Stock cracks.

GameStalker30-06

GameStalker30-06

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I have a single shot 12 gauge CIL model 420. I'm refinishing the stocks, and the butt has a hairline crack about 1 1/2'' to 1 3/4'' long on the top tang, from metal insert back.. also the same lenght crack on the botton of the pistol grip, from metal contact back...
I have an epoxy but not sure if it will do the trick.. (Home Bond 4 hour, slow setting, super strenght epoxy adhesive). which I picked up from Home Hardware. It's two big syringes that when pushed down, both additives mix.
Will this do the trick?? I also don't have any "needles" to insert this into the crack...anything else I could use??

I'm looking for something "simple", easy, but still safe and good enough to last a long time..

Thank you,
Billy
 
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Can't help you but Im interested in the replies. My CIL Model 621 12 gauge has a crack in the stock at the tang. Im looking for a replacement but seeing as how the gun isn't particularly nice repairing it may be a better(cheaper) option.
 
I think/know epoxy is the answer here.To ease clean up ,mask either side of the cracks and work the epoxy into the cracks with a homemade spatula/trowel using any stiff plastic (yogurt container lid etc.)The epoxy will bond to the wood,where as wood putty and the like COULD pop out with wood movement ,but of course this will depend how wide and deep the cracks are.Narrow shallow cracks could be fixed with wood filler and even colour matched and blended in to match existing stock finish.Where the epoxy solution shines ,is where structural integrity must be achieved.Alcohol can be used for epoxy cleanup.The downside to the epoxy fix is it will not match the surounding wood ,so painting afterwards will have to be looked at.

Woodfiller= easy to match stock colour ,good for thin ,shallow cracks can be sanded,painted.

Epoxy= for deep cracks and a need to strengthen and maintain structure.Machines & paints well can be sanded.

BB
 
Buy the latest issue of "Rifle" magazine, march issue. There is an article in it describing how to fix several different typws of cracks. They go into just enough detail so as not to confuse a newbie. Might be able to Google the article as well.
 
Good info...

Also, After I fix, or at least try and fix the cracks, Would it help to bed the area in the inletted part of the buttstock where the metal contacts the wood??(where all the recoil if being absorbed)...or could I place some fibreglass and compound there to help protect it???

I think the problem for this cracking is the recoil..wedging back on the stock..to my knowledge, this is common on this type of firearm..a wedging effect after much use...

I hope to fix it, because after removing the old finish from the buttstock, the wood grain is absolutely beautiful and there are no other marks on the stock..it's perfect besides the tang cracks...
 
If it is a hairline crack then use the Hot Stuff cyano glues from Lee Valley (or similar) for wood.

I use them alot. Get some "needles - syringes" from your drugstore, they are like 25 cents each -- a little on the beefier needle (I cant recall the designation but the 1 cc insulin ones are too thin to use)

Simply inject some of the Hot Stuff into the crack -- I usually try and do it from the end grain where you cant see the needle mark -- the thinner variety of Hot Stuff will magically appear from all over where the crack runs -- be ready to clean it up and clamp it with surgical tubing or whatever works and be prepared with that glue thinner to clean up the run out of glue after also.

Epoxy is generally too thick for hairlines but is good for full splits or gaps -

as was mentioned. Try and figure out why it split in the first place and cure that next.
 
My favourite is FLASH, it is like crazy glue but is designed for use in model planes etc. It actually is somewhat resistant to oils as well. I pry the crack open a bit and squeeze some in with the needle or just let it run in.
I glued my had to a stock once, so get a bottle of flash de-bonder as well.

I did a repair yesterday using PC woody wood epoxy, because A, it was all I had and B, I needed to fill a gap and it is stainable.

The crack is likely caused by recoil or dropping it. Depending on the design of the stock you may wish to remove some material where the receiver meets the wood. Just see if there are any odd contact points.
 
I've used one type of epoxy with great success on cracks and other stock repairs: West Epoxy System. Wood needs to be clean, free of oil etc. of course. But the repairs do hold very well.

Lou
 
Another vote here for Flash - check out the hobby shops - it's available in 3 different thicknesses also, and the stuff, due to it's wicking action, is a permanent repair to wood.
 
So what do you guys consider a hairline crack? a split? or a gap?...it's cracked about 1 3/4'' long, only the width of a hair and goes as deep as the hole where the stock screw contacts the receiver........Hairline crack????lol
 
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from your description that to me is a hairline crack.

If the wood is not oily in the crack and is pressed back together to mate up fiber to fiber (ie it hasn't been poked at or picked in or messed with with other glues) the glue will make the joint stronger then the surrounding wood and should not crack at that place again.

no gap, no wood missing, in one piece?
 
I have fixed many broken stocks of all makes and models over the years and I tried lots of products years ago, Acura- Glas by Brownells is the best. There is a dye kit that you can get and color their epoxy to match the grain. I use it on all the gun stocks I repair for clients it works very well. It will not shrink or expand. If you want it thinner heat it up a bit. Gently spread the crack, and with latex gloves on pack the mixture into the crack as you would if you were doing a wheel bearing. Squezze the stock together and wipe off the excess. Next wrap a small amount of wax paper around the job and wind a piece of surgical rubber tubing around it. This will put even pressure all around the stock and keep it in line. The wax paper keeps the rubber tubing from sticking to any bedding material that will seep out. A light sand and your done. It usually takes 24 hrs to cure. Out of all the stocks I have repaired, and some were in pieces, lots of pieces, I have never had one returned.
 
Use long brass screws and acura-glass. You add glass and then the screw to "pressure" the wood. Let dry and set. Take a hack-saw cut off screw head and dremel the screw "down" into the wood and fill. Same way military fixes wood.....
 
No need to use screws, a properly clamped joint, whether you use surgical tubing or clamps will work just as well. As was said earlier a properly glued/clamped joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood.
 
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