I purchased this mostly inletted stock from Richards Micro-Fit back around 1997. It is exhibition grade Walnut. It left my posession a few years ago. I had already finished it and it sat in my safe for years and a "friend" wanted it. I sold it and went by to see how it was going. Well, not so good. Seems He had no experience bending bolts and even less fitting them into a stock. I cursed the day I sold it and I cursed him. He gave it back to me saying he was sorry to have buggered it up and promised never to touch another gun. I am not a gunsmith, I am a machinist. My experience with stocks is limited to doing the finish--sanding, feathering, rotten stone, tongue oil...etc. I am trying to get these pictures posted. The scale used as reference is in inches--1/16 & 1/8 increments. How do I post these pictures?May I email the pictures to a member having permission to post pictures so ya'll can see the damage?

I not up to posting pictures however someone will do it for you. What type of rifle? If you want to email the pictures rgg_7@hotmail.com I'll give you my opinion. Has any of the wood been broken away? Any other area except the bolt handle mucked up like the trigger guard? Ron

quote:

How do I post these pictures?May I email the pictures to a member having permission to post pictures so ya'll can see the damage?

Send them to ramrod340@hotmail.com and I'll post them.

I'll post the pictures for you...

PM me for my best address to email them to me.

Henry22LR

RamRod you have mail. The action is a 98Mauser. I had almost everything done and it sat in safe too long. Caliber .308Win. I included several pictures because I want those offering advice to understand how gorgeoous a piece of wood this is. I really don't want to can it now. The damage to the wood is the only thing wrong other than a buggered up bolt handle. Which I understand is easily correctable either by grinding and polishing or by cutting off and TIG welding a new handle on.
Thanks in Advance!
Andy B

Drew,
Here's one way to approach this: First, complete glass bedding with brass inserts to add strength in cobbled area. Then I would inlet a piece of darker wood to cover the butchered area giving the impression of a "wear pad" in the bolt handle area. The inletted design could be complemented on the opposite side, with perhaps a matching forend tip and grip cap.

I think that the area can be repaired fairly well by gluing in pieces of closely matching walnut and then refinishing towards the dark side. The repair won't be invisible, but it shouldn't catch your eye either. A few 'smiths are pretty good at this type of restoration so choose a good one and let him fix it. Just don't expect a miracle.

I see two approaches. Either have a piece of walnut installed matching as best you can. Or install a piece that accents the stock and draw attention. Either way it will show.

Yep a good glass bedding as well.

I guess I should have included a picture of the inletting. It has been glassed and there are aluminum pillars in place.

Any of the commenters so far that would be interested in taking on this project and would like to quote the repairs? Will need work on the bolt handle. I have the bottom metal. Needs a recoil pad too.
Andy B

I'm not a stock repairer, but if you want my honest opinion you'll be throwing good money after bad. I mean if you want to use the stock, fix it with a plug and strong epoxy and it will probably be fine, but spending real money to match the grain refinish etc is not a good use of funds IMO. However, it's your stock and your project so whatever you want to do is fine with me. Personally, I'd buy another blank or semi-finished and go from there.

I've fixed a lot worse!

I would first look at the bolt handle and select something that will crowd the width of the openning he carved. Install the new handle and fit to the stock. Width of the stock could be reduced in this area to eliminate some of the overcut. Above the triggerguard it can be sculptered on both sides.

I'd like to see the inletting to see if it's damaged as it may have to be rebedded. AccuGlas can be colored for a close match.

An alternate would be to inlet a piece of contrasting wood like "Ebony" and recut the bolt handle recess. The same wood shoud be used on the tip and perhaps the grip if that's your preference.


It's a great looking stock...should be repaired by someone who knows what they're doing.

Selling this off and starting with an unaltered semi inlet is also an option.

How about some brutal honesty.

From the pictures, that stock doesn't look like exibition grade. It certainly could be fixed, but it would require a fair bit of labor by a good stock maker, and the repairs would be noticable to some degree. I'd also say that with the big hand swell and cheek piece, it has a very dated look.

If you get it fixed, you'll always find yourself looking at the patches, and it'll leave a bad taste in your mouth.

For what the repairs would cost you could get a nice new blank, and end up with a nice looking, no compromise stock.

Sorry to see the damage. As a wood worker it can be saved but not invisibly. I'd go with a near match insert and bed a fiberglass patch behind it. The insert in my eyes would follow the curves of the bolt. Than take it to the range and have a real pretty shooter. It would be a good learning project for you.

It's a nice piece of Claro but keep in mind that grade of Claro is quite reasonably priced. I don't like the shape at all but that is my own personal preference. As for saving it, piecing in another piece of walnut regardless of match will look like a patch. As suggested a nicely inletted piece of ebony will look like it was done on purpose and not a patch for a mistake. I'd go that route. I imagine the inletting has gaps, for sure by the bolt handle, I would rebed the whole thing with brown dyed glass to fill the gaps. I'd do it all myself. For the cost of having it done well by a experienced person you could just buy another semi inlet from Richards and start anew.

quote:

How about some brutal honesty.

