If you are handy with wood, you can cut the stock and fit a recoil pad yourself. I've done it many times and it takes care and going slowly.
Modern European guns are proofed for CIP standards and American shells comply with SAAMI. The Ugartechea boxlock is a great gun - in my opinion (and it's only an opinion) it is probably one of the really good deals in new SxSs.
It is a personal decision whether or not one would feed it a steady diet of SAAMI shells. I suspect nothing would happen because practically everyone in this country who owns modern European-proofed shotguns uses American shells at least some of the time, but I've come to like the 21/2-inch shells for my 12 ga guns. Purely personal.
By the way, if you're going to buy a new Uggie you might ask to have it proofed for steel. AYA will do this for an extra 40 bucks or so - I don't know if Ugartechea will.
