We've got em here that easily qualify as Grizz, and plenty to spare. Didn't see many thru the spring, unusual. Then since 1st June, they're everywhere, my yard is a crosswalk between streets, and they know when garbage  day is. Mid June-July is rut, them big mountain boars come down for these young city girls! First two weeks June, I saw at least one almost every time I went out anywhere or close house morning or evening! They absolutely demolish the blackberries! i see 10to1 more bears than deer. Most of us despise the bears, they're absolute nuisance. But i enjoy encounters in woods, except a few way to close. Way to Close!

I think two years ago, one tore siding off a house before it was run off, bad damage. It was an enclosed back porch, they had trash inside wall for next morning trash pickup. The bear didn't wait, found it night before. Also two year ago, one bit a lady sun lounging in her back yard. I knew this bear well, saw him 3-5 times week. Im sure the woman n bear discovered each other at same time, it reacted by biting her ankle pretty bad! That bear was hunted and taken off by F&G within few days. Both these happened just few streets away from my house.

I saw two boar Black bears either of which had to have topped five hundred pounds,  larger than a lot of the Yellowstone Grizzlies I've seen.

And Idiot tourists getting far to close for a photograph. I guess the bears are tolerant of tourists but, if either of these big guys had happened to be having a bad day - just put of hibernation and constipated or with an upset stomach from too many berries -- the lady from Duluth in her socks and Birkenstocks might have "gotten the picture" too late. 

Given their size, I'm guessing a soybean-rich diet and - the rug one of them could have made! .

From your description of an unfamiliar material id say sounds perfect. Too soft is not the answer, especially for heavy recoil! Id say your plan is gonna work! Another good attribute of the leather belt technique is when you get everything cut just right, can glue all the pieces near and thru center, leave ends to slide n move as needed. 

But your material if can be cut as a mass solid, is gonna work for sure, probably the best plan! Another option i haven't tried, but thought of if needed in future, is the hard foam exercise workout blocks from Walmart.  Ive used em to make new foam inserts in bow quiver. Very tough, easy to slowly carve to exact size needed, and will hold together where whittled thin. At least I believe them a possibility haven't tried?

It's so hot now humid here can't hardly stand it. Cut grass n weedeat earlier, im done to the recliner, in need of aids! Keep Texas the great state it is, if I had leave Ky, which I highly doubt, texas would be a consideration definitely!

But now there real good news up here right now? I fought off the bears, not much exaggeration, yesterday and picked blackberries. My lifelong favorite sweet treat, I absolutely love em, fixing eat few, cooked about 15 minutes slowly,  sweetened, eat with Crossaint Rolls. Almost and very near as good as mom's BB Pies from the good old days, im a happy camper today!

I really like your idea but was thinking about substituting a convex arc of some cross-linked foam for the stacked leather belt sections - just because I always have leftovers from packing. Cross-linked gives to a degree, about like a docking bumper because that's what's inside those bumpers. Real hard to penetrate with a sharp. 

I'm not notably long armed to be 6'2" but an extra inch added to a 13.25 LOP wouldn't bother me. I think I'll pursue your solution, place an order for one of those butt covers today and try it out on my 45-90.  Thanks for the photos. 

Mike and I both know for a fact that recoil tolerance lessens with age; whereas tolerance for being laughed at increases. When you can find peace at the range after seeing yet another old friend lowered into the ground, some things that used to bother just don't anymore. 

Bert

I got a plain leather buttstock cover from Leverguns Leather long ago, mainly for two reasons? 1st to protect my 30-30's cause I use my rifle as a walking stick a lot up steep mountains, old age & knees! I do it constantly regardless of rifle im hunting with!

2nd, to increase LOP on my Leverguns cause of bad elbow, very tough to contract it tight to work the Lever. Since ive retired, this has gotten lot better, so I kinda favor the LOP now on them.

But ive used the BSC on number rifles, and couple crescent butts? Cut a strip of leather belt that is od similar width, first piece maybe 1.5" for bottom of the curve, next strip little longer, and again as needed. It fills the curve, can extend LOP, with extra regular length pieces, cut & kept for each rifle, all for the same BSC, provided it fits the rifle! 

Amazingly good Recoil Tamer, Customized to every rifle needed!

Dad taught me this in late 60's, we had one tie on leather cover. It was a 10 year old answer to adding extra leather strips to tame hard kicking 12ga Model 37's. 

tim tomlinson said
We made ours, but really not very powerful.  Handle from old hardwood scrap, and bands cut from auto inner tubes.  Worked for Dad, but synthetic rubber didn't have the real snap to it of the  old natural rubber.  We tried trading into surgical tubing without success.   Tim  PS. Old marbles were great shot material.
  

Tim-

I'd forgotten about the surgical tubing, hadn't thought about that since running into them at the PT's office. 

Mike

Regarding an eye injury my Swedish brothers BB gun jammed so he looked down the barrel to see what was wrong. He went to Dr. with a slight injury.

I never let him forget this. 

Don

Nice! Y'all have fun. The more I look at that truck the more I like it. I remember seeing a nice 53 5-window around here as a regular driver awhile back.

Mike

My

Tony