I have a couple of 100 year old bolt action German and Austrian rifles with typical slim, Teutonic stocks.

These have very thin, internal webs between the inletting for the magazine and that for the trigger and sear connection.

In both of these stocks, the web has cracked, longitudinally, all the way through.

They are decent shooters, but no great shakes, and I suspect the cracked stocks are not helping.

I don't want to install cross bolts. It just wouldn't look right.

I think I might inlet a length of steel screw stock into the thickest part of the web (which is very thin, actually), and then epoxy the inlet screw shank in place, and then epoxy the cracks together as well as I can.

I hope I have described this and the prospective cure sufficiently so that you can picture this.

Am I on the right track, or is there a better way?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

The wood has probably shrunk over time and as the metal didn't shrink proportionally, something had to give. Or, the action has been slowly sinking into the bedding area over time which has spayed the stock apart. Bedding the entire action and letting the bedding cure in the crack with the crack apart is probably the best thing. Closing the crack and epoxying it will just be an invitation to it cracking again. The stress that cracked it to begin with must be taken out by just leaving the crack apart.

quote:

I don't want to install cross bolts

Install invisible cross bolts I done that to fix a couple of cracked webs.

I cut a slot in the web then into the side of the stock but not though it.

Then place the proper size rod in place. I normally use a 1/8th inch machine screw with the head cut off.

Then bed them into place when one beds the whole action.

This has worked well for the stocks I had to fix

Yes, do what you describe.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

I don't want to install cross bolts

Install invisible cross bolts I done that to fix a couple of cracked webs.

I cut a slot in the web then into the side of the stock but not though it.

Then place the proper size rod in place. I normally use a 1/8th inch machine screw with the head cut off.

Then bed them into place when one beds the whole action.

This has worked well for the stocks I had to fix

I did this to a Mark X stock that was cracked in the web between the trigger and magazine as well as a crack behind the recoil lug. It was a 7mm Rem mag that I had rebarreled to 338 win mag. I used pieces of scrap steel and chiseled slots, then expoxied them in. So far it's held up to the recoil.

i suggest using a threaded brass rod --- a #12 or #10 bolt with a square nut, cut to length, works very well, if you can inlet for that ...

i would submit that the cracked stocks aren't a major accuracy issue ......

There is a product that will weld the wood. It is 2P-10 ,a cyanocryalate, I have purchased from Windsor Plywood. It comes in thin for wicking into cracks or thick for filling gaps. I have only used the thin. I advise using caution when using this product.Do not have your hand on the other side of the stock because this stuff will wick through a crack and any excess will come out the other side. Use it sparingly. If you get runs on the outside of a stock you can wipe it off with paper towel if done immediately . Wait too long and it will harden up on the outside. When using this method for web cracks I then make sure there is clearance in the tang area and the recoil lug is bedded so the wood can't flex under recoil and cause more cracking.

Thanks to all. Much appreciated.

As Rod has said, you need to first be sure that you eliminate the cause of the stock splitting. Then this worked for me:

Use this:

http://www.caglue.com/product....VEAQYASABEgLPM_D_BwE

to fix the crack, seems very similar to what shortshot used. Try and open the crack a little if you can, shot this stuff in, then quickly lightly clamp eveything. This should hold the stock together. For more insurance use this kit:

https://shop.brownells.com/gun...WEAQYAiABEgK6cPD_BwE

(the 3/32 version) with some decent epoxy on the threads (I used JB Weld).

Good luck.

I am no gunsmith but I agree with Ron.

I have a few old 80+ years old German & Austrian rifles and have done a few stocks.

The old stock can be a PIA to fix. All the oil is gone and the wood is tinder dry and easily splinters. However I just love those slim elegant stocks with 26 lpi checkering! Works of art. The rifles also balance so beautifully like they were made for me.

I use Bisonite for bedding as it has atomised steel in the epoxy. It works very well with cracks. My DIY method is to use a small drill like 2mm max and expand the crack a bit but not the whole way through. I also try and get a few cross cuts on the wood. Then there is plenty of gaps and notches for the epoxy to take hold and stabilise the wood. Like Ron said, you do not want to close the gap in the crack as that will only bring back the stress. I would also bed the recoil lug & tang at this stage to get a really stable stock.

