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Help repair or replace stock...lots of picts

3K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  tuckerd1 
#1 ·
Savage 340B 22 Hornet cracked stock.
Gun shop can not find a replacement. I searched the net I can't find one.
I would like to find a replacement???
But I mite attempt a repair.
My plan for repair, glue and pin with a wood dowel???
Biggest fear with repair is dirt and oil in the crack and glue not taking.
Looks like there's enough solid wood rite behind the barrel lug for a 3/16 dowel (indicated in red)
I spread the crack with a wedge to show better.
I do have some wood working experience. (wood turner and pen maker)
I'll take any advise you guys give me. What type glue, how to prep crack anything elese
Thanks, Bruce

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#3 ·
I've repaired worse with good results. if you have concerns about oils spray carburetor or brake cleaner into the crack and let it run out carring any oils or dirt with it, bear in mind this will damage the existing finish but chances are you are planning a re finish after repairing the stock so perhaps tis won't be of concern.

Second step is plan your clamping system, get your clamps ready and do a mock up to make sure you have everything ready to go and where you need to clamp everything to bring it back into alignment when clamped, you might need to cut special shaped blocks to fit in between the clamp jaws and the stock to get the clamps to stay in place on those curved surfaces. coat any clamp surfaces that will come into contact with the stock with a liquid or paste wax, it prevent the clamps from being permanently attached to your gunstock.

Once you mix up you epoxy you aren't going to have a lot of time to engineer your clamping set up.

Second step is mix up a high quality epoxy, don't use the five minute stuff, it won't give you a lot of time to get things aligned and clamped in place. you want the 1 hour set up stuff. Barrel bedding epoxies will work just as well as the hardware store stuff but it will be wood toned so that might be something to think about.

Third, with the crack spread force the epoxy into the crack, clamp your stock and clean up any excess that oozes out, acetone or white vinegar will remove the excess epoxy.

After it cures for 24 hours you can unclamp it.

My favorite method of reinforcing a break is with machine screws, drill and tap the right size hole for the screw, I like #8 or #10 X 32 because they are small and easy to hide when you're done, cut the screw short enough to go below flush and file a screwdriver slot in the end of it. Coat the threads with a little epoxy and thread it in.

Don't drill all the way through your stock, you just want to drill deep enough to go past the crack, that way you only have one hole to hide later.

You now have a very small hole about 3/16 of an inch in diameter that can be filled with a mix of epoxy and sawdust that is hardy noticeable after staining and re finishing.
 
#7 ·
I would definitely repair this stock because a new stock not only will cost real money, but it will look out of place with the older metal. Use slow-set epoxy, as Grizzley1 has written. Epoxy is fairly resistant to gun solvents and oil. I don't think there is dirt and oil in the break, so don't worry unless you see it differently.

IMO you don't need to reinforce the area of the recoil lug because the cartridge is not a heavy recoil round anyway. The epoxy should be enough. If it breaks again, then get a new stock.
 
#9 · (Edited)
As Grizzly mentioned . Looks like we both repair stocks the same way except I never use pins.
The only thing I would add is to do a FULL stock bed from about two inches in front of the receiver all the way to the end of the receiver. (after its all glued and cured ) This will make the stock and repair a lot stronger. If you get stock bedding material , it can be used for both gluing and bedding .

Acra glass is my favorite for doing this type of work.
 
#10 ·
Like was mentioned, LOTS of Brake parts /carb cleaner to get rid of the oil. Let it dry real good then do it a couple more times.
SUPER GLUE!! Thick is better. Run it into the dry/clean crack. Leave it over night. The wood around the crack will brake before the Super Glue joint. I've patched broken RC air planes (in a million pieces :oops:) in the field and had them back in the air in just a short time. Everything will brake EXCEPT the Super Glue joint.;)
 
#11 ·
Thanks guys I think I will go with Grizzley's method seems pretty straight forward to me.

Just a few more questions,
Figure I will use Acraglass, what do you think thin or gel. For tighter spaces like cracks I always went with thin thinking it had a better chance of soaking deeper in the wood. I used thick for filling gaps.

