doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT- Whiteline Pachmar pad

My question is not about a doublegun but maybe someone can answere my question about a pad. A friend of mine recently bought a prewar Winchester M71. The gun is mint,however it has a Pachmar Whiteline pad on it.We assumed that it was added.The pad intallation is perfect almost better than factory.Is it possible that this pad was installed at the factory?
Pachmar pads are offered in later catalogs.I didn't think these pads were made prewar.
Thanks Dave

I had one that I am sure was pre war. It was black with the ugly white line. Servicable but ugly.

There was a Pachmayr pad back about 1935 but don't remember seeing one on a factory Model 71.

why did they put the white line in it anyway. Was it just fashion?

I may be wrong, but I think the early pads just say Whiteline, Pachmar bought out the company and added their name later. Like I said, I could be wrong but seems like I remember that...

Destry

I think, off the top of my head, the company was Mershome or something like that. Pachmayr continued the line with their name on it. " But then, I could be wrong."

You nailed it Walt, I'd forgotten about the Mershon name.

DLH

Pre WW-II, the "Whiteline" Recoil Pad was made by Fray-Mershon of Los Angles, California. It came in a field style with horizontal lines on the face and a Skeet style with vertical lines. They are still shown in the 1948 Stoegers. By the 1950 Stoegers they are the Pachmayr Field or Skeet Model and there is also a Trap Model

Walter and Destry are correct, I don't recall the name of the company who originally produced the Whiteline pad; but Pachmayer purchased the company (or rights to make the pad and use the Whiteline name), then changed to name to the "Pachmayer Whiteline" pad (I believe this took place in the early 50's). And I don't know what the policy may have been for recoil pads at Winchester; but in the 1940's Hunter Arms furnished and installed the original Whiteline pad on LC Smith shotguns (this was one of several pad options provided upon customer request by Hunter), and I suspect other makers may have had a similar policy. As to why a management decision was ever made to put a white line in a rubber pad, I have no idea; but suspect it had to do with marketing and brand recognition, an effort that was apparently very successful or Pachmayer would not have retained the whiteline feature for decades afterwards. I personally don't like the look; but the white line must have been a very appealing cosmetic feature in this era, as Marlin, Remington and many other makers copied that "look" for their hard-rubber butt plates and grip caps.