Precarve stocks suck and butplates suck

[bowkill]

This is my last precarve, everything is all ready layed out and usually not where you want it. This complicated butplates is a pain, just can't seem to get it down. Taking it slow, any other suggestions......

[sz]

I don't like pre-carved stocks for that reason
Let me  take the blame for my mistakes.  On a pre-carve I have to take the blame for someone else s mistake.
That's why I build from blanks.

[bob in the woods]

I do understand the draw backs of a pre carve as far as design etc goes, but inletting that butt plate into a blank wouldn't really be easier than what I see you've got there. I'm assuming that the inletting is by yourself ?  I often rough out the butt stock before I do the butt plate , since I usually inlet the lock and trigger/s before I finalize the LOP lay out. If the inlet was already done , then it shouldn't be a problem as long as it's not over size.  Chamber's fowling guns and their Edward Marshall kit come to mind.  I've done a few of these , and don't mind the task. Slow and easy works. 

[frogwalking]

Regardless of who does what, buttplates are no fun.  IMHO

[bob in the woods]

One reason the gun I'm building right now doesn't have one   

[jerrywh]

 If at first you don't succeed quit and just say you never tried.

[Joe S.]

Think of it this way,if you can solve the problems of a precarve you are way ahead in my book.I  agree with the challenges a precarve brings.I would have loved to have made a go of it with a blank but unless you have a band saw ect. it's tough.I would have in the future do all the inlays myself,lockplates,tangs,trigger plates,butt ect.I have found its easier to do your own inlay than clean up somebody else's.No room to move things around to get em right in my opinion.I have no extra wood where I would like some  and the opposite where I wouldn't.If you can make a decent representation of whatever rifle your trying to emulate you done well.I'm also finding the butt plate area to be a tough one as well,tricky to get it all tight.

[B.Habermehl]

Make sure you have inletting draft filed in the upper extension of the butt plate. Bigger at the upper surface, smaller at the bottom. The last one of those Larry Zornes butt plates I inletted i straightened the double curve out of the butt part of the plate. BJH

[smart dog]

Hi Bowkill,
I think you are already in a little trouble because if you move the buttplate forward to make contact on the back end of the stock, you will have gaps on the back side of the curves on the tang.  What you need to do is take wood off the toe of the butt so the plate angles such that the heel drops down making contact without moving forward.  Hopefully, when contact is made, the top of the buttplate will line up with your comb.

dave

[Long Ears]

I can't see how the butt plate is a precarve problem unless it was already pre let. Those long returns are a challenge but that one is not real complicated. Just work slow. Bob

[Eric Krewson]

This one drove me nuts, I would move it down and get a new gap in the back, move it forward and get a new gap somewhere else. This was my first English fowler buttplate.



When I had the top half looking good and still had a slight gap at the toe I got out my map gas torch, heated the toe of the buttplate and gave it a good whack with a hammer, problem solved.

The metal in this buttplate had to be made of ball bearings, tapping an gaps closed was out of the question.

[Dennis Glazener]

Regardless of who does what, buttplates are no fun.  IMHO

I guess I am weird, I enjoy inletting buttplates, especially for an English fowler. Of all the inletting I absolutely hate to inlet a lock. I have done 4 or 5 English fowler buttplates and have been proud of all of them. I have yet to do a lock that I am proud of. When I do manage to get the outside of the plate looking pretty good I am really ashamed of the inside, most look like they were gnawed out by a beaver
Dennis

[bob in the woods]

From what I've seen, a lot of originals [ not including English etc ] weren't much better as far as the lock internals were concerned.  I try and do a decent job, but I go with more clearance than less simply because of the extremes in weather here.
I want the lock to be absolutely free of any interference from the stock.  I had a rifle with a tightly inlet lock and it gave me trouble . The lock time was slowed enough to affect the reliability.  After relieving certain areas, I also sealed the lock mortice with shellac. Problem solved.

[Ed Wenger]

I'd do as Dave (smart dog) suggested.  From the photos, it appears as though the toe is making contact with the stock, preventing the butt piece from going down.  It appears that if you remove some wood from the toe, the butt piece should swing into place. 


         Ed

[jerrywh]

 I don't mind butt plate at all.  On the type of butt plate you showed it must go down at the front of the top piece and then slowly tilt it down in the back until it fits. You cannot go straight down and then in. toward the barrel.  The type you are doing is not the hardest. A French wrap around is much harder.   

[Virginiarifleman]

Matt Avance of TVM has a pretty good video on you tube showing how to install a butt plate fairly easy.

[Ryan McNabb]

Mark Silver's stocking video has a good demonstration of a practical, quick and historically correct way to inlet a BP.  Jack Brooks also discusses it on his website in detail.

Complex returns along the comb are always tough but the normally are found on BPs with straight shoulder plates, so you can basically just inlet it down vertically onto the comb.  Rarely, the shoulder plate is curved and it has a complex return, so you have to inlet in two directions at once, which really is hard.