Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Broken stock repair

I have a Cooper m21 varminter .204 Ruger stock that is broken in a staircase pattern at the wrist. It is AA Clairo Walnut and was wondering if this would be cost effective to repair?

The previous barreled action has been sold, but I was also considering if I could put another action in this? Cooped will not sell me just a barreled action.

Probably not worth the cost to repair, especially if it has been beating around for a long time since it broke. People always want to stick the pieces together and in the process complicate the repair a great deal...

If it's any consolation, save the pieces and have some nice knife scales made from the best sections.

It was a new rifle that the stock was broken in shipment. UPS paid for it. I though about using the wood for another project, but its like a $400 stock.

You could likely make it into a two-piece stock on a number of different actions.

I never thought of that. Do you know a what actions might work?

Not without seeing what is left...

What's the best service to post pics here?

I use imgur from both my iPhone or my laptop.

You can post them in the image gallery down at the bottom of this forum and use that to host for posting here as well.

[img]https://imgur.com/a/iwBdJrf[/img]

Nice replair.

I'd drill a deep hole thru the rear of the action inlet, beginning right behind the rear action screw, extending into the pistol grip, epoxy a threaded rod across the fracture line for added support. Some use brass, I'd go with steel...

DF

i'd do something similiar to above and use acraglass in the busted areas. its worth a try and won't hurt anything.

First, stop putting it together and taking it apart... each time you do you are going to lose tiny pieces and push the edges around. It actually looks like a fairly easy repair as they go with some potential for making it really sound looking.

I would drill in both directions and insert a quality walnut dowel bedded in epoxy. Make it as large as possible.

To do it I start by cleaning out the fibers more than about 1/8" from the edges on both faces. They will prevent the pieces from coming together perfectly and it is impossible to line them all up, especially if the pieces have been bouncing around for a while.

Do not use any metal pins. They always fail and never look good. Also, the metal will move far more than wood during temperature changes and fail at the joint face (metal to epoxy.)

What about using a piece of fiberglass rod?

Paul

Sitka deer;
Good afternoon to you sir, I hope the beginning of August has been acceptable for you folks and this finds you and your fine family well.

Without looking at my records and going off of an increasingly foggy memory, I'd guess that there's at least a half dozen and perhaps as many as a dozen rifle stocks being used around the 3 western provinces that I've repaired in that exact way. Oh, I just thought of another one after I'd typed that!

Anyways I used to use a metal rod - usually a threaded rod - but after some research and I want to say discussions with yourself here, I've switched to hardwood dowels. Since I don't have a lathe I'm not able to make my own out of similar wood to the stock, but again there's a good handful of arms being used that have been repaired in exactly that way.

I've had grand success with a product called G2 which has the consistency of honey more or less and seems to have a robust bond as well as the ability to really get into the pores of the wood a tad better than a gel epoxy might.

All the best to you folks Sitka and good luck to the OP on the stock whichever way he decides.

Dwayne

Thanks for all the replies. I don't think i could do a good job by myself. Is there anyone here that would be comfortable here doing this repair for a fee, or trade item?

G2 and G3 were (are) my favorite epoxy formulations for general use. Unfortunately, on the US side of the Medicine Line they have not been available since IF was bought by West. And that was a lot of moons ago. I have been playing with various formulations since trying to get the respective viscosities and 24/48 hour cures.

If you ever need a specific dowel just holler and I will get one headed your way promptly. Steps and exact lengths are very easy.
art

While it should work, it would be quite heavy compared to wood and not as easy to come by. If you could get hollow rod and fill it with fluffed epoxy you would have plenty of strength and no weight disadvantage. Even a shock of arrow shafts or rod sections bedded in epoxy would work well but would be difficult to work with.

Sitka deer;
Good afternoon Art, thanks for the reply sir.

After I typed out my reply I wondered to myself if it was you who actually first recommended G2 to me, it strikes me that it might have been you know?

The G2 I have is the same stuff I bought way, way back then, as they say I suppose, a little has proven to go a long ways.

There's a place here called Lee Valley Tools which stocks G2 and they're absolutely a mail order place, but perhaps they won't cross the medicine line with chemicals?

Shipping would be insane, that much is for sure. Honestly I'm used to now paying half again as much for the shipping as I do for most mail order stuff up here and if I'm crossing the medicine line with it, then exchange, duty and brokerage fees often double the cost of the item.

That means of course I try to buy big containers!

Thanks much for the dowel offer sir, that's very kind of you and I'll indeed keep it in the back of my head as one never knows what the next project coming down the driveway might be!

All the best to you and yours as we head into fall Art.

Dwayne