The steel & aluminum (featherweight) buttplates were replaced with a flat plastic buttplate in the mid 450XXX range which equates to 1959. As mentioned the new buttplate was flat, i.e., did not have the indexing “V” at top. This was a cost cutting measure which did away with the expensive metal forgings, and did not require the labor intensive inletting for the “V”. These were used through out the balance of the pre 64 production on all the 70’s except those that received factory recoil pads, as well as the target rifles which continued the use of the flat checkered steel butt plate used on the Marksman stock.

Steve