Marlin 1895 crescent style buttplate

[ob1coby]

I would love to find a buttplate to add to my 1895 build, but I would like to find an original that was manufactured before 1900. Is there any such thing? Does anyone know of any sources to find something like that or is that a bad idea and should I just stick with a current replica? Thanks for any help.

[marlinman93]

Buy the recent crescent used on the 1895 Century Ltd. It's almost an exact copy of the old pre WWI Marlin crescent, and cheap too! Numrich sells them for $23. I keep a couple around just for repairs, and it takes very little to make them fit an original perfectly!
Ignore the picture at Numrich, as it's wrong, but this link is for the plate:
http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp ... erSKU=&MC=

[ob1coby]

Do other current copies not match the originals all that well?

[marlinman93]

Never tried most the copies, as I haven't found any in this price range, so can't say for sure.