my son recently purchased a remington 700 BDL in 30 06. he is wanting to install a recoil pad and in trying to remove the butt plate found that it appeared to be glued or somehow stuck to the wood maybe wood finish adhered. i do have all 4 screws removed. any suggestions on how to remove the butt plate without damaging to wood?

Just use a box cutter or an Exacto knife, and insert the blade between the plate and stock. Work it around the stock. Your son might need the stock cut as the pad will increase the stock length.