Have issues with stocks cracking at the wrist? I'm on my second stock with my 500 Jeffery and im not real happy. I have never used a lead sled, ever.

My first stock got cracked getting delivered to AHR for an upgrade, UPS must have dragged it there behind the truck, as the muzzle was sticking out of the box when it got there. Wayne informed me the stock was cracked. At that point the rifle had over three hundred rounds through it with no problem.


CZ elected to repair it, (even though it was insured for 5k) and the repair failed my first time out with it. Jason at CZ sent wayne a new stock (after the repair failed) wayne bedded it and sent it back to me.

I took the rifle out last week and the first time out, after 20 rounds I got a hairline crack in the wrist, I took it out today and almost broke it in two.


Im just curious if Im the only one with this kind of luck? I have a composit stock I bought from Wayne, but the rifle only weighs 8 pounds with it, and is life changing experience to pull the trigger on that SOB! The stock is going back for more weight to be added.



I have pics, just can't post them.

CZs do have a reputation for stocks cracking but I was under the impression that once they started installing cross bolts that that problem had been solved.

I have a CZ 550 in 458 Lott that still has the original very nice stock with no cracks. It has no cross bolts but I did have it bedded by a gunsmith.

Here's the photo:


Any pics of the stock from the side showing grain layout?

Thanks Sevens

I also have a CZ 500 Jeffery. I ordered it with a laminated stock, not walnut. I know Wayne won't agree with this but I think laminate stocks are much stronger than any walnut stock. I have a bunch of rounds through mine without any problem and a laminate stock makes the weight about right for a 500 Jeffery.

And the second photo for everyone:


My initial impression is it looks like the tang needed to be more relieved.

Double, thought I might throw this in too to help you out with posting pics.

Generally you see this kind of tang splitting when the tang gets a running start under recoil and acts like a wood splitter. You solve the issue with cross bolts and steel bedding a relieved tang so nothing can move. -Rob

Here is my 404 Jeffery "boohoo."
The unbroken one below the 404 Jeffery stock is a .505 Gibbs.
Bad grain in the wirst of the 404 Jeffery stock.

CZ replaced the "fancy" American black walnut from Missouri with a "Kevlar" CZ stock made by B&C, at my request.
Made me happy.

That synthetic stock from CZ weighs 2.5 pounds.
About the same as a "Euro Lux" hogback walnut stock for the 550 Magnum.

The American style walnut stocks (like the broken one above) weighed about 3.0 pounds, before all the epoxy, crossbolts, and pillars went into it.
Only an axial wrist bolt/allthread rod buried in epoxy from grip cap to tang could have prevented my broken stock.
Bad wood.

I purchased an African CZ 550 approximately 5 years ago. My limited research done before I made this purchase indicated that the CZ American style stocks had the problem of stocks splitting/breaking. The "Euro/hogback" stocks did not have that problem.

quote:

Originally posted by Grumulkin:
CZs do have a reputation for stocks cracking but I was under the impression that once they started installing cross bolts that that problem had been solved.

Thats what I thought also, It was bedded and had the two cross bolts.

quote:

Originally posted by Robgunbuilder:
Generally you see this kind of tang splitting when the tang gets a running start under recoil and acts like a wood splitter. You solve the issue with cross bolts and steel bedding a relieved tang so nothing can move. -Rob

Rob, I had that stock cranked down, its a habit of mine to check my stocks before I shoot. It may not mean much in this case but they were torqued to 60 inch pounds prior to pulling the trigger.

quote:

Originally posted by doubledown:

I took the rifle out last week and the first time out, after 20 rounds I got a hairline crack in the wrist, I took it out today and almost broke it in two.

Just curious, what did you expect to happen after shooting the rifle when the stock already had a hair line crack in it?

For the money I paid for that rifle, I was shooting it to failure, I didnt mean to sound surprised in my post, I wasnt. I was hoping to get a few more rounds in than I did but you cant have everything.

I am NOT complaining, just sharing information. Just wanted to know if I was alone.

quote:

Originally posted by doubledown:
Rob, I had that stock cranked down, its a habit of mine to check my stocks before I shoot. It may not mean much in this case but they were torqued to 60 inch pounds prior to pulling the trigger.

