Attention Wood Experts Anybody seen this before with the cored holes in butt ? I started stripping gun to repair stock toe and re do wood. Uncovered this when I removed old bone butt plate. Original timber number to gun matches and has not been cut. Its a std weight 12ga. I am thinking somebody either wanted to make it lighter to carry, balance gun or may have had mercury recoil reducers at some time. Holes are neat and well done, drilled on a slight angle into the butt and meet very bottom to make an ellipse cavity. Bit of a mystery
Whatever that is, I have a stock on an early 30s standard with the apparent exact same holes!! I never gave it a second thought, figured someone had too much time on their hands at FN way back when.
Bill, interesting you have seen same thing on a similar aged piece of 12 ga pre war standard timber. Mabey this was the for running idea to cut away timber and weight in the later light 12’s.
It was a way to make them lighter. I have some sixteens that are supposed to be standard weight and have the same holes. All sweet sixteens and light twelves will have those holes. Some times they chisel away the wood in between the holes and you will have an oblong cavity there