interesting about the walrus hide. About 30 years ago,I found a book on manufacturing Winchesters at the Winchester plant. It showed a picture of the polishers and the wheels looked to be about 2" thick and maybe more than 30" in diameter. It described them as being made out of rhino hide. Totally agree on the nickle content of the receivers. It was the carbonia or gas bluing that caused the flaking.

I�m fairly certain that it�s Walrus, I�ve got some old (pre-1930s) documentation from Winchester, they were having some issues getting �Sea Horse� hide, and tried cow hide but found it unsuitable.

Sea horse was the period name for Walrus.

This was confirmed by a good friend of mine that used to work at Winchester; also, as late as the early 80s they still had a couple of remaining walrus hides to make wheels.

I can't cite a source, unfortunately, but remember hearing at a state park in Florida that manatees were hunted commercially to the point of local extermination for sale to industrial leather belt manufacturers. Apparently the belts were very durable and stretch-resistant. "Sea Horse"?

Manatees are colloquially called "sea cows" Not sea horses.

I'm sure lots of different leathers would work if need be. Some might be easier than others though. More than likely, if run by overhead belts, the Winchester factory operated on bison. The buffalo hide industry was built around powering factories with overhead belts made of specially tanned bison hides.

Manatees were indeed used for this purpose. I found a reference on page 3, section 3.5, of this proposal for inclusion of endangered species.

Google Document

When doing the research I concluded it was Walrus, in one of the documents, it actually showed a Walrus, and where the best pieces of polishing wheel hide came from. Winchester tried leather, found it unacceptable.

Believe me�The thought of gluing a bunch of itty bitty aquarium grade sea horse hides together did not appeal to me.

Buffalo/Bison was a huge commodity in this country around the turn of the century. I firmly believe that the bone charr used in period CCH was buffalo bone. Ebonex is the only company still producing bone charcoal; they got their start in the late 1800s supplying buffalo bone charcoal.

Surely you said that in jest?

Were the hides from whales ever used?

And then I would like to steer the thread back to Winchester lever gun actions. I have a Model 65 in 218 Bee. The serial numbers in Madis' Winchester book indicate that the action was close to the last one made in 1935. The action might have sat around until assembled as a Bee circa 1938 or 39. The action is blued, but the blue is very thin and looks to be worn through at places where the rifle has been handled. The blue is not flaking off, however. I have been told that this is common in late 1930s Winchesters. Can someone please explain this process?

Don

yes I jest

Waterman.

Late 1930s Winchester contracted with the Dulite Corp and started using their process; which we know today as hot salts.

V/R

Mike