Back in the 1990's I purchased a higher grade Tobin with 32" Krupp barrels and single trigger from a Charlotte, NC dealer. While examining the gun, I removed the buttplate to discover an old oily slip of paper that contained the original owners name and address there in Charlotte; along with the address was this criptic message "If you are in possession of this gun, it is stolen". The dealer assured me that the gun was acquired legitimately, so I never attempted to contact anyone at the noted address; and passed the note along with the gun when it was sold later.
During this year's Southern Side x Side, Dr. Bill McPhail purchased an early LC Smith Quality 2 10-bore hammer with fabulous stock wood; then insisted that I take the gun home and store it in my safe! While cleaning the gun I removed the butt plate to check the stock for originality (to see if the butt had the two little half-moon shaped milled-cut cuts from the factory stock shaping machine; they were there). When the plate was removed, the area underneath was covered with white powder residue. I brushed this junk off to discover a lead plug; the makers had drilled a 3/4" hole in the butt (have no idea how deep), then filled the void with molden lead. The white powder was the result of oxidization from the exposed end of the lead plug.
I once found two wheel weights in the butt of an A-5, and a note with a man's name in another gun; so now, whenever I acquire a "new" gun, butt plate examination is standard procedure.
Last edited by topgun; 05/06/09 12:19 PM.
