As an example, so many times it is noted in ads, stating "factory period pad", when in most cases the factories NEVER installed pads but left that option up to dealers and hardware store smiths on pre WWII guns.
I don't know what percentage of pre-WWII American doubles left the factories with recoil pads, but my 1940 Shooters Bible does show recoil pads as a factory option on Parker, Smith, Fox, and Iver Johnson doubles. Interestingly, the only double I find on which a pad was factory standard equipment is the Stevens 530.
You can look at factory photo's by the dozens, from all the manufacturer's and see rack after rack after rack of
finished guns ready to ship and none of them will have pads.....any maker, any factory, any date from 1880 up through 1940.....
No doubt any factory would install a pad if you "special ordered" a gun built to particular buyer specs. After all, they were in business to
make money, and if you throw enough money at something they would build pretty much anything you want...same still holds true today....but this, of course, is just common sense......
But I don't think every pre-war gun on GunBroker or Guns International today with a pad
was a special ordered gun, that scenario would be rediculous, just look at the trim levels of those guns in the ads......
The same holds true with choke boring on
American Guns where records are available and usually show the choke boring, over 95%+ of the pre-war guns left the factory with Modified choke in the right barrel and Full choke in the left barrel. These choke borings fit the ammunition of the day and still do today if one shoots the proper load.
Even Annie Oakley's presentation guns, and most other pre-WWII presentation guns,
did not have a factory pad as presented from the various factories......
