Hello All,

Some of what I am hoping to learn here is if I should just stop.

This 38-40 saddle-ring Model 92 was made, I believe, in 1896.
All of my 57 years it has had a taped up stock that was split. I do not know anything past it has been in my northern MN family longer than that. How long, I don’t know. 

The stock split almost clean in half at the back/butt but along one side of the tang at the front. Somebody put three screws into the butt stock, puttied them over…possibly glued it before screwing but there is no evidence of glue squeezing out anywhere it must all be internal. Except for the bottom and butt of the stock, the crack was visible and 1-2mm wide. They had taped up the tang area right under the lever and behind the hammer with black friction tape that was there, holding well, my whole life.

I took it to a gunsmith who said it wasn’t worth so damn much money that I was going to ruin it’s value by continuing to shoot it and mending the stock. Some other folks I respect and who know guns said they would likely glue up the old one or get a replica stock.

But perhaps it IS worth a lot and I shouldn’t do one single thing more to it.

I already pulled the tape off. There was the black tape I spoke about at the tang, but also way at the butt end some different tape that was crumbling. I strapped it down hard with some gauze/athletic tape that has held for almost 10 years.

The butt is raw wood and does not appear to have any notches where a metal butt-plate may have gone. I have no idea if it is the original stock, but if it was replaced it was more than 60 years ago.

Since I cut off the tape and sanded away the tape glue, etc…I decided I would leave the screws in and glue up all the exposed cracks. With all of that done and dried I have tried to sand off the excess glue without hitting the original finish any more than I had to. You can see the pictures where the stock has been re-assembled and has no tape. I plan to put a leather ammo holder/buttstock/recoil pad piece on when completed to hide the repair job and provide butt-end coverage.

So…if the consensus is I should go ahead with my repairs…where the stock meets the tang and tiny cheek wood pieces fit into half-moon hollows on the receiver are the parts that I think took the most damage and effect the stocks stability. Look for the pictures where I show the wood meeting the tang. I really want to know if I did a great job of filling those spaces with fiberglass resin or wood filler or more glue…am I flirting with ruining the value and integrity of the rifle more than if I leave it alone?

(BTW – car top canoe carrier foam blocks make great holders/stands I discovered by chance…since I have no good gun vice or grippers)

Thanks to all
D