Repair suggestions needed for cracked stock

[RAT]

I've monitored the forum for awhile as a guest, but just recently joined to get some suggestions on how to fix a problem on my recent build.

I built my first rifle from a pre-carved stock in 1997. This is my 2nd rifle... my first attempt from a solid blank. I didn't notice it before, but when I got to finishing the stock I discovered a crack in the worst possible place. The cracks goes across the breech area all the way from the lock mortise to the breech plug area and cuts through the hole for the rear lock bolt. It appears to be on the lock side only. I'll try to post an image as soon as I figure out how.

I plan to finish this rifle regardless... but my heart's not really in it at this point. It would be nice to make a repair that will at least allow me to test fire the completed rifle.

Short of bedding the entire breech area in acraglas, is there anything else I could do? I was thinking about making a staple out of 1/16" pin stock and inserting it straight into the breech face with 2 of the legs above and below the bolt hole... with the middle leg spanning the crack.

[T*O*F]

Short of bedding the entire breech area in acraglas, is there anything else I could do?

Do not dispair.  Go in from the breech area and drill a 1/16" hole down thru the crack.  Get some Acraglas, the regular kind, not the gel.  Thin it with lacquer thinner until it is runny and put it into a syringe.  Inject it into the hole you drilled until it starts to run out of the crack.  Clamp it and let it dry a couple of days.  Then go in between the tang bolt and the breech and drill another hole into which you want to acraglas a 3/8" piece of dowel.  The dowel will be hidden by your tang. Clean up as necessary and continue with your build.

[Daryl]

That sounds like a good repair.

[RAT]

I still can't figure out how to post an image directly to the forum... so I sent you each an email with the image file attached.

[docone]

I have had pieces shear off around the toeplate. I drill and dowel before I install the toeplate and do any finish work.
Everything is under metal of some sort, the dowels are contrary to the grain and stiffen it up.

[RAT]

You know what they say about a picture being worth 1,000 words... well having failed with that...

Think of this crack as laying down flat horizontally. It runs from where the breech of the barrel butts-continuing through the rear lock bolt hole. In other words the whole front of the lock bolt hole is cracked through along the length of the bolt on the lock side.

The stock is already stained and has 3 coats of oil varnish on it so far. I'd like to make any repairs from the barrel or lock mortises so the repair is hidden.

[Acer Saccharum]

Here's a tutorial for putting pictures on the web. It's a bit outdated, but it's the essence.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=10.0

And, welcome aboard!

Tom

[Cory Joe Stewart]

You know what they say about a picture being worth 1,000 words... well having failed with that...

Think of this crack as laying down flat horizontally. It runs from where the breech of the barrel butts-continuing through the rear lock bolt hole. In other words the whole front of the lock bolt hole is cracked through along the length of the bolt on the lock side.

The stock is already stained and has 3 coats of oil varnish on it so far. I'd like to make any repairs from the barrel or lock mortises so the repair is hidden.

I had a problem in the same place.  I had already finished it and fired it.  I did what T.O.F is telling you.  He may have been the one that told me, and it worked great.


Coryjoe

[RAT]

Here's the photo of the crack...



This weekend I had the chance to examine it more closely. The crack cuts through the forward part of the lock bolt hole only. Basically the hole stopped it from moving farther to the rear.

I communicated via email with a few of you who offered suggestions. I'm not sure I fully understand the suggestion about the pin/dowel. Would the pin go along the length of the crack... or perpendicular to it?

I know that, when cutting a slot in leather, you punch 2 holes and cut your slot from hole-to-hole. This prevents the slot cut from continuing to rip. If this is what we're talking about, should I dill out the lock bolt hole slightly larger (since this is where the crack terminates)... glue in a dowel... and re-drill the hole?

If perpendicular to the crack... I could drill at an angle through the lock or breech plug inlet which would hide the repair.

[Jerry V Lape]

If I understand the photo correctly, you would want glue in the crack so you might need a long small hole running with the crack so you could pump some thin glue in there.  The dowel or pin I think would ideally run perpendicular to the crack bridging it to add strength.  But that would require drilling from the top of the finished stock down.  So perhaps you can sneek in a small  threaded pin  at an angle downward and toward the butt from the face where you are holding the pointer.  and another angled from the outside edge of the tang inlet.  They wouldn't be at 90 degrees perpendicular, but they would cross the crack and help suck it closed and reinforce it.