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Why did odd stocks die out?

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CS

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Curious if anyone has any literature (or any hunch) as to why odd stocks like fishtail stocks or paddlebutt stocks died out in western europe.

Was there some inherent disadvantage of fishtails, or paddlebutts?
 
Curious if anyone has any literature (or any hunch) as to why odd stocks like fishtail stocks or paddlebutt stocks died out in western europe.

Was there some inherent disadvantage of fishtails, or paddlebutts?
I think style more then anything else.waist coats once went to the knees then went to above the waists then to just past the belt line. Tricorns gave way to fedoras
Southren guns got big drops and severe creasents
The oar buts and fishtails look bulky but are very comfortable to shoot, I just think style changed them
 
Curious if anyone has any literature (or any hunch) as to why odd stocks like fishtail stocks or paddlebutt stocks died out in western europe.

Was there some inherent disadvantage of fishtails, or paddlebutts?
The paddle butt carbines were meant to work with a cuirass. Cuirasses for cavalry went in and out of fashion between the 30 years war and ww1, but after the 30 years war, except for in Austria, their use declined. The Austrians continued to use them up to the end of the 17th century and in particularly fought conflicts with the ottomans during the period where the paddle butt carbine was most common. With the decline of the cuirass for cavalry, the paddle stock probably ceased to offer any advantage and was left as an awkward giant pistol for cavalry that could now comfortably use a proper stock.


I’ll have to scrounge through my library to confirm the source, but one book I’ve read makes the argument that Austrian/imperial cavalry were enthusiastic adopters of firearms because they helped them even the field against superior ottoman cavalry that were very conservative towards the adoption of guns. One of the periods the book used as an example was the 1660s conflict between the Austrians and the ottomans, which is coincidentally the main period for the paddle stock carbine
 
Definitely style as prime influence #1, as one can look as many related aspects of things related to our pursuit, like clothing, hats or shoes, and see how the 'fashion of the day' had its influence. Heck, even throughout the middle of the 20th century here in the US, a man wasn't considered as completely dressed unless he had a topcoat and fedora hat!

But for paddle butt stocks, they weren't just used for the military, they were also used in wing shooting. Besides the 'fashion' influence I myself see it as a shift towards more utilitarian style stocks.

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I think style more then anything else.waist coats once went to the knees then went to above the waists then to just past the belt line. Tricorns gave way to fedoras
Southren guns got big drops and severe creasents
The oar buts and fishtails look bulky but are very comfortable to shoot, I just think style changed them
Beaver fur hats died in favor of silk tophats, progress or change few things remain forever.
 
I think style more then anything else.waist coats once went to the knees then went to above the waists then to just past the belt line. Tricorns gave way to fedoras
Southren guns got big drops and severe creasents
The oar buts and fishtails look bulky but are very comfortable to shoot, I just think style changed them
The tricorn also evolved from the musketeer/cavalier hat and further evolved into the bicorn, which in limited use made it all the way to WWI. An additional fun fact.
 

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