Bucks County Buttplate

[flehto]

Trying to get PC/HC on my BC builds and am puzzled as to the BP heel extension shape. I intend to cut a "thumbnail" but don't know if from the "thumbnail" back whether this area has facets or is rounded. I've been filing facets on the previous BCs but happened to look at a photo of a Shuler and his BP has a rounded heel extension w/ the "thumbnail". Sure would appreciate any info seeing my access to BC LRs is non-existent. Thanks....Fred

[Dave B]

I have only held one Shuler smooth rifle. It had a thumb nail extension  and it was only rounded over past the file detail demarcation. It is a very slender piece very much like the Andrew Verner smooth rifle shown in RCA I.  I originally thought they were like most rev war rifles being heavy butt stocked etc.....But was able to aquire a actual tracing of one of the original Verner pieces with measurements and it is about the size of a pencil compared to other rifles.

[Lucky R A]

 Fred,
  Generally,
 Bucks Co. guns were built with two different sets of hardware.  Andrew Verner most often used a faceted butt plate w/o a thumbnail.  Shuler et all usually used the classic thumbnail furniture.  The top of the butt plate was rounded over with a file detail of usually three lines right where the thumbnail terminates.   Reaves Goehring's  John Shuler (the elder) hardware is correct.  Dave Keck's thumbnail furniture is also correct; however, he eliminated the file detail to allow you to do your own.   To further confuse things, I have seen John Shuler guns with the furniture most often attributed to Verner---I have a sneaking suspicion that he probably rode over to Andy's place and said, "Well, Andy haf' you an extra set of hardware, I'm out, and I need to get a gun out?"   
      As Dave pointed out Bucks Co. guns were gracefull, slim rifles, and share a lot of details with their cousins just north in the Lehigh Valley, but are unique in their own style..

Ron

[flehto]

A big "thankyou" to you and Dave....any information is valuable to me seeing my "resources" are so limited. I'm on my 8th Bucks County and w/ the last 3 am nearly PC/HC and the present build will have all the  BC "features"  including the elongated entry pipe finial, Pbox release, curled trigger, "leafy" cheek star, "thumbnails" at all the usual locations and hopefully the slender, pleasing architecture of some of the original BC  LRs. Thanks again......Fred