Broken stock repair

[ranch23]

I'm generally a lurker here but am in need of some help. I build primarily bolt guns and have this rifle to repair. I have plenty of French and English Walnut pieces but nothing like this. Does anyone have a scrap or cutoff that would be a better match than what I have? And of course it won't be a complete match but something closer than what I have would be super. 4" x 1".

 

[64Springer]

That is one ugly fracture.

Personally, I would go to Home Depot and find a piece maple that has some nice grain structure. You may have to go through a stack of boards to find it, but it's there.

Good luck.

 

[necchi]

If someone else don't step up, I've a piece 4 x 1/2" wide I can send ya.
There'll be others,,

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm generally a lurker here but am in need of some help. I build primarily bolt guns and have this rifle to repair. I have plenty of French and English Walnut pieces but nothing like this. Does anyone have a scrap or cutoff that would be a better match than what I have? And of course it won't be a complete match but something closer than what I have would be super. 4" x 1".

OK so first, it looks like there is something odd about the barrel and it vented some of the main charge to the left, blowing out the wood. You need to address that cause first. Then consider the area to be removed.

Next, I'd worry about the wood that survived below. After removal of the damaged area, you may want to insert some pins, wooden or steel, that won't be seen from the outside to stabilize wood that isn't readily seen as cracked.

Now as to what you insert, sure if you want you can try to match the grain, BUT you might also deliberately remove wood and insert dark wood as a contrasting color, as if it was meant to be that way by the stock maker. Granted this is an odd place for that sort of decorative inlay, but it would fix the problem of matching grain. Please excuse the crude illustration:

You would round the areas to match the contour of the existing panel. Most often when I've seen a stock repaired with this technique, there is wood on the opposite side that is not damaged but done the same way. However with your rifle, the lock plate is on the other side and you don't get symmetry.

LD

 

[maillemaker]

That barrel appears to have a cleanout hole that runs through the entire barrel? Perhaps it was designed to have the drum on either side?

Looks like there should be a cleanout plug screw and either it blew out or was never installed.

Steve

 

[bubba.50]

I would get the straightest grain piece of maple I could find them faux stripe the repaired area to match the existing stripes in that area of the stock.

 

[rich pierce]

I’ve got you covered if Necchi doesn’t have exactly what you need. When I make repairs I try to orient the grain as well as line up the curl. It’s best to have a variety of pieces to choose from. Assuming sugar maple. I don’t have any red maple on hand.

 

[BruceHH]

Dave hit it exactly. The plug to conceal the hole drilled for the fire channel appears to be totally missing. That is a major problem if a load blew it out. I would not repair that wood until a new plug is properly installed and proof tested.

 

[necchi]

Now as to what you insert, sure if you want you can try to match the grain, BUT you might also deliberately remove wood and insert dark wood as a contrasting color, as if it was meant to be that way by the stock maker. Granted this is an odd place for that sort of decorative inlay,

Good one, another option would be to place a pinned piece of curly maple scab as repair, like you describe,
Then hide the joint with an after market in-layed side plate keeping the original lock bolt in place, adding a faux front screw.
The options are many and varied.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/list/Item.aspx/858/1

 

[Robby]

"OK so first, it looks like there is something odd about the barrel and it vented some of the main charge to the left, blowing out the wood. You need to address that cause first. Then consider the area to be removed."
What Dave said.
I wish I could help you out but I just did a purge of my shop and the scraps were used to make S'mores for the grandkid's. I'm sure you know what to do when you get a piece.
Best of luck!!!!
Robby

 

[earlwb]

Do you have a WoodCraft store near you? They usually have lots of pieces of all kinds of different woods in their stores. Common woods on through to really exotic stuff. I got some nice pieces of cherry wood there recently.

 

[Eric Krewson]

`When I put in this patch because of a poorly placed pre-carve lock inlet, I couldn't file a straight enough glue surface to match the patch and the stock without gaps. I ended up blackening my patch with oil lamp soot and inletting it just like we would a metal part. I went slowly and removed the black marks until I had a seamless fit. Just a tip to get an invisible patch fit.

If you use the right glue and have a perfect fit, I don't think you need to pin the patch in place, your glue joint will be stronger than the original wood.