One stock I bought secondhand had a crack through the pistol grip but not right through. If I flexed the stock, it would show movement. I just drilled 3 holes in the pistol grip checkering panels along 3 axis / angles and filled them with Bisonite using a thin wire to make sure it went in all the way. The crack has not moved for the last 20 years despite firing over 1200 rounds of 280 Ack Imp ammo.

I have my own opinion about these types of repairs that is different than what is mentioned here.
When we are talking about web repairs I disagree that they are caused by shrinkage due to drying because for that to happen you would be talking about a highly stressed area that would be very difficult to seat an action into to begin with.
My experience after having repaired a few of these web cracks is that there is not enough wood to support the bulging of the stock during recoil specifically the wood between the recoil lug contact surface, the rear tang screw and the mass of the web ( other factors are shown in the synopsis below).
My experience is that these repairs have to be not only pressed back to form a tight joint but also stiched or have an internal threaded screw of the appropriate diameter cast into your repair or a cross bolt added, preferably with a good quality epoxy/glue. This repair is also what I prescribe for recoil lug area repairs also.
I have found that even after pressing the cracked web area tightly back it is still loose around the actions and there was looseness to begin with without any previous stress upon the web. It is possible but highly highly irregular to have pre stressed an area to the point that drying out of the stock causes splitting due to icredibly tight inletting, possibly but highly unlikely.

Synopsis:
1. Very thin stock walls around the action area leads to web and tang cracks.
2. Very thin minimal webs lead to web and tang cracks.
3. Wood layout leads to cracks.
4. Lack of cross bolts leads to cracks on heavy recoiling rifles.
5. Lack of clearance behind rear tang leads to cracks.
6. Contact of action screws and wood leads to cracks.
7. Lack of firm full contact between recoil lug(s) and wood leads to cracks.
8. Minimal web mass leads to cracks.

IMHO
BB

How big of a crack are we talking about? And what will the stock be used for? If the stock is going to be used and needs to handle recoil, then that web should be reinforced. The thin slabs of wood on the sides of the receiver will bow out under recoil and put that web into tension. So you want something there that can take tension and stick well to the sides. Threaded rod works well for this but installing it from the inside can be difficult. If you're good with composites, some fiberglass around the inside of the mag well and across the web would work too.

If the stock is mostly to hang on the wall, then maybe filling the crack with glue is good enough. It's certainly easier to try. I've seen very thin cracks in hard wood filled with thin CA as has been mentioned. This was more for sealing and finishing than strength. Epoxy might work better with a wide crack.

The more elaborate repairs would probably work better in terms of strength, but are more involved. Are you looking for a project? You could re-do the whole bedding while you're at it. You could also re-barrel it with something that has much less recoil. $0.02

Thanks, again, for the ideas.

These rifles are shooters.

I have worked on one of the stocks so far.

I have embedded and epoxied a length of copper screw rod in the interior of the stock web at its most substantial point. I have also heated and bled epoxy into the full length of the crack.

Looks good, if I do say so myself.

I have also relieved the wood around the tang a bit.

I am now thinking of glass bedding the action lug, but may not do that, since it seems pretty solid as is.

The web behind the mag is always an issue with the Mosin Nagants I build fitted with Timneys. The Timney box extends almost completely forward to the magazine, leaving maybe an 1/4" or so if you're lucky. Boyds installs a crossbolt in their military trigger stock, but does not in the one inletted for the Timney because of the lack of real estate, no can do.
Which is why I always try to do full bedding in that case; the action and rear tang bedded with the recoil lug/block transmits recoil forces evenly and can't bow out the stock behind the magazine as would happen if all the recoil was absorbed by the stock behind the lug.

Ive used most of the above methods and most work, it they don't try another method..Personally I prefer cross bolts and they give the gun an English look and the cross bolt can be milled or cut to the correct size avoiding the need for the wood. Glass bed the action at least to take the strain off the split area, just snug it up and you may or may not inlet and glass..I just remove the wood and depend on the cross bolt itself, and that gives you more room for certain triggers. It has always worked for me..and a treaded screw or bolt has always worked for me as well, but I have more confidence in the large head of the cross bolt holding things in the right spot.