I am having a Custom take down side lever single shot rifle being built in 7x65r with long upper and lower tangs. Luxas has sent me a great piece of wood for the stock, their number is NF225 on their web site if you want to look, the metal work for front sight and barrel bands are from Germany and look great but I ordered a trap door butt place also from Germany but its slick and I can not find away to checker it right and I am not sure this is what belong on a custom rifle at this level are there any ideas out there for the butt? I plan to use this rifle so a checkered wood butt would be to easily damaged, so I need and Idea that offer protection for the stock (both heel and toe), provides a grip on the shoulder and looks good. Thanks RNB

You can get checkered trap door plates from Roger Biesen...or..you could use heel and toe plates, available from Galazan

I looked at the biesen and even thought they don't look bad it not the quality I am looking for. The German one I have now has been machined from a billet and looks both thicker and the lines look cleaner than the stamped ones I got it from NECG, the heel and toe plates look good but they don't protect the wood in the center of the butt well enough to keep it from damage while being used at the range or hunting.

Anyone who checkers steel handguns can checker your buttplate, my local smith even uses an MMC electric checkering head with carbide cutter and gets great results.

A high-end rifle such as yours also deserves some fine engraving so you might consider some high-relief work for the top and bottom sections, with checkering in the middle.
Regards, Joe

I like the idea of engraving on heel and toe and checking in the middle will try to find some one to do that Thanks

quote:

A high-end rifle such as yours also deserves some fine engraving so you might consider some high-relief work for the top and bottom sections, with checkering in the middle.
Regards, Joe

+1

Most European rifles I have seen do not have the buttplate chequered but left smooth. So it would in fact be correct for your rifle.

A metal buttplate is there to protect the butt from damage.

This implies that the rifle is going to be held with the buttplate resting on the ground. Like a soldier standing "at ease".

So it would not be chequered as the cheqhering would be damaged and then the thing would look awful!

So metal buttplates on European sporting guns are usually not chequered.

The only exception is with the two piece heel and toe buttplates where the wood between the two buttplates might be scored or chequered.

Now there's a reason for this. Most European rifles were cleaned by a rod from the muzzle end. A hangover from muzzle loading days. Shooters are conservative and creatures "of habit".

So the butt rested on the ground. So no chequering on the buttplate! As plain and showing the odd nick is better looking (it is honest wear and tear after all) then chequering all nicked and dinged and roughed about.

Also most shooting coats were woollen so the last thing wanted was metal chequering picking at the fabric when the gun was in the shoulder.

So leaving it unchequered is actually correct. The screw heads themselves however might possibly be simply engraved FWIW. But ONLY if all the other ones on the rifle were. So as to match.

Chequered steel buttplates are an American idea!

The look for this project is a English style side lever single shot take down stalking rifle of the early 1900 with extended tangs upper and lower(to the top of the stock and lower tangs to meet the grip cap)

In that case I would not have it chequered on the metal parts of the buttplate. It will be more "correct" in keeping with the period look you are re-creating.

If you want pictures of "similar" maybe try searching Gibbs Farquharson Metford or similar.

the hand made action is going to along the lines of the Stephen Grant double rifle side lever style

You do see rifles with this two piece metal heel and to protection. That is sure. In fact a friend owned a Alex Henry 500 BPE double with it I think.

Well, he owned the Henry and I owned a Hollis 450/400 2 3/8" but both over twenty years ago. So I forget on which was the two piece protection.

It is usually perforated, from memory, like a fretwork not a solid plate.

You also see one piece plates. Again like a fretwork. With the top, bottom, all around sides but no "middle".

The middle is the wood of the stock and usually scored or chequered.

It is difficult to find images as usually in auction catalogues people want to see the action and rarely the butt end.

However Holt's are very co-operative and if you look at their lots and ask if XXX has a steel buttplate they will, when they confirm it, usually send you a picture by e-mail AFTER SOME TIME!

Hope that helps. Again search Alex Henry. I see that Ellwood Epps has one with this two piece toe and heel plate.

Maybe they could supply an e-mail picture?