As one who does a fair amount of checkering and fitting of guns let me assure one and all the labor in checkering a butt far, far exceeds the 1-2 hours it takes to correctly fit a pad/plate. IMO it is another way to show hand labor, as most are on high end guns and usually are 22Lpi or finer. Best, DR. BILL
I agree, it is one more mark of elegance and labor intensive handwork,and goes well with handmade and costly.
Add a hand engraved heel and toe to the checkered buttplate for even more elegance.
Not to say that the added attention getting from your invited dinner guests, spending the weekend with you to shoot some driven birds, is not also worth it's weight in gold. Come to think of it, why not have the heel and toe plates done in precious metal with your initials on them for a few extra quid?
