Ok, I have run into a bit of an odd situation
. I've got an old Enfield 1917 action that I've been slowly collecting parts for to build into "something interesting". It's not a project that I'm in a hurry on, and finding parts for this thing randomly on auction sites, discount racks, flea markets, etc has become almost a neat scavenger hunt in and of itself
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So, last week I was looking around on the net, and found a sporter stock for a 1917 Enfield. At first glance the picture looked good. Had a complete sporter shape, was setup for the straightened trigger guard, etc. It did look slightly old, but that kind of added to the allure. To top things off it had a steel grip-cap spacer and a checkered steel buttplate fit (which I really liked). Top top it off it was only $20, so I bought it.
Few days later, I get it in. Here's the kicker - this thing is not a replacement stock. It's the fanciest bubba-job I've ever seen. The stock is actually an original stock modified. The bottom portion had wood removed to accept a straigtened triggerguard. The grip-cap area was literally cut and removed, and a larger piece of walnut glued into place to replace it. The comb was also cut flat, and another piece of walnut glued to the top as well. After that the whole rear was reshaped to sporter contour, and the grip-cap and buttplate was fitted. Now, the work on this thing seems to be flawless. You really can't even notice the different pieces from more than 10 feet away - the comb portion even looks as if they tried to match two pieces with a similar grain pattern.
So, from an appearance standpoint, I think with a good refinish (the stock's original finish quite worn - this modification looks like it was done a LONG time ago), aesthetically I won't have an issue. My concern is, with all the cutting and removing, there's only a small area of the original wood at the grip area that connects the forearm to the buttstock. Is this likely to cause issues? Would it be worth looking into adding some brass rods or wooden dowels for strength (I see none looking at it), or is just the glue likely to handle the load from recoil?
I'm attaching a picture of a generic stock (picture just grabbed from the web) that I've colored to basically show what pieces were cut and replaced on mine. It doesn't match exactly but it's a close approximation. Hopefully within the next few days I'll find my digicam memory card so I can get some actual photos posted.
Also, just this stock's origin puzzles me. The quality of the work looks great to me, but it seems like a LOT of work to put into saving the original stock. Was it just a bored gunsmith or a very skilled bubba at work?
