Remington Model 10 Buttplate-Buttstock Gap -- Need Assist to Fix

BoneWizzo

Inactive
I've recently acquired my great-grandfather's Remington Model 10 (serial #272XXX) from my father's estate. I've been busy bringing the old girl back to life but I don't have a lot of details about the scatter gun because my grandfather and father have passed away without leaving any information about any of their firearms. In any case, the original butt plate is missing. In its place was a make-shift rubber pad, covered in a old leather butt pad, covered in miles of electrical tape. When I removed that mess my grandfather had fashioned over time, is when I discovered the butt plate was missing. I ordered a "new" replacement but when it arrived and I placed it against the butt stock there is a gap. I'm looking for options on how to fill the gap between the butt stock and the "new" butt plate while making it functional and look good at the same time. Photos attached may not show well due to the size but I'm looking for smithing ideas to make it work without making any adjustments to the butt stock itself. Black rubber, perhaps? But, if so, where would I get it? Any other ideas?
 

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That buttplate is probably plastic (the original would have been gutta percha or hard rubber), so you might be able to heat it and soften it enough to bend it to conform to the stock, then use wood filler and stain on the chipped places.

Another approach would be to square up the stock before installing the buttplace. If you are careful and know what you are doing, you can use a belt sander, but you might be better off with a wood file. Make sure you cut toward the inside on the edges so you don't drag chips out of the stock. When you get the stock square, if the bullplate is a tad too large, put some masking tape on the wood and then file down the buttplate to match the stock. A little acetone will smooth out the buttplate and remove the file marks.

Jim
 
If you have or know someone with a power miter-saw you can hold it tight and shave just enough to square it up. If theres still a crack you can put it in a pan of hot water for a few minutes and hold it till it cools to form it.
 
I had a friend look at it today and he confirmed my biggest fear: my grandfather altered the end of the stock. He probably shortened it down to accommodate the previously described butt pad (which makes absolutely NO sense to me, but hey, it was his to do with as he pleased at the time). I'm planning on taking it to a gunsmith in town to see what his opinion is.

Unfortunately I do not have shop tools at my disposal and I fear I may make it worse if I attempt to level the butt of the stock out myself. (I fly planes for a living -- I'm not a craftsman of any sort.) Depending upon what the gunsmith says (and/or wants to charge) I may try one of your techniques out. The butt plate is the right length but a tad narrow (probably due to whatever my grandfather did to it). I definitely think leveling out the stock is the way to go.

Thanks to everyone for the assist.
 
Two years ago my brother got this Rem 10 for $20 at a gun show, because neither he nor the seller could figure out the take down process.
So I kept the shotgun for two days, and made a video to show him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep5BEsIVU4s

I also have a Rem 10, but I inherited mine.
It was made in 1921.
Here is a picture of the butt plate.
 

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I'm not sure how it would look or if it would fill the gap you have, but you could cut a piece out of an old bleach container, and use it to fill the gap. It could replicate a "white line spacer" like on some older guns.

Here's an example on some Nylon 66s:
rem-nylon-66-05.jpg


Source for Picture
 
Clark: Thanks for confirming that the replacement I have approximates the original. I don't suppose you'd be willing to remove one of the butt plate screws to show me what they're supposed to be like, would you? The originals to my Model 10 have gone the way of the dodo along with the original butt plate.

Nate: Great idea. Is that what you did with your weapons? Using a bleach container that is?
 
I guess it wouldn't have to be a bleach container, a laundry detergent container could work as well. I'm not sure how thick the plastic bottles run these days, I'm sure much thinner than they used to be. If they aren't thick enough, I'd bet you could find some thin plastic at either a hardware/home improvement store, or a craft store.

I've never put one on, but I remember as a kid watching as my dad took one off of a rifle he had (I think the 700 .243 I started out on). I remember him asking me what I thought it was, and just replying "plastic?". He then pointed out a Clorox bottle in the utility/laundry room. I'll have to ask him if he made it himself, and why he ended up taking it off that time.
 
BoneWizzo
Clark: Thanks for confirming that the replacement I have approximates the original. I don't suppose you'd be willing to remove one of the butt plate screws to show me what they're supposed to be like, would you? The originals to my Model 10 have gone the way of the dodo along with the original butt plate.

here
 

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the backside
The back story.

I inherited that shotgun from John Backland.
You can buy historical pics of him on Ebay.
The pics were a real surprise when I told his son that last week.
 

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Wow! Thanks for taking the time to provide me that much data on the screws! Is the underside of the butt plate flat or curved?

I'm not familiar with John Backland. I inherited mine from my father but it was originally my great-grandfather's, then my grandfather's and finally my father's before being mine (four generations of only sons with my son being the fifth-gen only son). Along with it I inherited a Savage 1899F (.303) Saddle Ring Carbine (my great-grandfather's deer rifle), an old military M1903 Springfield 30-06 that my grandfather himself built a custom stock for (the original stock was badly damaged and unrecoverable when he bought it for mere pennies), and a Stevens 94B 20-gauge single shot among other not-so-old firearms. I've been trying to collect data on them since my father is not around to ask anymore. I'll be posting pics and the data I do have on the Harley Nolden Memorial Institute for Firearms Research forum soon. I hope the gun history buffs can help me provide some information to hand down to my son and grandson someday.

Clark, thanks again for taking the time to provide me with the pictures and data. I hope to repay the favor sometime.
 
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