What Is the "Acorn" or Knob Usually Found in a Schuetzen's Butt Plate Heel?

[Tanselman]

Most Schuetzen style rifles have a small knob, or device, in the heel of the butt plate, often shaped like an acorn or elongated knob. I've never known what the knob, which usually can be removed, is there for. Can anyone enlighten me?

Shelby Gallien

[Seth Isaacson]

Like this?

I don't recall ever seeing an explanation, but I always figured it was just a way to make hook/extension at the heel more decorative. Some I've looked at have the heel screw securing the buttplate into the stock concealed underneath, and some that decorative piece is the screw.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Perhaps it is to provide a second contact point against mother earth when the rifle is being loaded.

[Seth Isaacson]

That advantage would be the same as just having the full-double hook Swiss/Schuetzen butt plate. I think the question here "why make it a separate piece?"

[Tanselman]

A reason for asking this question is because I have several Louisville, KY Schuetzens, two by Balthasar Auer. I purchased "The American Percussion Schuetzen Rifle" book by Rowe and Hamilton [which shows a couple Balthasar Auer guns] but in all the details about locks, sights, muzzles, etc., there was no mention of the knob up on the butt plate heel... either what it is called, or what it is there for. I've guessed it may complete more of the butt plate curve to lock the gun on the arm better, but it would be informative to really know what the knob was intended to do.

Seth, thanks for your thoughts and the image. Here is one of my Louisville Schuetzens by B. L. Auer.

Shelby Gallien

[Roger B]

Perhaps it gave some advantage in supporting the rifle & was revealed to comply with local rules of competition.
Roger B.

[Seth Isaacson]

A reason for asking this question is because I have several Louisville, KY Schuetzens, two by Balthasar Auer. I purchased "The American Percussion Schuetzen Rifle" book by Rowe and Hamilton [which shows a couple Balthasar Auer guns] but in all the details about locks, sights, muzzles, etc., there was no mention of the knob up on the butt plate heel... either what it is called, or what it is there for. I've guessed it may complete more of the butt plate curve to lock the gun on the arm better, but it would be informative to really know what the knob was intended to do.

Seth, thanks for your thoughts and the image. Here is one of my Louisville Schuetzens by B. L. Auer.

Shelby Gallien

Oooooh I like that one! Very cool.

By the mid-19th century, we're seeing buttplates often secured via two screws at the rear, one often up into the heel unlike earlier buttplates that had the upper screw come down from the heel extension/tang. Some "Swiss/Schuetzen" buttplates don't have as much of projection at the heel where the screw goes into the buttstock. You could add an upper "hook" by just using one of these "knobbed" screws which then also only requires one visible screwhead on the buttplate. If someone didn't like the upper projection, a regular screw fits in the same spot.

Here is an image I found that I thought illustrated this quite well, but you'll have to click on it as inserting it in as an image wasn't working:
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0513/01/swiss-martini-schuetzen-target-rifle_1_9bd81905f93c61ff34e0d68e84d71899.jpg

This Charles King rifle restored by Turnbull has the same kind of setup:
https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/gun/charles-king-percussion-schuetzen-rifle-log-31733-turnbull-restoration/