doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SxS 'best-ish', made without butt pad or plate?

Hi All,

I picked up a Spanish SxS sidelock 12g, that I am happy with. It is a bit more 'bling-y' than my other firearms [chromed receiver with gold screws and black lever/trigger], but it confused me as it does not have a butt plate or a butt pad.

The rear of the butt has been very carefully contoured [rounded over] and is VERY nicely finished- on a par with the wides. It has a bit of cross hatching for texture, to prevent slippage.

I am reasonably certain that it was made this way.

However, it seems like the lack of any butt pad or butt plate makes this a shotgun that I'd not want to shoot more than 6 pairs of rounds through due to the bare wood hitting my shoulder.

What I would like to know is: How common was it for the nicer end of the shotgun line to have a highly refined/highly finished wooden end to the butt stock- instead of a plate or pad?


Also, am I missing something? Is there some other way to [relatively] comfortably shoot 50-100 rounds through it in an outing?

Thanks for any tips you can provide.

Have you tried shooting 100 rounds with it yet ?
You may be fearing something that will not happen. Give it a go.
Use a padded shoulder shooting jacket.

I shoot up to 180 rounds in a cotton shirt with a wood butt that has steel heel & toe plates.
But that is me.
O.M

A finished wood butt is fairly common on English and European guns. I'm not a big fan but to each his own. I suggest that if a gun is hurting your shoulder you need to use lighter loads. I reject the common notion that every gun and rifle needs a pad.

You'll encounter lined, checkered, and cross-hatched butts. As well as shotguns with wooden butt plates.

It is an elegant way to finish the butt and feels no different than a butt plate. Most of my guns have a hard butt plate and unless you use heavy loads it is not a problem. The biggest problem I have with a checkered wood butt is putting it down in a rack at a sporting clay station without damaging it. Sometimes I put it in the stand with the muzzle down which I am not thrilled with either. A leather slip on type butt pad works also but it covers the beauty of the gun.

The original British empire Martini-Henry Mark I 1871-74 had no butt plate...just cross-hatched wood.

The wood butt is no harder than a plastic/metal/horn buttplate. Go shoot it and if it hurts your shoulder get the gun fitted properly.

A wooden butt nicely done was often equated with top workmanship. It is more difficult to make than simply slapping a buttplate on the end. The wood grain had to be laid out properly to avoid chipping, etc. and it was considered poor form to rest a gun on the ground with the barrel up (still is). Personally, for my true upland guns I prefer the wooden butt and won�t even look at a upland gun with a recoil pad installed. Just a personal preference.

While I like the protection a rubber pad provides, its hard to beat the ease of mounting a shaped wood or butt plate gun quickly. Great for woodcock and other game requiring fast mounting. Im just extra cautious not to rest the butt on the ground.

Ive got numerous best guns, all have a shaped butt.

Could you please explain which buttstock dimensions cause a gun to cause more or less felt recoil to the shoulder? If a fitting could remedy it, there must be certain stock dims that can cause it, if they are not right for you.

SRH