Replacing a flat buttplate with spurred

[Samuel Studebaker]

I have a 20 ga VH (circa 1908 or thereabouts) with a spurred buttplate. It's beautiful, and the gun has been in my family for almost 100 years. I am purchasing a 16 ga. later era gun (1927) with a flat buttplate. Please don't shun me for this question: I am not attempting blasphemy, but would it be possible to inlet a spurred buttplate to replace the flat one (which is chipped, by the way)? I'm not concerned about what this will do to the value (please don't judge --- this will go to a great grandson some day, and continue its journey through the generations, if my wishes are fulfilled). Has anyone here fit a spurred plate to a gun that had a flat plate? I just love the spurred plate and am not a fan of the flat one. Any information would be helpful.

[Brian Dudley]

Sure it would be possible, but it is a whole lot of effort and expense for… what? But you said you font care about altering the gun. So I guess that does not matter. It is your decision. Just dont screw it up or let someone else screw it up. You will be regretting it.

[Samuel Studebaker]

Sure it would be possible, but it is a whole lot of effort and expense for… what? But you said you font care about altering the gun. So I guess that does not matter. It is your decision. Just dont screw it up or let someone else screw it up. You will be regretting it.

Thanks Brian. I appreciate you taking the time to weigh in. Anyone with experience doing this, please let me know. I’ve built a couple guns, several guitars and violins and, most recently, a gambrel barn, so I am pretty confident in being able to do this. Just wondering if the original geometry or something I haven’t thought if will be prohibitive. I may chicken out anyway. Any helpful information on the process would be tremendously appreciated.

[Bill Murphy]

Sorry, was not thinking when I posted.

[Brian Dudley]

Bill, he states it is a later ‘20s gun. Which would not have a spur.

[Bill Murphy]

Thanks, Brian, I changed my incorrect post.

[Ryan Brege]

Not shunning, just a thought. You may not care about the effect on value but a great grandson may look at it and say why did he do that? As stated, it's pretty much a lateral move in utility.

I have my great grandfather's 1886 that a great uncle had rebored from 40/65 to 45/70. I am not sure the reason, whether it was bad pitting or ammo availability but I sure wish it had been re-lined and not bored. I would change it back but they re-stamped it. I cherish it none the less but still would like to have had it original.

Ryan

[Bill Murphy]

You would have to be a hard core collector to give a darn. It is a great gun with a flat buttplate.

[Chris Robenalt]

Samuel, I had a 1927 or 8 16ga with the flat buttplate. I left it alone. Changing it would be like cutting the barrels, because I want shorter ones. I've put a spurred plate on others by request. It's not easy, but it's hard, just time consuming, and you have one chance to get it right. Just my opinion, but it's your gun so I won't try to discourage the thought. Lots of experience and help here. I just posted the thought of changing the stock on my Super Fox. I took Brian Dudley's advice along with other's. Kick the thought around and see what others think. Hope you find what your looking for...

Chris, AZ

[Samuel Studebaker]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I sincerely appreciate the advice. The gun I am purchasing has already been altered somewhat (cosmetically), and I just sort of wanted to emulate the old 20 ga. You’ve all made me think very deeply/reconsider, and I appreciate your replies a great deal. If, however, anyone has actually performed this alteration, from an experienced woodworker’s perspective, I would greatly appreciate any tips. I may not do it anyway, but it’s always fun to learn from others’ experiences ��

[Buddy Marson]

When Brian Dudley installs a butt plate it will be "Parker Perfect"!

[Dean Romig]

Personally I prefer the spurred butt plate. It is from a time when frivolous cost-cutting procedures weren't as important.

You're very handy with hand tools and woodworking obviously and if you would like your gun just a little bit better with a spurred butt plate I say go ahead and make it like you want it.

But first take the butt plate off of your 20 to see what you need to do to the wood.





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[Samuel Studebaker]

Thanks Dean. I also have a Trojan 16 from 1927 with a repaired comb (top 3/4”, front to back). I’ll upload pics if I can figure out how. I’ve never had the guts to replace the stock, but maybe some day. It’s a beautiful gun otherwise. Just as tight as can be. Even my lower end Parkers are works of machining art, in my opinion. What great guns they were/are!

[Arthur Shaffer]

One of the more famous Northwestern US custom rifle makers, who is no longer around, had an article on his website showing in detailed pictures his method of installing a skeleton steel buttplate to his customs. His method was something I had not seen and have been wanting to try ever since. He took the buttplate and inlet it to the stock to only a shallow depth (the inside of the plate being concave) to just the point that the outside of the plate was fitted closely to the butt and generously supported all around. He then took a piece of walnut directly from the blank and chose a piece laid out for the best wear resistence and ability to take fine checkering. He then finely fit this to the inside of the skeleton butt plate cutout, trimmed and finished the outside and checkered. The front of this plug (if you will) was cut very slightly short and epoxied to the butt while the plate was installed on the stock. He was well known for his skeleton plates, and I doubt if anyone realized it until he posted this tutorial. It is not classic stock making, but it had advantages. He stated that it was much quicker to do, and made it possible to repair many of the butts that were damaged in use with much less impact to the stock dimensions. In a case like yours, it would allow the installation with less reduction in LOP if installing a skeleton plate.

[Samuel Studebaker]

Super interesting. Thanks ArtS!

[Dean Romig]

Art, and all - that's basically how the skeleton buttplates were done on the Repros, except the Repros' wood insert weren't epoxied.





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[Terry Hobson]

Years ago (mid 80’s)I had a 20 gauge repro that I noticed produced a funny sound when thumping the checkered butt and seemed sort of spongy. I spoke with Skeuse who told me it was a piece of veneer and to re-glue it. Think I used acraglass.

[Jack Pesci]

First make sure that you can obtain a spurred buttplate that will fit the wood exactly. if it is undersized then the wood will have to be sanded to fit the plate and then refinished. If it is oversized the buttplate will have to be trimmed and Parker buttplates have a border that will be affected by trimming and will therefore look bad.
Just my 2 cents.

[Brian Dudley]

First make sure that you can obtain a spurred buttplate that will fit the wood exactly. if it is undersized then the wood will have to be sanded to fit the plate and then refinished. If it is oversized the buttplate will have to be trimmed and Parker buttplates have a border that will be affected by trimming and will therefore look bad.
Just my 2 cents.

If buttplates are too small, the wood does not HAVE to be sanded. Material can be added to the outside of the plate and then worked back down to avoid working the wood. The wood should not be reworked unless it is new or unless it is being refinished.

With my number 1 plates, which is the most common size that I use in stocking guns, i had ones made that are oversized around the outside to make sure that I would never have an issue with them being undersized when fitting to an original gun.

[Samuel Studebaker]

Thanks Brian.