Hi, I have a BSA rifle from the late 1950's. It has developed a crack at the tang, extending from the rear recoil lug about an inch and 1/4.
Does anyone know of Replacement stocks for this rifle?
Would using some glue and a Vise be sufficient to fix the crack?
Photos to follow.
Thanks in advance
If you can get some adhesive into the crack, then a clamp of some type (might be surgical tubing or electricians tape rather than a vise) - would likely be a closed and sound joint. There is small brass "all thread" type rods (perhaps #8x32 thread) that can be drilled right through across a crack to hold together - I think is more of a mechanical joint, rather than a glue joint - sometimes a bit fussy to dress ends of that brass rod to be smooth with the surface of the stock, without messing up the stock finish. I have rifles with both repairs - both glued, and then a cross rod, or can even glue in a snug fitting wood dowel instead of that rod - after gluing the crack to be closed.
There are some good suggestions in that thread that is linked in Post #4 - maybe some ideas for you.
More important, for repair, might have to figure out what caused that crack. I am not familiar with an action that has a "rear recoil lug" - for Mausers and Winchester Model 70 types, is only one recoil lug - underneath the receiver near the front - is the only surface that should be transferring recoil from metal to the wood stock - any other vertical surface needs some clearance - a thickness of sheet of paper or three - like at very rear end of tang on a Mauser. If that recoil transfer surface, in the stock, goes soft or punky, then the action can "set back" under recoil - many actions at rear end have a taper shape - if they go backwards, and are "snug fit" to that wood stock, they are creating a splitting force - often seen as a crack on top of pistol grip - extending rearward, behind the rear tang - as if what you are describing??
Correcting myself - I am familiar with Mausers and Win 70 that have two recoil lugs - one is under the barrel - seated / bedded into the forearm of the stock; the second recoil lug is the "normal" one underneath the front of the receiver, ahead of that magazine mortice. Typically were the bigger "boomer" type rifles - like 375 H&H and larger - idea was to spread out the surface area that transferred the recoil pulse to the wood stock. I think is also a thing to place a cross bolt between trigger mortice and magazine mortice - as that recoil pulse travels through the wood - it will want to "wow" out at the magazine - so immediately behind the magazine often wants to split - that crack can then extend rearward through rear action screw hole and into the pistol grip area.
Apparently many systems existed - I just looked at one piece Lee Enfield #4 conversions - appear they had to replicate the recoil transfer to butt stock from the wrist of the unaltered rifle - so those would have had their "recoil lug" almost at very rear of the action - not towards the front of the action.
