doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Silvers pad prep

I know this has been talked about here before but I must have missed it. I am having a Silvers pad installed on my Grant and what is the best treatment I can use to preserve it and make it where I can use it?

To my way of thinking the best way to preserve the Silvers pad is to leave it in a drawer. A Grant or any other best gun deserves a leather covered pad with a proper recoil pad under it such as a de-acellerator or one of the new Italian ones that Cole down in Florida sells.

Mike;

Take a look at the pair of Grant's SLE's that are listed on the Holt's July 2025 auction. They may just be the finest pair of Grant's in circulation, and will sell at a very reasonable price due to single trigger. I have only seen one other pair of Grant's in better condition and that was in 2008 when I happened into William Evans St. James shop and he had a pair of Grant side lever30 inch damascus barreled SLE guns in storage that had been in ownership of one family since new.

I have Grant sidelever SLE (no. 2 of a pair) serial no. 6030 finished Aug 1889 and built by John Robertson for Stephen Grant (prior to his ownership of Boss). This gun is the earliest known prototype of the later classic John Robertson Boss SLE according to Donald Dallas. It looks just like the later Boss SLE guns, no fluted fences and so forth, only the classic Grant house scroll engraving. Even has the Boss style sidelocks with their famous intercepting sear. It was in terrible condition when I found it and I spent several years off and on restoring it, even re-engraving the entire action and sending it over to England for re-proof to 2 3/4 inch and English blacking. Yes, the gun does have the first version of the infamous Stephen Grant, Jr. ejector system, and I had to teach myself how it worked and ended up re-making most of the parts for it, including a new barrel locking bolt, new side lock tumblers and new bridles---what a trial by fire that was.

Don't take my comments on the Silvers pad to heart--just an old man's thoughts about classic guns. Your comments in the past lead me to believe you have some wonderful classic British guns.

I have a English gun with a Silvers pad and I have not done anything to it in over 20 and it looks like new. I do, however leave all my guns upside down in the safe and keep oil from the stock and the pad.

Stephen Howell

Agree with Busveld. Skip the Silvers that are hard as stone and get a Cervellati pad. I have several them on my better shotguns with leather coverings that not only look great but work beautifully. My pet stockmaker tells me that they will grind to shape beautifully. https://www.midwestgunworks.com/cervellati.htmlm

Agree a leather covered pad is best. All my other guns have them. I just thought I would save some money and time having this Silvers pad put on.
My local guy does a great leather pad it just takes him a long time to get to it. In fact he presently has a Boss of mine doing one now.
Depending how things turn out with the Silvers pad we will see.

There are many applications where a Silvers pad is not only proper but attractive as well. Vintage American S X S guns often came with a Silvers pad, not necessarily for recoil attenuation, but often as butt protector in the field and on the range. Finely checkered butts are fragile, and a hard rubber plate is not much to look at, unless we're talking originality on a minty vintage double.

I have several doubles with Silvers, and Silvers type, pads and wouldn't change them for anything. When used appropriately they are proper, and they look good too, IMO. When I put a new Silvers type pad on a gun the last thing I do is apply a couple coats of French Polish to it. It gives it an "aged glow" that does away with that "Hey, look at me. I'm new." look.

I dislike leather-covered pads. Very few are done well, and even the finest ones look out of place.

Silvers, conditioned to looked aged, all the way ...

OWD

" I do, however leave all my guns upside down in the safe and keep oil from the stock and the pad."

I know this was brought up a few times and I must ask, how much oil are you putting in your gun that it has to be placed barrels down? I own a few box lock guns in double and over-under but mainly side lock guns and I take everyone I get apart and clean them, some have never been cleaned and after cleaning I use some Rem oil with a Q-tip. So pardon me I I don't understand barrels down. The only few old double I have with original recoil pads that I want to preserve I will put barrels down first so the pads don't compress.

After use I either wipe them down or clean them. After cleaning I put no oil on them until I use them again. They are kept barrels down to avoid compressing the pads and discourage flow of any oil into the wood.

Put a Silvers pad on it and shoot it. If you decide to keep it then get a leather covered pad. Putting a leather covered pad on a gun you might not keep long term is like paying for a boob job for a gal you are just dating. Expensive and the next fellow most likely will not full appreciate what you did to upgrade the gun.

David;

Placing guns barrels down primary purpose is to keep lubricant from the action internals running into the head of the stock. I do not do it for me but for my heirs. However for old forgetful folks like me if I have for some reason have oil on my butt stock end barrels down help, but of course the oil then runs down on the sides of the butt stock. The silvers pad is made of such tough material oil may not affect it much, I do not know.

Some time back I did a butt stock head transplant on a 1937 English box lock because it was oil soaked and completely falling apart. It takes a long time for oil to damage the wood of the head of a butt stock. Internal to the action lubricant from the top lever works, action locking bolt, sears, cocking levers and so forth can migrate to the butt stock head.

I like Stan's thoughts on coating the silvers pad. American pads are oil sensitive.