They are much more pleasant to shoot with a recoil pad installed...
They also stick in the shoulder more securely with less tendency to slide around when mounting quick or under recoil.
Yes sir. I just put the original stock back on my '56 fwt and will probably keep it that way. I love the rifle in it's original shape, but don't like shooting it as much as my newer classic sporter in the Tupperware with a pachmayr decelerator. The fwt is much nicer to pack around though and it handles better..