Millitary Heritage wrist broken?

[pvt_McCracken]

HELP!!!!

This pass weekend at Colonial Michilimackinac, my wrist on my 1742 Brown Bess Military Heritage broke.

I have enjoyed this musket, and since I bought mine from them my unit and surrounding friendly units have bought I believe at least 10 of thier mukets, and we have had none, zip, zero problems with them.

Before some people start thinking that, my musket was dropped, step on, ran over, trampled by elephants, etc. No it wasn't. Hell I baby my musket.

We were marching into the fort to do a demonstration when I looked down at my musket and saw that my wrist was cracked right through the gain, on both sides. The crack starts right above the top plate on the stock and goes through the wrist and into the trigger area. The crack was right along the grains.

It looks like wood splitting or cracking down the grain.

I know historically speaking that this happened, but my musket is just 2 years old, and I do not shoot live rounds I have always shot blanks. I believe this should not have occurred.

I called MH on Monday and spoke with a older women, she told me the gentlemen in charge will not be home until Aug. 24th.

Has anybody have this occur to their muskets, or even more pointed question. Has anybody that owns a MH has had this happen to them, and what did you do?

If MH does not want to help me fix his problem, then what should I do?


42nd Highlander
Jeff

 

[Henry]

It did happen to a guy in our group,
the gun had been bought one week earlier ,
it had been replaced replaced .

The brocken gun was sold " as is " to
another guy who fixed it .
Everything went well , to discussion .

Now , about a gun bought two years earlier ???

 

[Russianblood]

If they won't fix it, superglue will. Just fill the cracks with it and the wood will be stronger than new. Afterwards, get a sheet of brass and wrap it around the wrist and nail it on with blued cut tack nails. That would be a period correct fix for that problem.

I was at Ft. Michilimackinac on Sunday when you guys marched in and trooped the colors.
[url] http://www.elyfamily.com/michilimackinac/[/url]
[url] http://www.elyfamily.com/michilimackinac/colors.avi[/url] (10.8 megs)

 

[HarborMaster]

I cant speak for Military Heritage ., but I can speak for me.

I had there sea service pistol for over 2 years and finally took it in to a "Professional" gun ssmith., he balked at it and made a big fuss because it wasnt an American gun and basically degraded myself an MH . Finally he says I will drill your vent and lighten some of the pull off that terribly tough trigger., Should be done in 2 weeks.
This was in Jan 06 ? Well he messed that trigger real bad.,it would hang at half cock., he was rude and acted as tho it was smy fault.,finally I got it back and sent it to MH . The man on the phone at MH said to me MONEY BACK GUARANTEE for life.,andhe ment it. He says to me I have your gun here on the benchI can send you another free of charge......., I told him no.,its been replaced by a MTVC pistol and a Pedrosoli Q&A . He what can we do..,I told him can I pay the differance and you give me a blunderbuss ? that was 9 days a go.., right now as of today I got me a .75 caliber buss sittin on my desk.., I think I am going to sleep with it...., I love it. :blah:
I'm a satisfied customer! :thumbsup:

Long story.., they ( MH ) is currently engaged in work on Pirates of the Caribbean 3. He will be back., and I bet he will help you.

By the way anyone pull with breach plug out of a MH blunderbuss., what do you hold the octaganol brass barrel with to not scar it while getting the breech out? I take it .

 

[pvt_McCracken]

I was at Ft. Michilimackinac on Sunday when you guys marched in and trooped the colors.
[url] http://www.elyfamily.com/michilimackinac/[/url]
[url] http://www.elyfamily.com/michilimackinac/colors.avi[/url] (10.8 megs)

Thanks Fellas,

I knew you guys could help.

I am the petite Highlander holding the Kings colors.

Thanks for sharing that with me. As for the boy playing the pipes, he was one of my former students that I got him involved in playing the pipes. The boy has just been at it for 1 year now! I am really proud of him

Take care
Jeff

 

A friend had an India made French musket split in half through the wrist when it fell over onto a grassy lawn from a leaning position against a building. The grain was at a hugh angle to the axis of the stock--and this wood they use does not appear to be very tough. The dealer he bought it from was present and kindly replaced it on the spot. His plan I am sure was to try to fix it as stated above by another--epoxy and a brass or leather strip.

 

[musketman]

I am wondering if Rosewood is prone to splitting and cracking?

Here is the low-down on India Rosewood...

Please Click Here

A historically accurate "fix" would be to stretch and sew in place a wet leather band, as it dries it shrinks and pulls tight...

