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Re-painting/Refinishing an old steel model 1928 buttstock buttplate


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I have an older buttstock (no crossbolt) that I suspect is from a Model 1921 Thompson Submachine Gun - it has numbers on the wooden buttstock and rear steel buttplate that match (similar to the photo on page 168 of The Thompson Encylcopedia, Vol. 1). The steel buttplate had a lot of corrosion and in my enthusiasm to clean it up, I managed to remove most of the black finish it once had. I would appreciate any ideas and recommendations for re-painting/refinishing it.

Are 1921 buttstocks interchangeable with with 1928 buttstocks - i.e., are the buttstock slide assemblies interchangeable with regard to fit & function on either a model 1921 or 1928?

Thanks!

Edited by katanafred
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katanafred,

Does this butt stock have a sling swivel?

On the inside of the butt plate, look for the Remington "R" mark. If Colt's, it could have as many as three "R" marks. See the bottom right pictures on Page 168. That said, one "R" mark is enough. Post pictures of the numbering and we will let you know for sure. Also, look for the anchor mark at the front of the butt stock - see the bottom right picture on page 165. 

Depending on condition, I may find a local gunsmith that does bluing and have it polished and re-blued. If you go this route, don't forget the screw heads. Again, pictures will tell the story. 

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I have a very early Savage that belonged to a police department that had a Colt in their armory as well.

My Savage had the Colt buttstock on it, I guess they were swapped at some point.

To answer your question, the Colt (actually Remington) buttstock fits and works perfectly on my Savage.

A Colt (Remington) buttstock is worth a small crapton of money.  Thousands of dollars.

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2 hours ago, TD. said:

katanafred,

Does this butt stock have a sling swivel?

On the inside of the butt plate, look for the Remington "R" mark. If Colt's, it could have as many as three "R" marks. See the bottom right pictures on Page 168. That said, one "R" mark is enough. Post pictures of the numbering and we will let you know for sure. Also, look for the anchor mark at the front of the butt stock - see the bottom right picture on page 165. 

Depending on condition, I may find a local gunsmith that does bluing and have it polished and re-blued. If you go this route, don't forget the screw heads. Again, pictures will tell the story. 

TD - thank you!!

Yes, the buttstock does have a sling swivel. I will look it over again to search for the details you shared here - then post some more photos! I had posted photos of it showing the numbers before I cleaned up the buttplate & buttstock  - here they are again. I will post better photos tomorrow when I have better light.

VR,

katanafred

20221118_120559.jpg

20221118_121140.jpg

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katanafred,

It appears to be an early Savage butt plate and butt stock to me. The Colt assembly numbers are much larger, and the font is different. Hopefully, others will chime in. A butt stock sling swivel on potential Colt wood is usually, but not always, problematic in the USA. Include a picture of the other side of the butt plate.

Does the slide assembly have the same 3-digit number. If so, Savage matching butt stocks are hard to find and very desirable. 

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12 minutes ago, TD. said:

katanafred,

It appears to be an early Savage butt plate and butt stock to me. The Colt assembly numbers are much larger, and the font is different. Hopefully, others will chime in. A butt stock sling swivel on potential Colt wood is usually, but not always, problematic in the USA. Include a picture of the other side of the butt plate.

Does the slide assembly have the same 3-digit number. If so, Savage matching butt stocks are hard to find and very desirable. 

TD,

Unfortunatley, this buttstock has no slide assembly. I will post more photos tomorrow and show the buttstock and plate from a variety of angles. There is no cross bolt and the sling swivel looks to be the early milled type. I agree with you - it is probably an early Savage.  I've been looking at it under magnification tonight and cannot find any Remington marks anywhere, but some of the worst corrosion and pitting is where the marks would be found from what I see in The Thompson Encylopedia.  It is still a very nice - non crossbolt buttstock!

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26 minutes ago, TD. said:

katanafred,

It appears to be an early Savage butt plate and butt stock to me. The Colt assembly numbers are much larger, and the font is different. Hopefully, others will chime in. A butt stock sling swivel on potential Colt wood is usually, but not always, problematic in the USA. Include a picture of the other side of the butt plate.

Does the slide assembly have the same 3-digit number. If so, Savage matching butt stocks are hard to find and very desirable. 

Looking at it again - the font for the number "3" is definitely different than the photo on page 168 of the Thompson Encyclopedia. Good catch, TD!!!

Edited by katanafred
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katanafred,

It looks like a nice butt stock.  I would try and take the screw out of the butt plate, where the trap door is, and clean all the corrosion.  I would then have it re-blued.  The wood can be refinished also.  Get a slide attachment and you will have a nice butt stock.

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The outside of the butt plate looks pretty good. If mine, I would have it re-blued. I would remove the sling swivel and then clean the butt stock with Acetone like I describe in my Amateur's Guide book in Chapter 19. Since it is not Colt wood, a small amount of very very very light sanding, say with 400 grit sandpaper, may clean up any marks. That said, I would not lightly sand around the butt plate end of the stock or the top of the stock where the slide assembly is installed. If you apply a coat or two of linseed oil like I describe in Amateur's Guide, you may end up with a nice early Savage butt stock. Do not rush the drying process. 

Regarding butt stocks, it has been my experience that butt plates do not usually perfectly interchange from stock to stock. That is why I do not want you to change the overall fit of the matching butt plate to the matching butt stock. That said, slide assemblies usually change out with few issues. If you can find a nice slide assembly, you may end up with a very nice complete early Savage butt stock. 

 

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3 hours ago, TD. said:

The outside of the butt plate looks pretty good. If mine, I would have it re-blued. I would remove the sling swivel and then clean the butt stock with Acetone like I describe in my Amateur's Guide book in Chapter 19. Since it is not Colt wood, a small amount of very very very light sanding, say with 400 grit sandpaper, may clean up any marks. That said, I would not lightly sand around the butt plate end of the stock or the top of the stock where the slide assembly is installed. If you apply a coat or two of linseed oil like I describe in Amateur's Guide, you may end up with a nice early Savage butt stock. Do not rush the drying process. 

Regarding butt stocks, it has been my experience that butt plates do not usually perfectly interchange from stock to stock. That is why I do not want you to change the overall fit of the matching butt plate to the matching butt stock. That said, slide assemblies usually change out with few issues. If you can find a nice slide assembly, you may end up with a very nice complete early Savage butt stock. 

 

Thanks TD!! Very good advice - I especially like your suggestions on sprucing up the wood. I'll get out my copy of your Amateur's guide and begin reading it over.  This will be a nice project while I continue to wait out ATF purgatory for my West Hurley TSMG.

Regarding your comment on buttstocks and buttplates .... yep, I have about 3 or 4 of them and none of the buttplates are interchangeable as I have learned firsthand.

 

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I would not use sandpaper over markings because it makes them less sharp.  If the wood needs surface cleaning to remove surface stains, old finish, or residue, carefully use a scraper.  Light cuts with  razor scraper will remove as little or as much as you want, and retain the edges of stamped markings sharp if used gingerly.  

Edited by DARIVS
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