You really are something else Walt.
I agree the butt plate is 4 inches long.
Look at the picture I posted, if the butt plate is 4 inches long the screws are far more than 2 1/4 inches apart.
That's the point I was making.
You can measure your Mannlicher all you want but the screws in the butt plate of the assassination weapon are far more than 2 1/4 inches apart.
How can you explain this?
As for the screws blending in with the butt plate...
Again, your old eyes are letting you down.
In the pic below. the green arrow points out where the light is reflecting off the edge of the butt plate. The red arrows point out where the light is reflecting off the screw heads.
The screw heads are NOT blending in with the butt plate. They are reflecting light just as we see in the Alyea footage I posted where these reflections off the screw heads prove the rifle was found in the upright position.

If, as you say, the butt plate is 4 inches long then the screws in the image above are more than 2 1/4 inches apart.
So much for your factual information!
I agree the butt plate is 4 inches long.
Look at the picture I posted, if the butt plate is 4 inches long the screws are far more than 2 1/4 inches apart.Be careful for the words you say.... Keep them soft and sweet... because you never know,...which ones you'll have to eat.
Sp now that you've acknowledged that the butt plate is 4 inches long....Why don't you use that known measurement as a scale in the photo with the pretty red and green arrows and find that the inside to inside distance is 2 1/4 inches ....Or you could simply use the center to center distance of 2 3/4 inches as a scale and find that the butt plate is 4 inches long.
It's really very simple Dan, even a elementary school kid could determine the the butt plale is 4 inches long by knowing the the center to center distance of the screws is 2 3/4 inches.