Hawken butt plate install(definitely not a how to)

[Chocktaw Brave]

I got around to starting my butt plate installation today. I started a little bit far back thinking if I make a mistake it will be easier to correct it. Problem is it’s going pretty well as I’m doing it, so now it looks like I’ll have to do it all over a second time.
As it stands now my length of pull is about 14 3/8 inches. I’m going to finish it in all the way and see what it feels like. But judging from other guns I have I think I could do between 13 1/2 and 14 inches of LOP OK.
But it has definitely been a good learning experience. I am doing it the traditional way, which I guess is a little harder.

[Steeltrap]

I'm looking at the top of the butt plate and it looks like you need to lower it ....."a good bit more". Also, in looking at the bottom of the plate, you have quite a bit of grinding to have that plate fit. Is there enough "flat area" at the bottom of the plate so that it fits flush against the bottom....where the toe plate would touch?

[rich pierce]

That’s a lot nicer than on original Hawken rifles I’ve seen, where the return for the top was merely sawn then fitted closely. Agree it needs to drop down. The joy of precarves!

[Eric Krewson]

I spent so much time on this butt plate that I could have built a whole gun in the same amount of time. Being my second gun, I thought the wood had to be a mirror image of the inside of the butt plate, a big time consuming mistake.



Anyway, I worked and worked and couldn't get the bottom of the butt plate to match up with the wood, I always had about a .030 gap. I finally gave up, heated the bottom tip of the butt plate to cherry red and smacked it with a blacksmithing hammer, problem solved.

 I believe they had cast this butt plate from melted ball bearings, a file would hardly touch it so there was no casual peening to close the gaps. 

[Chocktaw Brave]

Yes it definitely needs to come down, I’m not completely finished inletting it yet. The bottom of the butt plate and the toe plate are definitely gonna be some work.

[Chocktaw Brave]

A little more progress, toe is coming down. I think I’m going to have to keep going until I can actually cut off part of the toe of the buttplate. It’s the only way i can see to match it to the toe plate.



If you look at the very first picture compared to the last you can see how much closer I am to the pencil line I drew on the back of the stock.