I like this gun, Mike! It says it all. My kind of gun.
I would love to only build the very plainest of guns. The real beauty of a gun is in the "lines"....not the trim....IMHO. Unfortunately, to meet financial obligations I find that I have to opt more toward customer preferences (and buttplates,,,,yuk)....plus all the other "trim" normally associated with a gun.
I have never seen a gun without a buttplate that had serious damage. I did restoration for years and had to repair quite a few Southern guns with no buttplates.
I have, however, witnessed many guns that broke at the toe because of the lower screw in the BP.
It's very presence weakened the toe and helped to promote the break. Early guns with wide, flatter butts.....not so much a problem.
Slab sawn and butt cut wood generally produces the best and toughest stock for a "no BP" gun. About 10 years ago I watched Freddie Harrison ram a pre-shaped, 1770 period stock into a concrete floor over and over to prove this point. It showed little damage....and nothing serious.
I also think the mind-set of a good mountain gunsmith was that if the wood was not up-to-snuff as far as grain direction then it would get a buttplate. If it was a style like the Beans and Ambrose Lawing made with the long, sharp toe, then yes it would have to have a BP. A rounded heel, rounded toe and edges of the butt is all that's needed.
With all this said, take a look at an old ladder-back chair with it's plain wood legs with no cap on the ends. Most will show a little wear but no real damage. Most of us would never treat the butts of our guns the way a ladder-back chair gets treated.
