What a waste. Boyds "replacement" shotgun stocks

[ssgross]

So, I got my unfinished walnut in the mail today.
18 ring 97 slide handle - spot on and will work just peachy.

1897 butt. fit up is good, with just enough room to pull tight with a proper slight gap on the shoulder. But, there is no real tenon the full thickness of the wrist like the originals, it's just a ring like the model 12s. Oh well, could be easily dealt with by bedding it. Moreover, there is no room left on the exterior wrist where it meets the receiver. It is dead flush or ever so slightly under. Will work fine. Not much prep left to do on it anyway.

model 12 butt. same as above.

Which brings me to the point in the title. The toe is ALL WRONG! by almost half an inch on both butts! The butt plate screw holes match up with original buttplates. There is either a some excess wood or barely any overhang of the buttplate on the top and sides - plenty to work with. But the f&*% drop to the toe is miserable. Check it out. I have the screw holes aligned.
m97,m12


I paid an extra 30 bucks on each stock for "X" walnut. I think in general this just guarantees you don't get sapwood with a spray tan. I got some good deep dark purple straight grain on the m97, and some nice compression lines the whole length of both sides of the m12. Here they are with a light wipe of mineral spirits.


what a waste! I suppose to get my money back I'll need to put some sweat equity in em and sell them - put a proper recoil pad on and a fine finish. Why not just do that and use them myself you say? Well, because the guns have turned out so perfect after slow rust bluing! It would be huge waste of effort to uglify them like that. I have a thread going on the 1897 project (I'll hop over there and post a pic of the finished receiver in a moment). That's the model 12 with a NOS 20" riot barrel on it in the background of the above pics. Here it is before and after...


Pardon the lint and dog hair on the after pics. It's been sitting idle waiting on wood, and for me to finish the other barrel, slides and mag tubes. You can see the crack in the wrist on the original butt in the usual place. All the way through, going back the whole length of the wrist too. I could epoxy and put threaded rods on both sides then refinish it. This would have been fine if the finish was at least a uniform 30%, but look at it. When I got it it looked like someone vomitted on it, then put it in the case and forgot it. The original 1897 stock has the same crack, in addition to the LOP being cut back by almost 2 inches.

EDIT: I may end up eating my shoe. The original model 12 buttplate was 5.25" long. the new stock is 4.75. The extra repo 97 plate I have is 5.0, and the 2 chewed up originals are 4+7/8 and 4.75ish. None of these appear to be overly sanded. There is still a nice border before the checkering. So, I suppose they made these in different lengths over time, possibly for different LOP stocks? Anyways. I found an eBay seller I bought the repo 97 from selling a model 12 that is 4.75. I haven't seen any other originals or repos for 97 nor 12s listed at 4.75. These should work, as I can see no difference in design between the original 97 and 12 buttplates I have. Will have to plug Boyd's holes but that is the least of the problem. All might just be well after all.

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[browningautorifle]

I guess we'll see after then...

[rcathey]

Sounds like it’ll all come out in the wash.

However, just thought I’d add, sounds like (just like me) you dislike the look of recoil pads.

I find it’s the ugly ventilated pads that ruin the look of a gun. The solid red/orange rubber pads can look quite nice!

Or you could go really crazy and do something like buffalo horn.

Just a couple options.

[ssgross]

The solid red/orange rubber pads can look quite nice!
Or you could go really crazy and do something like buffalo horn

You and I have similar taste. I don't like the ventilated ones either. pre64win.com has reproduction red/orange pads. I thought about that. I like your horn idea. Found Mr. Potterfield's video on a making a leather buttpad, but I think I'd make a horn one before I'd do that. We'll see. Hopefully the different sized repop ones on the way will be good nuff.

[browningautorifle]

I've also used the shallow red rubber pads like come standard on a Ruger or Winchester at times. Just a quarter inch thick.

[ssgross]

After reading all the descriptions on NC Ordnance Inc. website (they make all the repop buttplates), it appears the Boyds buttstock contours are for the model 12 16/20 gauge, even though the inletting is for 12 gauges.

[browningautorifle]

model 12 16/20 gauge

That would make sense...

[RASelkirk]

I bought a Boyd's stock for my early Plainfield M-1 Carbine, it required some epoxy filling at the nose for the bayo clamp to actually clamp, but it's a really nice piece of wood. Of course, YMMV...

Russ

[ssgross]

but it's a really nice piece of wood.

Exactly why I was so disappointed. Mine are stunning for what they are going on. I think it will just barely work. N.C. Ordnance has a template https://gungrip.com/winchester-buttp...12-and-42.aspx. Looks like if I split the difference of the excess top to bottom, I'll have just a few thous., ~.006 at most of wood to remove on the lower sides, and about 1/16"on the bottom. This will hopefully make the checkering border not disappear, and I can make up any more at the top where the screw hole appears to be lower then the original 12 gauge buttplates.

[ssgross]

so the 16ga buttplate I ordered will work just fine on the 1897.
They fit the profile of the model 12 close enough too, only Boyds drilled the stock bolt hole so large I'll have to plug and redo it to get the lower buttplate screw in. Hilarious. The diameter of Boyds hole is ~1/4 inch larger than the original. unbelievable. I emailed Boyds days ago. No response.
I'm debating now either cutting my losses on these and just repairing the original stock, or making buttplate from horn...if I can find a good piece.