Not sure about horn, but Ebony has a tendency to shrink and crack over time. It's a good idea to wax any pieces in the shop so they are usable when you need them. I suspect many forend tips simply shrunk and dropped out unnoticed. The hide glues of the period didn't "give" like modern products.

Last edited by Ken61; 11/03/16 06:52 PM.
I prefer wood to plastic, leather to nylon, waxed cotton to Gore-Tex, and split bamboo to graphite.