Ok, so I thought it would be simple to remove the forearm from the gun to get some metal protection on the gun.
Removed the two screws, slid the forearm cap forward and the forarm is still in place!
Do I need to pull the magazine tube out of it?? Sure hope not as the tube seems to have become "welded" in place over time!
Oh well that is what penetrating oil is for if need be!
Found a site yesterday with manufacture date for this model . . . made in 97 according to the serial number. Now I need a site with blow up drawing . . . Numrich catalog ( worth the price for all those action drawings alone) failed me on this one
LouisB

How about a source of a buttstock?
This one is cracked very badly!

Yes, you will need to pull out the magazine tube. To do that you will need to knock out the pin in the magazine retainer ring underneath the barrel. Keep wiggling on the tube and hopefully it will break loose.

As for original replacement wood, very hard to find and expensive. Semi-inletted blanks can be had from Precision Gunstocks but will require fitting and finishing.

5090

TCLouis,
Go easy on removing that magazine tube! The later Model 1886s had the tube screwed into the receiver. My 1916-vintage .33 WCF is that way. I can't remember what year Winchester made the change. So be very careful!

The screw-in mag tubes were not introduced until very late in the production of the Model 1886. If your rifle was made in 1897 it has the non-screw-in type tube. Breaking loose the amassed dirt and corrosion could still prove challenging. I have never ran into one I could not get apart but some did take more effort than others.

Good Luck

5090