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

It sounds to me as if this break was caused by an ill chosen plank for the stock. Musket grain or runout in the wrist area is never a good idea and in a brittle wood is even less desirable. I don't recall ever seeing a properly chosen stock that broke.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Many of the guns made overseas, and some of the guns stocked here in this country, are using woods harvested in eastern Europe, or S. America, and even Africa. Even if the wood is, say, walnut, for real, it grows in a climate that is much more humid than what we have here in the Midwest, particularly in the winter months. It is common for wood used for furniture, as well as gunstocks to develop cracks, and splits, and even to simply to break down after a hard winter, or two. Some of these guns are, of course, stocked with something other than Walnut, or maple, or even birch. In those cases, anything can happen. You can get a replacement stock from the dealer, if they are reputable, but you are likely to have the same problem with that stock in a couple of years, if it comes from the manufacturer overseas. You can epoxy the cracks, and try to live with, making the repair part of your personnae, or you can order a replacement stock make out of American woods here in America. That last will be the most expensive out of pocket for you, but in the long run, it may also be the cheapest. Stocks shrinking. splitting and cracking is very common here in the upper midwest, because during the cold winters, our homes get so dry because of the extent of heating needed to keep us comfortable. The heating dries the air out. I used to experience nose bleeds as a kid when we were still heating the house with Coal. The register to my bedroom was at the foot of my bed, and that hot dry air blew right over me at night. I would wake in the morning with blood spots on my pillow. My brother slept on the other side of the bedroom, not all that far away, but enough that he didn't get the nosebleeds.

I still find, in the winter time, when I check my guns and oil them, that stock screws can be turned in a 1/4 turn, or that stocks are loose on the barrel and action. I used to turn those screws in, but now only do it if I am taking the gun out to shoot. IF it won't be used until spring, I leave the screws alone, to await the better humidity and the expected swelling of the stock when the relative humidity in the house goes up. I check the screws on all guns before taking them out to shoot. If you tighten the screws with the stock is shrunken, you risk collapsing the wood fibers around the screw head, and weakening the stock. You can also warp the stock on some rifles by putting too much pressure on the barrel with those screws. If you have to turn a screw to get rid of some shake or other form of loose stock to action when you use a gun in the wintertime, when you finish with it, turn that screw back out to where it was before you left home with the gun.Then store it. When Spring or Summer comes, then check the screw and turn it if needed. The most accurate rifle I own has the screws turned in using a torque wrench. That is how important minding those screw are to a stock, and to accuracy.

 

[davidthered]

I'll bet Pvt. Katz sat on it!!!
:rotf: (sorry, couldn't resist)
If you guys had come to Kensington, this wouldn't have happened.

 

[Many Klatch]

I had a smoothbore break at the stock once. Another heavier rifle fell on it and broke the stock clean through at the wrist.

If you are going to put the stock together and you intend to have it survive some rough use, you may want to use some "rebar".

Cut the heads off of some long (3" is good) thin stainless steel bolts. Put your stock together and mark some points where the two halves meet.

Use those marks to drill some 1/4" holes that meet at the mark, one in each piece. Now test it to see if the stainless steel bolts will easily fit in either side with both parts fitted together.

Fill the drilled holes with epoxy and epoxy the break well too. Put the stainless screws into one side of the holes and then push the other side on. Once the epoxy dries you will have a stainless steel rebar reinforcement.

You can wipe the stock down but you can just leave the globs to set, they are actually easier to get off than the thin wiped mess.

I have been shooting my smoothbore for 14 years since I made this repair and have had no problems.

 

[Java Man]

Make sure you rough up those ss bolts real good. Epoxy will not stick well to smooth surfaces.

 

[pvt_McCracken]

Here are some pictures of my baby!
[url] http://picasaweb.google.com/michelle.katt/JeffSMusketDamage[/url]

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

That's a classic musket grain break. I've never seen internal stress cause the shattering effect that seems to be present, though. It usually takes a sharp blow to cause that. The wood doesn't look like rosewood--teak maybe?

 

[Russianblood]

That stock may be a bit beyond just superglue. It looks like you are actually missing some wood. Hopefully MH will do right by you and replace it.

 

[Mike Brooks]

That can be fixed.

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

That can be fixed.

Agreed, done it several times. Still don't get the phrase "musket grain". What does that mean? Always ready to learn some new thing...

 

[dlemaster]

Va.
If you get the chance look at a copy of the book "Gunsmiths Tips and Projects" There are several articals in it by the late John Bivens and one of the things he discusses is "musket grain" with accompanying photos.
Hope this helps.

 

[musketman]

Still don't get the phrase "musket grain". What does that mean? Always ready to learn some new thing...

I will go out on a limb (ugh) and speculate that musket grain refers to a lesser piece of wood, with the grain running the wrong direction in the wrist area, whereas the top of the line wood (with the proper grain) was saved for the more expensive rifles and custom guns...

 

[dlemaster]

I just thought of another way to think of it.
We all know we don't want the grain in a ramrod running out the side, it contributes to splitting or breakage. The same thing applies in the wrist or a gun.
I hope that makes sense. I'm not sure where the term came from.

Regards, Dave