What are some of your opinions on finish. I plan on sanding the whole stock and refinishing. I think I would prefer a more natural finish.
I see Tru Oil, Tung Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil and a whole lot of others..
Preference and techniques???

This is going to be a hunting gun not a show gun something that will last and easy to care for.
Thanks for all the help
 
#14 ·
No story on the crack I have no idea how or when it happen it's been sitting for the last 20+ years. I used the heck out of this hornet in Colorado. I killed lots and lots of rabbits I could pick them off at 100 yds. That was tough country always banging off rocks. The gun was handed down to me from my father. I had it as long as I can remember probably 50 plus years. I have no idea how old it is I was told it was at least pre 1965 as it has no serial number.
 
#13 ·
From the looks of the picture of the crack that shows it closed up I don't see any missing chips and no alignment issues, with a little careful work it could be an almost invisible repair when finished.

I'd use the same glass to repair the cracks as you use to bed the action, the thicker stuff is less likely to drip. Make sure you get good coverage of the entire crack, where it's hard to get the crack separated use your fingers to "pump" it in similar to how you'd force grease into a wheel bearing until you see it oozing out the other side.

I like to use Tru Oil or Permalyn myself and I like both the Laurel Mountain Forge stains and MinWax oil stains to do my finish. BTW, you can use MinWax oil based stain to color clear epoxies the same color as the wood is going to be after staining just beware that a little bit of stain goes a long way when you color the epoxy. Laurel Mountain's stain is alcohol based so I haven't ever tried mixing it with epoxy to see if it works or not.

Go ahead and try the repair first, all you'll be out if you mess it up is the cost of the epoxy or bedding compound and a little bit of your time but if you pull it off you save the cost of a replacement stock.
 
#15 ·
I always use jell. For really tight places , I put the jell on the end of a flat piece of shaved wood and work it in only because I am cheap and don't want to have both liquid and jell on hand.
Don't worry about the "glue" seeping out . If you want, just wipe it off with a wooden straight edge and leave the residue behind and let cure. You will be sanding the stock anyway.
To keep things simple I would suggest Birchwood wallnut stock filler and Birchwood True-Oil.
I personally use tung oil, however that is a lot more work and I'm quessing this is your first repair so why not keep it as simple as possible and still have very good results.
 
#17 ·
Going into it a bit further, now after a good look at the photos --- I would clean, fit, clamp, glue the break, etc. then after set-up install fiberglass dowels. In ref to photos, one would enter just to the right of the red arrow, angle about 45 degrees to the left of the screw hole. Then install another similar in the wood between the trigger & mag inlets. Cut off flush the only evidence would be the dowel ends. Result would be stronger than original IMO.

If appearance is important, the dowels would end a tad below the surface & the hole filled with a paste made of epoxy & sawdust. The crack & fill surfaces are roughly Veed out & filled with the same. Epoxy is tolerant of dye, colors, most anything other than water based. Making a few trial batches, it is possible to make almost invisible fillings. For concealment, it it best to avoid straight or clean curved interfaces at the surface. The eye tends to overlook irregular lines & quickly spots curves, round & straight lines.

I turn 93 next month & don't work much anymore. If you intend to DIY I could mail you a piece of quarter inch fiberglass dowel, gratis. ----->
 
#18 · (Edited)
Because of the cal. you do not need screws or a dowel.
I would sand the stock first before epoxying it.
I would use epoxy.
And when you get it clamped use a pin to scrape any excess epoxy out of the crack leaving A small dent along the crack.
Then use tru-oil in the crack (Using a toothpick) and sand. Do this a few times intill the crack is filled in with saw dust.
If you want to get in the grain use a toothpick and light stain and draw in the grain by dipping in the toothpick in the stain and draw the grain lines from one side of the crack to the other (connecting the grain lines).
Then 5-9 coats of tru-oil (sanding in between coats with 600 grit paper) And you should be good to go.
Mike
 
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