That crescent shaped buttstock

[AZ-Robert]

Every once in a while we hash & rehash the "why did they use that crescent shaped design like we see on the typical Hawken-style rifle?" Well, yesterday's random-thought-while-guncleaning was, "I wonder if they used them for the same reason they put them on the Franken-rifles used in biathlon matches?

>> Photo Here

 

[rabbit03]

Dang it! Now everyone will want a Hawken, you let the cat out of the bag. :blah:

That is exactly what I do when shooting off hand at the matches. Talk about steady.

My Hawken is just over 14 lbs and yes a bit front heavy if I may say so. However I have been offhanding it alot alot alot lately and it is almost glued to the target when I hold it there. I just need to make sure it's glued to the center of the X ring! :thumbsup: And it is as you state, the cresent butplate and the heavy barrel kind of shove the toe up under your arm and lock it into place :grin:

Good post

rabbit03

 

[George Holton]

The cat is out of the bag now !!!!!!! :rotf:

 

[rabbit03]

Hello Really old Bob,

you recon those fellows knew a little about what they were doing back then? :thumbsup:

rabbit03

 

[DanChamberlain]

The rifles that have a substantial drop at the butt all have crescent plates normally. The plate is not meant to be placed against the shoulder, but at the junction of the shoulder and upper arm pad. The rifle was meant to be shot standing straight up with the head erect, unlike today's rifles where the head is dropped forward to the cheek rest more inline with the bore. Some of the finest muzzleloading scheutzen rifles I've seen had butt plates that were more butt hooks than butt plates. The upper arm had no where to move.

Dan

 

[arquebus]

I've never had a problem with crescent buttplates. I started my shooting with original lever action Marlin & Winchester rifles & most of them had the crescent plates.....what most people don't seem to realize is that they weren't designed to be shot off the shoulder, but rather off the upper arm in that hollow between the bicep & shoulder muscle. The only times I've ever been 'bitten' by one is when i've tried shooting one prone, something they definately weren't designed for! Funnily enough, most of my muzzleloaders have either shotgun or musket-style buttplates....with the exception of my Japanese matchlock musket that doesn't even have a butt!

 

[rabbit03]

Hello Dan, your absolutely right. :hatsoff:

I can and have shot mine all day long, nearly 150 rounds with 110 grns of 2F, with not even a bruise. And besides a little fatigue in the muscles there is no problem at all and I can start shooting again all over the next day.

Like I said those fellow certainly knew what they were doing back then

rabbit03

 

[No Deer]

Can't speak to the buttplate issue, but was wondering........just what the heck were those things in the pics???? Are they really guns??? :rotf:

 

[RedFeather]

Saw a quote from a while back that a then-old-timer made about crescent butts. He claimed that they were to be braced on the upper arm. Said that WWI training using modern military stocks made most young guys forget how to mount them. I will say that the sharp toe on the Lyman Great Plains Rifle has kept me away from it. That butt's not too deep, top to bottom, so tucking it under my shoulder socket leaves it ready to jab the &$*) out of me. Anyway, for the lighter calibers, the arm rest seems doable.

 

[Many Klatch]

The hook on the butt plate was meant to fit on the arm not the shoulder. This means that the gun is only meant to shoot offhand. One nice thing is that you can adjust your vertical hold with your right arm instead of your left hand (if you shoot right handed)

Many Klatch

 

[rabbit03]

:thumbsup:

Oh yeah!

rabbit03

 

[tom hargrove]

and if you happen to be a real big boy they hurt no matter where you mount it. :shake:

 

[Bob Riegl]

:hmm: Those are Anschutz Free Rifles designed to put a .22lr on to a pin hole dot at 50 metres from three positions. The "hook butt plate" & "palm rest" are designed to offset the barrel weight and offer rifle support for off-hand shooting. I doubt you seriously will ever arrive at a traditinal flintlock biathlon with one of those tacked onto your flinter. They would probably wither laugh you out of the place or beat your head with it :rotf: . The only other flintlock guns that might carry a similar type of buttplate would be a ML flinter target rifle, once again for offhand shooting. :thumbsup:

 

[Walks with fire]

I read somewhere where the cresent buttplate was designed so that it be used so that the shooter could stay behind a tree when shooting and not leave himself exposed to return fire. Thank God that the deer don't carry a flintlock as well.

 

[rabbit03]

Hello Walks with fire, you said a mouthfull there! Wonder how many casualities there would be if deer were armed :shocked2: :shocked2:

I suspect more than a few :thumbsup:

rabbit03

 

[jethro224]

I never really thought about it that way but I think you got it.
I like the way the crescent butt fits better than the shotgun style. When I mount my rifle to my shoulder the toe point just naturally goes right in my armpit and there is a muscle, or tendon, or both (I musta skipped that class) that bunches up right into the pocket when I snug the rifle in. The top point is in a spot where it looks like it might hurt but it really barely touches. That muscle (?) keeps it from poking me. I don't ever get a bruise.
With the toe point anchored in my armpit and the muscle filling the pocket and the muzzle weight out front, the gun just hangs there solid. :thumbsup:

Now them newfangled space guns (if that's what they really are) don't look comfortable at all... :shocked2: