Micheal,
I have a friend who wants to shoot schuetzen rifles with us and is looking for a budget minded traditional rifle. If the "Ballchester" is for sale, please contact me at jsmccash@yahoo.com .
Rough castings of ball and spur as well as Pope style levers for Steven's rifles are availible from Schuttleworth/CPA for $20. I have take several and had them tig welded to winchester and ballard levers to make levers like the Pope style. I wouldn't want to cut a original lever but there are old modified levers out there that make good projects such as this.
RHD45: The same goes for your issue with the pronged buttplate. Schuttleworth has several buttplate castings. Pick the style that fits your taste and stock style and remove the top prong. The lower prong is the only one needed. The purpose of the schuetzen stock is that the rifle is balanced on your left fingers with the forearm transfering the weight of the rifle to your hip through the bone structure, not your muscles. The hook holds the rifle in place under the arm. Your right hand guides the rifle and rest the hand and provides a perch for your trigger.
German schuetzen rifles are designed exclusively for offhand shooting. They only have one buttlate prong and most have a extension on the right hand side of the stock for the thumb of your trigger hand to rest on, giving more control without wrapping your thumb around the tang.
Scott