Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only My Whitworth woes continue....need help!!!

I have already posted about the roughness of this action. This is the 458. Gun appeared unfired and I stand by that.

But I removed from the stock and I previously missed this crack in between the magwell and trigger well. What should I do to fix? Is this cosmetic only or could this extend down the stock. I have not shot it yet but did plan to shoot it next weekend.

Looks like a cracked stock? I'd use an appropriately sized dowel pin through that cracked solid section and glue the rest up. Has it been bedded? Bedding compound can be used to strengthen it as well. Looks like a project. I have one or two stocks in the works right now.

1. Install a crossbolt and use loctite 420 for the crack.

Or

2. Mill a slot across the crack. Install a small titanium rod or carbon rod with bedding compound. Glue remaining crack with loctite 420.

Use loctite 420 to seal cracks in selfbows. It is penetrating and tough. The flexing limbs do not cause it to release.

Certainly bed the complete action after the stock is repaired.

I have had several several of these rifles in 375 H&H and a couple in 458 Winchester. From memory, all have cracked in that location. All were used rifles, so I don't know the history. I expect this crack when I buy one.

It is definitely repairable. I would not let this discourage me.

I still have 3 of these rifles. If I wanted a reasonably priced commercial Mauser, I would have no hesitation buying another.

...What CRS said.

Installing cross bolt or milling anything is probably not in my skillset or knowledge set. I'm probably going to need to find someone to help

Always expected if not a cross bolt there, either
visible with exterior decorative nuts/escutcheons,
or simply a hidden piece of 1/4" steel all thread inletted and buried under epoxy bedding.
See the thread you started about where to find brass.

That crack can allow splitting rearward into the tang and grip or even forward around the magazine well.
It must be fixed.

When WRAC first started shipping the M70 African .458 WM in 1956
they had one crossbolt and no secondary recoil lug on the barrel.
All stocks quickly cracked.
Late 1956 models had added the barrel lug,
but that was not enough.
Early 1957 models had the second, visible cross bolt in the web between magazine well and trigger well in addition to the first one
behind the primary action recoil lug AND the barrel recoil lug.
Finally WRAC got it right.
They quit having to replace walnut stocks on the African.

Fix your stock and it will be better than new.

Borrow a page from Remington's book and install a piece of threaded brass rod. Drill a hole through the stock from side to side through that crack, fill the crack with epoxy, same for the hole and rod, slide the rod in place, clamp up the stock and let the epoxy set up. Dress down the brass rod. when all is set up, bed your action and recoil lug. Then ensure the rear tang has a wee bit of clearance.

Thanks all appreciate the info. Who can I send it to have this done right for a reasonable cost and timeframe? I already overpaid with auction fees so this just buries me more in this rifle and I haven't fired a round. The described fixes are not in my wheelhouse. I take on a lot of project and am fairly handy but this is not in my space to make it look right and original.

Here is a pic of the rest of the stock. If it thought i could pull off the remington method does the rest of the stock look bedded good enough?

The bedding looks good, usual factory job,
assuming the tang is relieved, and the Mauser spacer is around the rear action screw.
That acts like a pseudo pillar to prevent wood compression at the rear of the action.
Putting a real, fixed pillar at rear never hurts.
The Mauser bolster around the front action screw can also be made to fit inside a larger pillar
if you really want to gild the lilly.
But you need a cross bolt through your cracked web.
A tiny brass pin like Remington uses is not as strong as a hidden piece of steel allthread.
"Dressing down" the brass pin's exposed ends might end up with needing to refinish entire stock.

The steel threads on bolt shown here is 0.234" OD (15/64").
Cut off the head of bolt and you have over 2" of allthread to work with:



The 1/2" allthread shown above, can be used as a long axis rod in grip.

Whatever wood is removed in the cracked web area will be filled in with epoxy and steel.
Stronger than when new.



Get a Dremel Tool with a wood-cutting spud and start undermining into the sides of the web on either side of the crack,
then make the holes meet in the middle and keep hogging until the allthread will lie in the trough,
below flush. Then fill and cover all with a good epoxy.
Release agent on floor plate to flatten the epoxy to flush.
Or press any flat surface with vinyl tape wrap and release agent over the epoxy to flatten flush as it hardens.
This is not a critical bedding surface.
JB-Weld Original Formula is excellent for this.
I have done entire barrel channels and actions with it on synthetic and walnut stocks.

The hidden allthread also works well behind barrel recoil lug to further gild the recoil lilly,
use 3/8" or 1/2" diameter there:

Carbide "Burr Tree" spud for Dremel Tool:





Archimedes once said: "Give me a Dremel Tool and a good spud and I can hide a cross bolt anywhere."

Looks good, I had a complete crack in the same location on a Sako.L61R 7mm mag . I used a oval butt end of a hammer, the narrow width slid into the mag well rotated the handle which cammed open the cracked area. I then put titebond 3 glue in there and uncammed the hammer handle. I then used a padded c clamp on the outside at he cracked web and let it set 1/2 hr. At this point I shaved off all excess glue.let it set over nite and removed the clamp. So far so good...mb

This

I also use a heat gun to warm things up, so the glues flow well into the cracks. I use a lot of glue and just clean off the excess, scrape etc.

From a guy who really knows rifle building.

Well I went and did it. 24hr from now we will know if I succeeded. I would never have tried it without Riflecrank detailed picks and instruction.

Of course you could also duplicate the stock if you like it so much and know it will be right from the start.

I hope it turns out well. It's a nice rifle. Too bad the stock was cracked. I guess it could have been much worse though. Hopefully you caught it in time and put a stop to it cracking out more.

Rifle crank, let ur blz drop and get some real 1/4" shank burr grinders.

A dremel is a girl's toy from a happy meal. Doesn't have the grunt for real work.

Can port a chainsaw cylinder same time you hog out some cheap plastic to accept aluminum bottom metal and steel AI mags.