From the pictures, that stock doesn't look like exibition grade. It certainly could be fixed, but it would require a fair bit of labor by a good stock maker, and the repairs would be noticable to some degree. I'd also say that with the big hand swell and cheek piece, it has a very dated look.

Paul, you kind of hit a nerve with me. This stock with its "big hand swell and cheek piece" Is EXACTLY the way I ordered it because it is the style I prefer. I also still have a copy of the original purchase order and the packing slip indicating exhibition grade.

As far as inserts I am thinking about rosewood as that is the wood of the gripcap and fore end. It will also be a reminder to me and anybody asking about it to never let go of a gun you love.

So I guess I am taking bids now. PM me those of you interested. I will of course require pictures of stock work that you have done in the past. I will also need minimal metal work for the bolt.

There used to be a wood carver(he also did extensive inleys and basket weaves) by the name Covarrubias that was always at the local gunshows. He was featured in Fortune 500 at one time. I haven't seen or heard from him in years. Anyone knowing his whereabouts?

Andy B

I don't think Paul was trying to hit a nerve. "exhibition" grade is purely a interpretation. Take a look at Dakotas exhibition grade and I'll show you some better looking white pine two by sixes. Send a few pics of that stock to
Jim Preslik at http://www.presliksgunstocks.com/ and ask him to sell you a similar blank, it'll probably run you between sixty and a hundred bucks. Richards will turn it to that same style for another hundred bucks. You'll be in it less than two hundred. You won't get it fixed nicely cheaper than that most likely. You'll also have the opportunity to get a butt pad on there before you sand it and finish it and won't have the rounded corners plus you'll have something to tinker with for awhile.

Since my last post I have thought about it alot. I don't always think before I type. I have to remember that we all have our opinions on what looks good. Sometimes the comments of others are just their opinions. Gotta step back sometimes and get a look from the other side of the fence. I have also been on dressels and have fallen in love with an incredible blank made of Bastogne costing around $1200.00 Guess that means I am screwed now. I was gonna spend that on a Nightforce scope for my .375H&H. Easy come easy go Live and learn!

Next question......What the heck do I do with this stock now? Hell, I might just give it away.

The most convincing reason to give it away for the cost of shipping wins!

Gentlemen......Start your engines!........

Give it a go yourself. You're attached to it, nothing wrong with that. In the end you only need to please yourself. The one advantage of using ebony is you can also use black epoxy to set it in and it will help hide a less than perfect fit.

Plane down the sides as much as you must, glue on new sidepanels, reshape. You only need to do it to the pistolgrip, then you can hide the the borders with checkering. If you want it without checkering, it will still blend in like laminate does. You can install a fore-end in same material as the grip-cap to hide the front. Only place it will bee seen is under the fore-end. It will look a lot better than just patching of the wound.

tough question..

can it be repaired to be as nice as it was?
no -

can it be repaired and be a functional stock
yes

if the LOOKS are important, bondo it up, send it and a blank to mike kukolus, and have it duplicated

I'll echo Paul's words, exhibition grade is subjective, and if you love it, then its great

Attempting a repair myself wasn't really on my list. I hadn't thought about using ebony. I considered using cocobolo as I have a few "big" pieces(4x4x6), but am unsure of the strength of this wood. It will definitely be a learning experience and if I decide to have a go at it I will probably be posting lots of pictures and questions as I go.

Christmas is here after all and I really want that scope From: SANTA to be under the tree

Maybe if you are nice to "Santa" she may just be good to you.

In the meantime, work that old stock over with some bondo and get it shaped like you want and send it out to get duplicated. Buy that blank from Dressels and they could probably inlet it to your pattern stock.

Jim

I am single at the moment, no she santa. I am a student living in the spare wing of my folks house. I was unaware Dressels did inletting, but that is a thought. It has been suggested in a pm that I might donate this stock to a gunsmith school to be "fixed-up" and used for a scholarship rifle.
I am still thinking.

Andy B

quote:

Originally posted by drewhenrytnt:
Next question......What the heck do I do with this stock now? Hell, I might just give it away.

The most convincing reason to give it away for the cost of shipping wins!

Well, if you're serious, here goes...

I've got the perfect action for this stock. It is a "presentation grade" engraved commercial Mauser action I bought from Gibbs years ago. I know it's presentation grade because there is a picture of an identical action in a synthetic stock with Oxpho-blued barrel and triggerguard on page 16 of R.A. Walsh's book.

Anyhow, I consider it a bit of a soiled dove, but for some reason I just can't part with it. I was thinking about using it along with other accumulated spare parts to build a rifle for one of my nephews. (I have two nephews, and I am currently building a 6.5 Swede that will go to one of them.)

But I don't have a stock. I contemplated redoing a milsurp, but I think it would look out of place with an engraved action. I also though about laminating a couple walnut boards and doing it up from scratch, but that's a lot of work. So I browse ebay, looking for something cheap but functional to pop up.

This would be a perfect opportunity to match up a nice looking, (albiet flawed) piece of wood with a decent looking, (albiet gaudily engraved) action. I'm just an amatuer hobbiest, but if I could do a passable repair I'm sure a kid would be happy to get such a fancy stick of wood in his first rifle.

Please let me know if plan on parting with it, and what a fair shipping price would be.