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1896 vintage Model 92 - questions about fixing a cracked stock
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DickTater
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May 23, 2023 - 7:29 pm
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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

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DickTater
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May 24, 2023 - 4:51 am
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OK sorry I meant to edit that first post…but it first went to a moderator and I also was having issues uploading pics.
Will try again.

before I took the plunge and took the tape off.

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car-top canoe pads are handy

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these last 2 photos show some of the gap issue I was asking about. I could mask off the tang or use vaseline or oil on the tang like a release agent and pack the gap with wood glue/sawdust mixed into a wet paste and inject or cram it in until the gaps are filled. 

Or I could try to fashion some long, super slender dry shims. I bought some synthetic shrink tubing…meant for athletics like bike handlebars or tennis racket handles…that I plan to put back in place of the black tape since I think it will help keep the repaired stock from re-splitting and will allow the wood to ‘grip’ the metal along the tangs and stabilize the stock and keep it usable for the next 20 years.

I might also get a leather butt-stock and recoil pad. If I can’t find a smallish and tight one that I can really tie with some tension…I might trim the leather down until I make it too small so I can reef on it.
for example:
31wngn-xsrL._SS142_.jpgImage Enlarger
I would be glad of any suggestions or input from you knowledgeable folks.

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DickTater
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May 26, 2023 - 3:11 pm
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The pics I posted kinda messed up the message format. At first they were visible while you read…now they are not showing but if you click on them you can see them.

I would appreciate anyone who  knows old guns chiming in…I am at a point where I could put one more screw in this stock before I put it back on the gun for keeps. I would like an opinion before I do and I can post pics of exactly what I am planning. But I won’t if there isn’t any interest.

Thanks
D

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May 26, 2023 - 4:53 pm
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I can’t open your pics.  Not sure if others can?  Without the pics I can’t help.

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DickTater
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May 26, 2023 - 5:55 pm
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Not sure what happened to them, they were visible one day and not the next. But I click on them twice and they appear…opening in a new tab.
Can you try that? Click on it once, then a weird windows pops up and I click that a 2nd time and voila.

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DickTater
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May 26, 2023 - 5:58 pm
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Maybe somebody could enlighten me on how to embed the photos properly, I can’t make the message editor embed them…it pops up a dialogue asking for a source instead of a ‘browse my computer’ option. I also don’t seem to be able to EDIT any posts, thus I have to just create new posts instead of making a correction or fixing the photos.

So, since I can’t browse my computer for pics I made links to my google-drive-pics…that is what I did in the post where pics are squirrely. Otherwise I couldn’t add them at all.

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May 28, 2023 - 5:24 am
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Being a WACA Guest, I believe you will have to use a 3rd party picture hosting website to post on the forum. Only Full members are supposed to be able to post directly from their computer to the forum.

Sincerely,

Maverick

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