Simson shotgun butt plate

[Frans]

Hi everybody,

Thanks for allowing me to register. I am far from a collector, but I do pick up the occasional stray at a gun show, usually the homely looking ones, that I try to give a second life through some TLC.

The other week I bought a Simson 12ga side by side, with an English stock, that did not look too run down, except for some cracks in the stock, blueing worn off, and some mild scrapes and dents.

After some research I think it was made in May of 56 (because of the number 556 on the barrel block). It reminds me of the old side by sides my uncles and his friends used to shoot, in a different life on a different continent.

Anyway, the gun came without a butt plate, but it looks like it used to have one. Two screw holes and big centre hole have been plugged with wood long ago. I'd like to add an era-appropriate butt plate, would anybody have an idea about where to start my search?

Getting the stock off is proving quite the challenge. All the screws came out without too much resistance, and the initial 1/4" of movement came easy enough, but now it is appears hung up on something. It wiggles, it moves back and forth readily in the space that I created, but does not want to budge and slide off any further. I would really like to repair at least the one crack from the inside if I can.

Thanks.

Frans

[sharps4590]

Welcome Frans, glad to have you aboard. I'm sorry I can't help with either the part or getting the stock off. I'm confident there will be others along who can.

[collath]

Frans, welcome to the board. I am not completely familiar with the Simson but there may be a through bolt behind that plug in the butt of the stock that could be loose but still holding or the lower tang will need to come off. I know there are guys here that know exactly what you need to do. Anyway, good luck with it. Thanks, collath

[Frans]

but there may be a through bolt behind that plug in the butt of the stock that could be loose but still holding or the lower tang will need to come off. I know there are guys here that know exactly what you need to do. Anyway, good luck with it. Thanks, collath

Thank you for the welcomes! My first action was to remove the plug, and I found a tubular hollow space, maybe 4" deep, but no bolt at the bottom, just wood. I don't know why it is there or what its function is. Maybe a space that can be filled with lead shot to balance the gun?

[Nathaniel Myers]

I'm not familar with the particular Simpson in question without having more information, but depending on the style of action you may have to seperate the bottom of the action to remove from the stock.

What type of action is it? Can you post pictures?

[Frans]

IMG_6576.jpg The trigger guard is elongated towards the butt of the stock and attaches to the stock with two screws. Once that is off, there is a little through bolt that appears underneath it, which goes through the wood to the top of the action (the butt of this bolt shows just behind the safety). There is a fourth screw that sit under the lever that opens the action, you need to push the lever aside to access that one. Those are all the screws/bolts that I could find that obviously hold the stock in place.

Frans

[Frans]

IMG_6574.jpgIMG_6575.jpg Bottom of the action and the elongated trigger guard

[Nathaniel Myers]

Ok, you will need to remove the trigger guard, which most likely Is attached by the two visible screws, then the trigger guard itself will unscrew from the action. Then, if you look at the bottom of your action you will see a line running from the wood, up to the rear lug. This is the trigger plate. I'm not 100% percent sure, but your action has two screws there, you will need to remove the rearward larger one. The trigger plate will then hinge down slightly and you can pull it out.

It'll be much later tonight but I will see if I can find some pictures of my Sauer, which has a very similar action. I took some pictures when I had it apart.

[Axel E]

You willhave to remove both screws from the action bottom plate, after removing the screws already mentioned. Then lift out the bottom/Trigger plate with the Triggers. Only now you can remove the action from the stock to the top. On reassembling take care to align the safety lever, mounted on the triggerplate, with the safety slide on top tang again. The top to bottom Lever or slide that connects safety slide and trigger plate does not allow you to pull the action out to the front. In 1945 many a fine German shotgun and drilling stock was ruined because some GI applied brute force, trying to pull it out of the tangs like on a Wichester rifle.

[ellenbr]

Head of the stock looks to be pinned which may prove to be an obstacle. I'm sure there were some Germans & Russian stock crackers also.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

[Frans]

Thanks all. That would explain the wear on the big action screw.

Frans

[mike ford]

Frans,
Like the others, I would like to welcome you to our little band. I believe you can obtain a reproduction butt plate from Larry B. Schuknecht at Dutchman Wood Works. He is another of our members and although I haven't had dealings with him, I've heard from others that he is nice to work with. His email address is : Shoptalk@dutchmanwoodworks.com. While I don't have your shotgun "in hand", I believe it will be necessary to remove the entire trigger plate in order to remove the stock. This means both screws ahead of the trigger guard must be removed. The screwslots in these screws are very narrow for their length, and it is likely that you will have to regrind screwdrivers to precisely fit them.You may also have to hold the screwdrivers with the spindle of a drill press, while turning, to prevent them "jumping" out. Good luck.
Mike

[Frans]

Success! Thanks for all the help!
_MG_1065 (2).jpg

[Nathaniel Myers]

Excellent!

[Frans]

A quick update:

Fixed a crack in the stock by filing out a notch on the inside, and glueing in a fitting piece of wood. Put some epoxy on the inside of the ears of the stock, as it was looking rather brittle. Did a bit of a bedding job on the forearm to take out the looseness. Doused the sction in some degreaser, let it sit and then applied gun oil liberally and let it drain/drip.
Rubbed stock oil on the wood a few times.

And ordered a butt plate that is supposed to have the approximate correct dimensions.

I coudn't wait for it to arrive, so I went out and shot the gun at paper Friday morning. both barrels appear to be shooting to the same point of impact, and that point appears to be straight out in front. So far so good. Next step is to go and bust some clays with it. Or try to. I am not that good of a wingshot.

Frans