Cracked Stock

[Freezer]

  My Friend has the most beautiful Savage 110 I've ever seen.  To me it seems ot have a french walnut stock withrose wood caps and a beavertail fore-end.  Alas the stock cracked.  I've done alot of stock work through the years but never had to repair a crack.  Any good how to books or is this a streight forward repair. 

[John Traveler]

Depending on where the break is, almost all stock cracks are repairable to good as new.

Repairing a cracked stock is pretty straightforward.  Brownell's "Gunsmith Kinks" describes the procedure.

You likely will get only one chance to repair it, so use the right materials and techniques!

Remove the barreled action and magazine from the stock.

If it is a partial crack, open it up and hold the crack open using toothpicks while you mix the adhesive.
If the crack is complete, or nearly so, go ahead and break it apart to access the surfaces needing adhesive.

Brownell's Accraglas (liquid, not the gel) two part epoxy is the only adhesive you should use.  I've never had a cracked stock repair come back to haunt me after using Accraglas.  The stuff is several times stronger than the wood it repairs.

Mix a suitable quantity according to directions, and apply to the joint surface using popsicle sticks or toothpicks.  Poke and dribble it into the less accessible places, to make sure you have complete coverage.  Use thick rubber bands, duct tape, and clamps to hold the crack together while waiting for the epoxy to set.  Make sure the broken parts are aligned properly.  Let it set up overnight, and use an exacto knife to scrape and remove excess adhesive.  You may have to refinish the stock at this point.  Reinstall the barreled action and magazine parts.  Check for proper fit.  Wait several days for the epoxy to fully cure before shooting.

[Freezer]

    Thanks John, That's just what I needed to hear.  I will glass bed the action so this doesn't happen again.  He also put a couple nicks in it where it hit his pistol and he would like to have those repaired so I plan on refinishing the stock at this point anyway.  Thanks again.

[Rangr44]

If it's cracked in the area of the pistol grip, you might well consider drilling a few holes from the inside of the expanded crack into adjacent solid wood, so the bedding compound can flow/be poked down the holes, making a strong internal cross-brace after it's cured. Hard kickers can benefit from a metal rod inserted before the glass bedding is poured.

[gunnut69]

JohnT pretty much covered the subject but a couple of additional items.. I agree about the AcraGlass but have been using Devcon slow set 5-ton epoxy with great results and it's easier to work with. On large displaced cracks(where the parts have separated) I like to use small blocks of wood as alignment guides to help hold the 2 sides in alignment while applying the clamps. To avoid gluing them to the stock wrap with waxed paper. I use the bathroom sized paper cups as receptacles for mixing the glue in and the craft toothpicks(large size) are great as applicators and mixing sticks. To pry open cracks I grind flat and sharp the ends of small nails. Also if dealing with really bad stocks masking tape can be used to hold the glue in the joint until it sets. My last project was a WWII bring-back SxS with the stock completely separated thru the wrist. It was a Sauer and looked to have never been used. I reattached the separated parts with epoxy, then using an extended bit drilled a hole from the head toward the butt. This was opened to take a dowel of the maximum size allowable(1/2 inch or so) with a little space for the epoxy. After all had hardened the action was re-inlet and tang screw hole was re-drilled.. The checkering had to be re-cut in some places as there were small bits of wood missing. The result should re-finish nicely.. The result a nearly new condition Sauer and Son 16 bore. With a bit of ingenuity nearly any stock can be repaired..