Unless that stock was pillar bedded, you're not supposed to tighten the action screws on a wood stock that much.

George

You need to thank your lucky stars. Knowing it was cracked and wanting to shoot it to the point of failure a lot could of gone wrong with wood pieces flying around.
How close was your eye to the break? Maybe 6 inches?

I have a .416 Rigby based on a CZ action. I had the standard stock replaced with a laminate version, which I would highly recommend.

It may not have that classical look, but it works well and doesn't have the rattling sound of a synthetic stock.

Got about 400 rounds through my CZ in 500 Jeffery about 100 rounds with a lead sled. No cracks yet, but if it ever does, I'm going to put it in a synthetic ...

It doesn't matter how much you crank down on the screws. remember that moron shootaway?If it can move it will and just think log splitter! Relieve the tang and steel bed everything. I've build literally hundreds of DGRs that have not split their stocks using that recipe. 3 cross bolts on really big bores helps too. There is no fix for poor wood grain but assuming that's not obvious, follow mt directions and yourbstock won't split! Ignore it and best of luck and let us know how you make out! -Rob

I had a hairline crack in my CZ 416 rigby in the same exact spot 3 months before my buff hunt. I called CZ and they stated its a problem they have had in the past. My gunsmith took the old stock and shipped it back and they sent a new one back in 5 days. My gunsmith took the new stock and bedded it with a titanium compound. The new and improved stock has handled whatever I have thrown at it.

I avoided all these issues by buying a barreled action from CZ and putting my 416 Rigby in a MacMillan stock.




I do have a Duane Weibe stocked rifle with decent walnut, but I actually like the looks of this stock/rifle combination. It's about as good as it gets with a plastic stock.

I think you should listen to Robgunbuilder.

quote:

Originally posted by steph123:
I think you should listen to Robgunbuilder.

You all better listen to shootaway instead .I`ve even given instructions to Ralf Martini on how I want my guard screws tightened.There is a technical term for it.It was once described here by Duane Wiebe.I also wanted red loctite used.

Doncha just love it that Shootaway gives instructions to Ralf Martini on how to tighten action screws. Good thing there's a real technical term to clear the confusion this must have created at Ralf's end.

My .458 Lott has a laminated stock and no problems, my .416 Rigby has a standard stock with about 200 rounds fired thru the rifle with no cracks so far, I really like the way Wink's rifle looks, so that will be the way I go if/when my .416 stock cracks.

Karl

I will say what Rob has said in another way.

Definitely bed and cross-bolt a big bore rifle.

But no matter how well the rifle is bedded and cross-bolted, a wood stock will still flex and permit the metalwork to move.

So, one must also make sure to remove a sliver of wood behind the tang - a tight inletting job in this area is a NO-NO.

If the stock on a big bore, heavy recoiling rifle is not properly relieved in this area, it will eventually crack or split as a direct result of pressure from the tang every time the rifle is fired.

I know because it has happened to me.

Wink,

Your rifle has nice clean lines. Looks good.

Here is my answer to the cracked stock problem with CZ's. This is my 416 Rigby in a Match Grade Arms Synthetic Stock, 23" barrel, and barrel band front sling swivel.

Todd,

That looks really nice.

Since everyone is posting their stocks for the CZ, here's mine. Uses the original CZ stock, but has been slimmed up, dual cross bolts, wrist pin has been added, LOP increased, and fiberglass has been added around the wrist for additional reinforcement. (The barrel has been shortened and trigger changed by AHR since this photo.)

FWIW- Laminated stocks will split just like a wood stock will if that tang gets a running start on the wrist. They tend to chip out more than actually split though. Synthetics are mucho better, but can still fail. Thats why I relieve all around the tang up to and including the action shoulders and even under the tang. I then steelbed everything with some of the sawdust I removed from the stock mixed in,so that the colors blend. It flat works! You still need two or three crossbolts and pay careful attention to the rear of the mag box and steel bed that area too or the stock can crack internally. I sometimes epoxy flat head screws into that area for additional strength. My logic is if it can't move it can't crack.