Savage 99 /cracked stocks

[woodtick]

I have an older model savage 99. circa: early 1950's. The rear stock is cracked down across the pistol grip just underneath the lever. The crack is pretty bad looking but it doesn't bother the rifle for shooting. I mentioned it to a gunsmith at a sportshow and he said cracked stocks was fairly common in these older models and actually wasn't that difficult to repair ( If I remember correctly it involved putting a screw up through the butt of the pistol grip through the crack ). Does anyone else know of this being a trait of the older savages ? And if it is could anybody elaborate on the repairs a little bit ?

    - - Scott

[jhm]

Scott:  Alot of the older guns had problems with stocks cracking around the pistol grip area, I read somewhere that alot of the reason was the oils used to keep the guns clean back then, they figured if a little was good a lot would really protect, problrm with that was the excess oil ran down into the stock from the action causing the wood to become weak and crack, You can try to repair the one you have or have a gunsmith do it or watch ebay as their happens to be a few 99s stocks on their from time to time.   JIM

[savageT]

Scott,
Follow up to the cracking issue.....Most of the cracking that I'm familiar with on older 99's were at either side of the tang junction.  Some believe this was caused from the stock bolt loosening and the action shifting/hitting the inletting when fired.  The kind of split you describe sounds more like what Jim explained from excess oil seeping into end grain of the wood and weakening it.  Also, obviously, if it had been dropped that could explain it.

Yes, by all means you want to get the split stabilized, by pinning and gluing w/ Acra-Glas.  A qualified gunsmith should be able to do the job.

Jim

[woodtick]

Thanks for the responses.    savageT : what is this ?? " TANG JUNCTION "  
   The stock has a fairly substantial crack on one side starting at the SAFETY tang and angling back and up towards the top of the  main stock (comb). There is another crack on the opposite side that is just barely concernable.
  After reading the last post I took a closer look at the rifle and there actually IS a miniscule amount of movement between the stock and receiver.
   Since the rifle is actually quite alot older than I am. I have no idea what kind of treatment it received. i.e: over oiling, sloppy handling, being dropped, etc.
   I have some experience at stock refinishing and I think I would like to try to do this myself. My main concern now is the removel of the stock from the receiver. Is it just the main stock bolt ? Or a better question is! Will anything come FLYING out at me??
 Scott : :roll:

[jhm]

Scott:  Remove the butplate and there is a bolt in the stock that holds it to the rear of the reciever, should be all that is necessary to analize the stock condition and what would be required to do the repair.   JIM

[savageT]

Thanks for the responses.    savageT : what is this ?? " TANG JUNCTION "  
   The stock has a fairly substantial crack on one side starting at the SAFETY tang and angling back and up towards the top of the  main stock (comb). There is another crack on the opposite side that is just barely concernable.
  After reading the last post I took a closer look at the rifle and there actually IS a miniscule amount of movement between the stock and receiver.
   Since the rifle is actually quite alot older than I am. I have no idea what kind of treatment it received. i.e: over oiling, sloppy handling, being dropped, etc.
   I have some experience at stock refinishing and I think I would like to try to do this myself. My main concern now is the removel of the stock from the receiver. Is it just the main stock bolt ? Or a better question is! Will anything come FLYING out at me??
 Scott : :roll:

Scott,
The tang is the long, thin metal strip that extends back from the top of the receiver.  There are two holes with screws in them that were there to support a tang peep-sight (Creedmore style).  Historically, it as along the tang corners that the stock would develop cracks.

Yes, to remove the stock all you do is take off the butt-plate two screws and you will find a large hole drilled down the center for the long, threaded bolt.