John Ennis buttplate on blog site

[Don Getz]

Did anyone check out the "skeleton" buttplate done by John Ennis, shown on the blogsite.    Pretty fancy stuff, nicely done.   Now, can you visualize this.......a friend of mine bought a modern bolt action rifle with a similar skeleton buttplate,
checkered wood on the inside panels.  The only difference was, the checkering did not run all the way out to the metal,
there was an uncheckered portion, about 1/32" wide, all around the checkered portion which abutted up against the
metal.   Have any idea of how difficult this would be?   I guess the gunsmith who did it just wanted to prove a point, that
he could do it...........Don

[Jim Kibler]

Nice work for sure.  About difficult work...  In my experience it often boils down to time and lots of it.  To be able to difficult work efficiently, now that's the ultimate.

[Rasch Chronicles]

You guys wouldn't mind sharing the "blog site" now would you?

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

[John Archer]

http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/

John.

[Rasch Chronicles]

Thanks John, I should have realized!

Best Regards,
Albert “Afghanus” Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: George Washington, President and Fisherman

[Glenn]

Don and John thanks for posting the beautiful buttplate and photo link.  Stuff like this gives us all great ideas.  I dont think I've ever seen a buttplate like that on any firearm ever.  Both the originator and restorer had incredible skills indeed.

[JTR]

I've seen some similar on modern high end shotguns.
It'd probably work fine, until you set the butt down on a rock!

Nice work that John Did for sure!

John

[Bill of the 45th]

It's fairly common on high end shotguns.

Bill

[Glenn]

It's fairly common on high end shotguns.

Bill

Maybe that's the problem ... when I go to gun shows I make a point to avoid those sections ... (LOL) ... 

[Don Getz]

I've seen other things by John Ennis, a very talented guy.   Once saw an outstanding pair of spurs by John,  that, in
addition to longrifles, guess he gets into a lot of different things......Don

[T*O*F]

The only difference was, the checkering did not run all the way out to the metal,
there was an uncheckered portion, about 1/32" wide, all around the checkered portion which abutted up against the metal.   Have any idea of how difficult this would be?

First off, it says this is a "restoration" meaning all the hard work was already done.  These buttplates were originally used on high end English guns like H&H and others.  Perfect inletting of the plate is the secret.  Brownells sells them for around $100.  I am planning to put one on my Rigby LRML, but will have to make it.

As shown, full coverage is actually the easiest.  Once the plate is inlet, it is removed and the checkering is a simple matter of cross-hatching edge to edge.  Doing it with the small reveal around the edge is slightly harder.

[art riser]

A bit more than symply a restoration.

This was a Steve Alexander/Lynton Mckenzie rifle. The owner wanted Ennis to skeletonize the butt plate because it was to slippery on the shoulder. Lynton engraved the comb extension on the butt plate. John pierced the butt plate, inlayed the wood into the piercing and made the small screws on the sides of the plate. He engraved it in suite to Mckenzies work. He also checkered the exposed wood in the cutout.

[T*O*F]

A bit more than symply a restoration.

Art,
Proper verbage in descriptions precludes false assumptions on the reader's part.

[keweenaw]

Even Art's description grossly underestimates what when on here.  Because the BP was already fit in the solid form, skeletonizing it would leave a void with the wood well below the surface so John either had to set the entire BP forward which would be a real trick with that tapered, angled screw in the heel or he had to add a piece of wood to the butt to fill the skeletonized area.  The later would be a PITA but considerably faster and easier to do than moving the BP forward.  This was not a job for the faint of heart.  Beautiful work.

Tom