I'm looking at an early Rem. Model 8 in .30 Rem. caliber. I hate rubber butt pads but the stock is already shortened a little for one. I would have to get one and have it put on. The price is right to tolerate the pad. How big a deal is it to have one put on? I'm concerned about fitting around the edges. Thanks in advance.

A good gunsmith/stock guy who does a fair number of pads, can fit one to a stock as least as well as, if not far better than an average factory recoil pad is fit.

If you can find a smith who does them, you might look into having a leather covered recoil pad fit, as they were very common back in the day for a period type addition.

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I would try to find out what would be period correct. I have saw butt pads where the toe of the pad didn't follow the angle of the stock and too me that is a sign of poor workmanship. Larry

I agree with this as I have had serval put on my rifles. My gunsmith did a perfect job on the ones he did for me.

No way I would recommend installation of a pad on a Model 8 buttstock under normal circumstances. But if it has already been butchered by shortening. that's a different situation. It's not that difficult to do yourself if you have a good belt sander, but it does take a little practice and care. It's mainly a matter of attaching the pad and shaping it with a belt sander without damaging the stock. I've done maybe 10 such jobs on shotguns, and all turned out looking pretty good.

Is it an early M8 that had the hard rubber butt plate? or the later style steel cresent shaped w/the tang on the bottom toe line of the stock?.

If the first style and they only removed enough wood to flatten out the surface to install the existing pad,,I'd go ahead and install an original style repro hard rubber butt plate. They have a slight curve to them.
You may have lost 1/4" in LOP but the style will be correct.
Those old rifles didn't have much more than a 13 1/4" LOP to begin with.

If the latter type and they cut so much wood off to eliminate the butt plate tang cut on the bottom toe line,, then I'd go ahead and either put a repro Silvers or maybe even a NoShoc pad on it. Hawkins is another but I don't think it's correct for a rifle. At least they were styles available 'back when'. Galazan and others sell these recoil pads, They are about $30 and up.
The M8 was available w/a recoil pad as an option, but Henwoods book on the rifle doesn't describe or picture the type or style used.

A leather covered pad is a nice option. You can use most any solid pad as a base. A very thin leather for the covering, wet it to be able to stretch it around the pad and glue it to the under side. Or stretch it and pull down along the sides and glue to the rubber leaving the black spacer showing.
I used to use Kangaroo leather for this. Got hard to get after while as the Friends of Kangaroos crowd made it hard to import it or sell it.
Now I use thin scrap leather from womens gloves, purses, ect. Works out well. It's usually goat leather I think.

You could always restock the rifle.

I've done quite a few over the years but no longer have a shop set up. It can be done if one is careful. Have you googled for used stocks? New ones?

I see Macon stocks sells an unfinished walnut blank with the squared off pistol grip. The originals had a straight english grip, I read that the rounded knob was an option. I also read the stocks were short, perhaps 13" from the factory.

Ebay has 2 at 155-179, GB has one at 175 but looks rough.

If it were my gun and the stock has been shortened, I would consider buying the Macon unfinished, find a replica Remington/ UMC butt plate and work the square pistol grip off to the straight English shotgun type.

Since opinions are asked for I will give mine. I would first make sure the original stock has in fact been cut. If so I would research recoil pads of the day and find a pad that closely resembles period pads. I would do nothing that alters the original stock in anyway. If you want a new stock, carefully remove the old stock and store it away as gun with after market wood has poor resale value.

Too late. The seller decided to part the gun out. He wanted $250 for it but already had the barrel sold when I offered to buy it. According to him it was just missing the rear sight and pad but appeared perfectly functional. So he'll make a couple bucks then be stuck with half a gun. I couldn't believe it, but it's his rifle.

Installing a butt or recoil pad on a rifle is standard work for a gunsmith, much like an oil change for an auto mechanic.

However, you might try the Gun Parts Corporation and you just might luck into an original stock. Before contacting them, ascertain what other Remington rifles might have used the same stock.

I see plenty of folks parting out guns, must pay well. There are several M-8's on ebay/GB now.

I used to cry inside every time I saw a pre 64 M-70 on the bone yard...

He'll probably make more than 250.

I don't like to see savable guns stripped for parts,,but then where would I and others get parts to put the rest of the orphans back together.
I'd like to save ;em all, but it's just not possible..

There is very good money in the parts biz, sometimes it comes back very slowly though

I imagine that parting out that M8 would produce more revenue than selling the gun.