I have a nice 1862 dated P1853 Enfield rifle which is in original configuration. I would like to shoot it but the area behind the lock and under the rear of the barrel has been compromised by rot and wood loss to the point that this is not feasible. Any suggestions? Dave
P1853 Enfield.....repairing stock?
- Thread starter Dantforth
- Start date
you could use a router set up in some sort of jig, to route out the rotted wood and epoxy replacement wood in plus pegs or dowels to strength the joint then re inlet the metal work. A milling machine would make it easier but I suspect you don't have one
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
Mooncoon, the damage is pretty extensive, so I am not sure whether a fix is possible. I am also not very handy and only have fairly basic tools. I am hoping to find another stock which I can graft onto mine or trade the rifle for something I can shoot. Possibly a repro I can shoot would be something to consider if I cannot repair what I have. I have had one PM saying that I should not alter this rifle because of it's historic value. Decisions, decisions. I do appreciate your input. Dave
If the existing stock is original, do nothing to it. Despite the damage, doing anything to it seriously lessens the rifle's value. Changing the stock and preserving the original doesn't. Mind you, if the stock is that far gone, the rest of it likely is too.
I have the remains of a William Richards stalking rifle with a badly broken stock. A large chunk of wood is missing from the left side, breech of barrel back through to mid grip.
What is there is really nice, including the bore.
I could make a plywood cradle to support the stock, and then open out and even up the damaged area on the mill. Glue in a block, reshape and re-inlet.
The only alternative is a restock.
What caused the rot ? Excessive oil ?
If you go the epoxy/block repair route (which is entirely possible with a little patience) try to get any residual oil out of the stock first.
One method I have used for this is to mix powdered chalk and acetone into a thin paste and paint it on. Let it dry out completely. Repeat until calk comes away without any brown stain. This may take a dozen application and many days.
Once you have completed all your repairs, make sure you store the rifle muzzle down.
If you go the epoxy/block repair route (which is entirely possible with a little patience) try to get any residual oil out of the stock first.
One method I have used for this is to mix powdered chalk and acetone into a thin paste and paint it on. Let it dry out completely. Repeat until calk comes away without any brown stain. This may take a dozen application and many days.
Once you have completed all your repairs, make sure you store the rifle muzzle down.
The photos below are of a target rifle that I put back together. There was almost no wood in the stock because it had a 1 1/4" barrel. I used a loose thin dowel with lots of epoxy to join the two ends in approximately the right orientation and glued the whole stock to a piece of wood for support (with water soluable glue). Then over to the milling machine and milled out all of the crushed and broken wood (about 1/2 the width of the stock) and epoxied in a filler block about 1/4" thick. When that set up, I milled out a longer area on top of the first filler and epoxied in a second filler followed by a third and final layer then re inlet the lock and removed the mounting wood. What that gave me was about 3/4" of replaced wood in 3 layers with a sort of stepped scarf joint to support the broken stock. The original break was almost square across with a lot of jagged wood that would be very difficult to glue as well as not enough wood to insert a proper dowel into.
I think with regards to the OP and his broken or rotted stock, a badly damaged original stock is not usually worth an awful lot as a collectable and a good repair allows you to shoot a gun which is otherwise a collection of parts. Certainly in the gun shows that I go to, guns with badly broken stocks or otherwise in need of significant repairs, rarely go for very much money. I am sure there are exceptions of very rare or very historical guns but those are the exception rather than the rule
cheers mooncoon
I think with regards to the OP and his broken or rotted stock, a badly damaged original stock is not usually worth an awful lot as a collectable and a good repair allows you to shoot a gun which is otherwise a collection of parts. Certainly in the gun shows that I go to, guns with badly broken stocks or otherwise in need of significant repairs, rarely go for very much money. I am sure there are exceptions of very rare or very historical guns but those are the exception rather than the rule
cheers mooncoon
