When a sidelock, or side plate, is solidly mated to the action it becomes a possible part of the recoil force against the wood, just like the rear of the action that is bedded/inletted into the head of the stock. No wedge shaped part, be it the rear of the lockplate or the rear end of a tang, should be a recoil bearing surface. If the stocker does a good enough job of inletting the action into the head of the stock, this is where the bulk of the recoil bearing surface should be. If it does not make good enough contact with the head of the stock there will be movement of the action, and any associated parts (lockplates, tangs). If that occurs, the tangs and the rear of the lock plates will be forced against their associated wood inlets. When that occurs the wood will either be compressed or it will split at those places.
Put another way, if the inletting of the lock plates and tangs are tighter than that of the head of the stock, and the gun is shot enough, there will eventually be hell to pay, in the form of cracks.
Again, JMHO. SRH
Last edited by Stan; 06/13/18 10:14 PM.
