salopian,
Unfortunately the length of the extension wood was very close to the finished stock and the grain orientation wasn't long enough in the toe to do this and that is why it is "upside down".
When you have grain that is running like this one, you almost have to put the other piece on a 45 degree angle to match the stock grain.
I'll live with this for awhile, I just didn't like the looks of that recoil pad. I'm not fond of recoil pads to begin with.
The leather is a nice idea, but then you have to form the extension smaller to allow the leather to be flush with the stock. And I agree the toe would be hard to do. The leather would almost have to be wet (damp) to let it shrink to fit tight.
