Winchester Model 1894 – Technical Notes Index (Master Reference) » TN-08 — Buttplates, Curvature & Materials

This Technical Note catalogs the primary buttplate patterns seen on Winchester 1894 rifles and carbines: crescent rifle plates, carbine plates, shotgun butts, and later hard rubber or composition variants. Because buttplate type, curvature, and checkering style often correlate with configuration and era, they are crucial inputs to authenticity and value analysis.

Crescent Rifle Buttplates

Traditional rifle-length stocks were commonly fitted with steel crescent buttplates featuring a pronounced curve and narrow heel-to-toe profile. Public examples show variations in checkering, tang length, and toe shape that align with production eras and with the move from hand-fitted to more standardized patterns.

Carbine & Shotgun-Style Buttplates

Carbines generally feature less curved buttplates, designed for quicker mounting and more comfort when firing from the saddle or field positions. As shotgun-style butts became more popular, especially in later pre-64 years, butt profile and plate material diversified. TN-08 documents those visible shifts without relying on proprietary pattern books.

Specifications — TN-08 Scope

  • Category: Furniture & Recoil Interface
  • Focus: Buttplate styles, curvature, materials, and era patterns
  • Eras Covered: 1894–1963
  • Used In: Chapters 5, 17, 23, 28, 30
  • Related TNs: TN-07 (Stock Profiles), TN-29–31 in the main Compendium

Story-Short

TN-08 catalogs the buttplate types used on the Winchester 1894—crescent rifle plates, carbine plates, and shotgun butts—and ties their curvature, materials, and checkering patterns to publicly observable era trends. It provides a source-based way to check whether a buttplate matches the rifle’s claimed configuration and period.

Citations (Source-Based)

Winchester catalogs depicting rifle and carbine butt options; museum and high-resolution photography of documented original 1894 stocks and buttplates; non-gated collector and auction descriptions where images and text align with cataloged options; cross-verified printed references on pre-64 Winchester furniture.