Looking for opinions/advice
 

I’m having a new stock made for a 12ga Repro SSS. The local smith has had the gun for about 16 months.

I asked for a skeleton butt plate when I left the gun with him. He had a one from an original D-grade gun and agreed to install it.

He now says that it’s been years sense he installed one and doesn’t want to risk making a mess. He wants to install a pad of my choice.

A Silvers or other vintage style pad would not be the end of the world but I really prefer the skeleton plate as both the original D-grade guns and Repros had them.

Any advice from the experienced would be welcome!

Best,
Brett

That BS would not fly with me. How many stocks do most of us get to do in a lifetime?
16 months to figure out he cannot do it?
I know its been 16 months and you hate to start over, but better than a disappointment every time you pick it up.
Other's may feel differently, but thats how I feel.

I’m not upset with him, just thinking about how to proceed. I wonder if another stock maker would take on the butt plate install and how that would work logistically.

It sounds like you need a new stock maker. Period. I would be concerned about what you will get in regards to the rest of the work.

You are paying. You should get what you want. Maybe as a tradeoff for the pad means the job is free to you.

In regards to someone else doing just the buttplate. That is up to you to find someone willing. I can only speak for myself here. I do not like doing partial jobs or fixing other peoples mistakes. If my name is attached to it, it ALL must be right. If I did it or not.

Is the original buttplate still available? If it is, id buy it asap and then have him finish the job such that it could get installed later. It its no longer for sale, perhaps that tells you the whole story.

What Phil said X2





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Having been a stockmaker for over 40 years, I can tell you if he's incapable of doing a skeleton buttplate he's not worth his salt as a stockmaker. 16 months; I'd get the gun & run. I agree with Brian, I'd be concerened with what you end up with.

Pull your gun back and find a competent stock maker to finish it.

Thank you all for the thoughtful advice - exactly what I’m looking for.

I’m in a bit of a bind as this is the only gunsmith in my area and the only shop that deals in vintage shotguns. I really can’t burn my bridges here without hurting myself.

The best course seems to be to send the gun to someone else for the butt plate install.

Any suggestions for a competent stock maker that would be willing to do the work?

I think I’m getting a very expensive lesson with this job.. :)

Best,
Brett

Ideally a SSBP should be fitted into the butt of the gun with the wood of the actual butt. So, the wood in the middle you are looking at is actually the end grain of the stock. Doing this way does take a LOT of time. To do it right.

Now, a workaround that SOME people take is to make the wood in the middle of the plate out of a separate piece of wood. This is in fact how the repro stocks were done by the factory in Japan. The repro stocks are hollowed out in the butt and a thin insert is glued in.

Maybe a solution to this is to have a conversation with your guy and see if he is willing to compromise and do the SSBP the later way. Fit the buttplate perimeter to the stock and then make an insert fitted to the plate and glue it on. If the guy can cleanly fit a spurred or steel buttplate to a stock, then he can handle this. I would think at least.