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Thread: What were they thinking back then........

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    What were they thinking back then........

    when they produced rifles with curved butt plates? These things are downright painful even in relatively light recoiling rifles like this 1908 Model 1899 303 Savage. At some point the idea was dropped and for good reason I guess. But they sure do look purdy!

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    And the rest of it. Appears to have been professionally refinished when I got it which kept the price out of the collector range. It is a takedown model but I couldn't get it apart with reasonable effort so left well enough alone. Better too tight than loosey goosey.

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    Last edited by NEKVT; 04-20-2021 at 10:45 PM. Reason: spellchecker

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master
    Mk42gunner's Avatar
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    Tradition dies hard in the firearms world.

    As I understand it, the deeply curved rifle style butt was designed to be held on the upper arm, not the pocket of the shoulder like we do now. I still think a heavy recoiling rifle would hurt with the butt held on the arm.

    Robert

  3. #3
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    If properly fitted, they come up and hold on your shoulder better for a quick shot, especially while wearing heavy clothes.

    Flat butt plates are an attempt for a 'one size fits all' sort of thing.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 04-20-2021 at 08:54 PM.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    When used as intended they're no worse than a shotgun butt when used as intended.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master hoodat's Avatar
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    gotta remember also that most guys 80 or so years ago were probably, on average, 50 or more pounds lighter than today. And they were HARD. I don't spose that recoil from the 300 or 303 Savage was much of a concern. jd
    It seems that people who do almost nothing, often complain loudly when it's time to do it.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    They also didn't shoot a whole lot as ammo was expensive and the store wasn't so easy to get to.

    Suck it up, we are way to soft these days.

  7. #7
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    I have a good fit with them, even on hard kickers. They fit me fine and I am not small. I can't speak for anyone else but for a sporting rifle they are great and work to hold the rifle in place without slipping.
    If it bit me, and I am sure it does for some people for what ever reason, I would hate it too.
    Chill Wills

  8. #8
    Boolit Bub
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    I find that style to be just fine on the two rifles I have with it, but we're talking about a Colt Lightning in 44-40 and a Win 1892 in 25-20, so not exactly thumpers. The most unpleasant gun to shoot I ever owned was a Ruger #3 in 45-70 with the carbine buttplate. That thing was brutal to shoot. I sold it 25 years ago, but kinda wish I had it back now.

  9. #9
    Boolit Buddy
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    Its extremely painful on my .54 plains rifle with a full house maxi. Two shots and its not pleasurable any longer.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Load your rifle, rig your (moving) targets. Put on your favourite Carhartt coat, leather gloves - pull that rifle up to your shoulder and fire! I actually enjoy the curved buttplate, it encourages good sight picture (awesome tang sight on your '99 btw!!) and thereby marksmanship. You either love it or hate it. Pretty polarizing buttstock style.

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  11. #11
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    NEKVT

    I'm with you, hate those suckers...
    Larry Gibson

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    ― Nikola Tesla

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Oh, and BTW 45-90, 50-110, 30-03, 30-06, 405 WCF, 30-40, 35 WCF, 7.62x54R, 303 British, 303 Savage.....etc, ad nauseum - have never deterred me from shooting with that butt plate!!!
    Will I shoot them prone? From a bench for 30 rounds? HECK NO!!

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  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Stand up ! Trigger hand elbow parallel to the ground - now with yr left hand thumb in yr right armpit and pointer finger over the top just outside the shoulder joint ----whats the shape formed?????? wanna mount flat buttplate there ?????? not me thanks ......................

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    That's one fine piece of wood there, NEKVT !

    My ca. 1914 Savage 1899-H lightweight in .303 Savage has a flat buttplate, as issued.


    .
    Last edited by pietro; 04-21-2021 at 04:26 PM.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Take a look at some Arab & really early stocks. Much more curve, possible to make one-hand shooting from saddle easier. And as they were BP guns with long barrel, you get 3 point support vs just 2. As they got more 'hunting' style the need to mount quickly eliminated the curved butt. Early Chinese just had a stick that went in the armpit or against the ground.
    Whatever!

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    to stop a rifle slipping on your shoulder try some skate board deck tape on the butt it works a treat .

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by hithard View Post
    They also didn't shoot a whole lot as ammo was expensive and the store wasn't so easy to get to.

    Suck it up, we are way to soft these days.
    You are so right. Summer of 2012 I started a new job, very physical labor, after more than a decade of going to school, sitting at a desk, or standing in a classroom running my mouth. Loading industrial laundry machines. Typical load would about about 450#, loaded by hand into the machines, times up to 50 loads a day. Old guy I was working with was 76 when I started. We also got loads of food service towels. Usually wet, stinking, and often quite hot from decay. Up to 1100# when wet. Ralph could empty one of those baskets into the machine in about 10 minutes by himself. Best I ever did by myself was about 20 minutes, and that after 2 years of practice. Last year we worked together, he was going to chemo for mouth cancer on Fridays, and coming back to work on Monday, and working my poor tired butt into the ground. He was born in 1940, started working at age 15, the year I was born. I'll be 66 next month. He was 77 when he started the chemo, when he finished, just before he retired, and dead from the cancer about 6 months later. That was one tough old man. If I manage to be even a third as tough as he was, I'll be doing just fine. And when I was 17, I worked with a guy who was 77, and he could run me into the ground then. Mac was another tough old man. There were giants in those days.

  18. #18
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    This style was a happy compromise between the pointed and flat styles.

    DG

  19. #19
    Boolit Master hoodat's Avatar
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    The thing I hate most about a curved butt plate is installing one on a straight cut stock. jd
    It seems that people who do almost nothing, often complain loudly when it's time to do it.

  20. #20
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    My old CVA 50 caliber muzzle loader had such a butt plate. Almost preferred going to the dentist rather than trying to sight it in.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check