Buttplate

[wattlebuster]

Hello All... Need a little advise. Im building a smoothbore/fowler an I have gotten down to the buttplate and although I  have inlet a few rifle buttplates this one is one of the long fenial/thumbnail fowler plates that is longer on top than on the buttend. Its one that goes wide to a narrow point in 5 steps if ya know what I mean. track of the wolf sells it. Do I need to inlet the top first an then the butt part or what . So far everything has went good with no major messups but Im due a good un so what would you do. Thanks ahead for any replies

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

The butt plate to which you refer is inlet first along the butt end as close as you can, and then the upper part - the return - is inlet straight down.  But with those progressively smaller transitional sections, the plate CAN move forward as you inlet the top part, thereby taking up any gap you might experience in the butt part.  So in practice, the whole affair is inlet from the heel, down and forw'd, toward the trigger guard.  A guard that is asymmetrical on the return must be inlet straight down, so you have to have the butt plate fitting almost perfectly before you start with the return.  Small gaps near the heel can be taken up with judicious use of a nice hammer.  But not at the toe.

[B.Habermehl]

If its the Pete Allen butplate I think you are talking about, I inlet these straight foreward from the butt of the stock, carefully following the centerline of the but stock. The step/taper is rather forgiving with minor goofs, just be careful with the leading edges of the steps. Fit it foreward until you reach the fit you desire or the legnth of pull you need, hopefully these will coincide within 1/8 in or so.  BJH