Patch blackened and inlet, as you can see the patch inlet has a gentle S curve to it as well as rounded ends. There is a paper pattern glued to the patch in this picture.

Glued, I used my go to bow making glue called Unibond, very tough and made to be slightly flexible. I can glue a bamboo backing on an osage bow with this glue, shoot the bow 100,000 times and it won't turn loose. The hardner comes in several different colors to match what ever wood you are using.

Filed down and re-inlet;

Done;

 

[FlinterNick]

As Dave mentioned, and others. You’re missing a clean out vent screw, this is why the stock blew out.

This is also a very critical area of the stock to repair with a considerable about of wood lost. The lock bolts are very close to it, its at the breech and the surviving wood is now structurally weakend.

If it were my gun, I’d get a new stock and restock it and never ever forget the draining vent bolt. Doing a Dutch style repair with patch wood and epoxy will mechanically correct the issue, however cosmetically it will be difficult.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

`When I put in this patch because of a poorly placed pre-carve lock inlet, I couldn't file a straight enough glue surface to match the patch and the stock without gaps. I ended up blackening my patch with oil lamp soot and inletting it just like we would a metal part. I went slowly and removed the black marks until I had a seamless fit. Just a tip to get an invisible patch fit.

If you use the right glue and have a perfect fit, I don't think you need to pin the patch in place, your glue joint will be stronger than the original wood.

Patch blackened and inlet, as you can see the patch inlet has a gentle S curve to it as well as rounded ends. There is a paper pattern glued to the patch in this picture.

View attachment 171474

Glued, I used my go to bow making glue called Unibond, very tough and made to be slightly flexible. I can glue a bamboo backing on an osage bow with this glue, shoot the bow 100,000 times and it won't turn loose. The hardner comes in several different colors to match what ever wood you are using.

View attachment 171475

Filed down and re-inlet;

View attachment 171476

Done;

View attachment 171477

Great job!!

 

[Sean E Bug]

I would contact dunlap wood crafts or tiger hunt gunstocks and ask if they have a cut off that might work. the should be able to find a piece that is fairly close.

 

[ranch23]

Thank You all for your replies. I will address the plug problem first and then repair the stock, not extremely worried about an exact match with color and grain but closer would be nice. Thank You, Brian

 

[ranch23]

If someone else don't step up, I've a piece 4 x 1/2" wide I can send ya.
There'll be others,,

That would be super. You can email me, don't seem to be able to message you, at [email protected]. Thank You, Brian

 

[Robby]

There was no damage to this gun, it was the first long gun I made and when I finished it I noticed the tail end of the lock sat too high in relation to the flow of the stock. It may or may not have bothered anyone or even been noticed but it bothered me, so after living with it a few years, one day I took a hand plane and shaved off the lock panel to just below where the lock bedded, glued on a small slab with Tite-bond and re-inlet the lock in what I believe is the correct orientation then reshaped and finished.
Its probably not a solution for the OP but it just shows another option. there are always options!

That is a Caywood lock and still sparking like an arc welder!
Robby

 

[Robby]

Ranch, I found this piece of hard maple this morning. It has some curl and measures about .60" thick by about 2-1/4 wide by about 6" long. If you are interested let me know and I'll send it out to you, gratis.

Robby

 

[smoothshooter]

`When I put in this patch because of a poorly placed pre-carve lock inlet, I couldn't file a straight enough glue surface to match the patch and the stock without gaps. I ended up blackening my patch with oil lamp soot and inletting it just like we would a metal part. I went slowly and removed the black marks until I had a seamless fit. Just a tip to get an invisible patch fit.

If you use the right glue and have a perfect fit, I don't think you need to pin the patch in place, your glue joint will be stronger than the original wood.

Patch blackened and inlet, as you can see the patch inlet has a gentle S curve to it as well as rounded ends. There is a paper pattern glued to the patch in this picture.

View attachment 171474

Glued, I used my go to bow making glue called Unibond, very tough and made to be slightly flexible. I can glue a bamboo backing on an osage bow with this glue, shoot the bow 100,000 times and it won't turn loose. The hardner comes in several different colors to match what ever wood you are using.

View attachment 171475

Filed down and re-inlet;

View attachment 171476

Done;

View attachment 171477

Wonderful repair job!