The things one learns from these old guns....

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

This buttplate and grip cap are "Gutta Percha" which is the material used for everything from golf balls & pistol grips to cameo jewellery (& even decorative wall-paneling) before the advent of Bakelite in 1909. Made from a Malaysian rubber-tree sap and baked in a mold. The Brits mostly used horn in this application (which would be preferable to me as well) but here in America we were much-more "forward-thinking" and this is what we came up with. Surprisingly durable, considering this example is a well-used 134-year old field gun.

I guess "playing with plastic" has been going on in this country for some time now, eh?

Last edited by Lloyd3; 04/01/24 02:31 PM.