on the stock of my 9422 coming off of the bottom tang is a small crack. I noticed it when it was about 1/2" long. it is now about an 1" long.

The crack is thin and I cannot open it by trwisting the stock or anything. I also just noticed 2 small cracks about 1/16" starting to come off the upper tang. Is there any way of stopping these cracks, or should I just keep a close eye on them?

I use a belt and occasionally suspenders to stop cracks from forming.....

I've used thin superglue in the past. It gets in deep and I had no further problems. I eventually finished an entire gun in superglue. The application and finishing was very tedious, but it looks great.

MudBogger,
Is the .22 lever rifle newer or bought used?Walnut I assume?

IF the rifle buttstock was inletted properly, and IF the walnut was seasoned properly, the reason why the cracks have developed is probably from low humidity where you live/stor the rifle and the wood shrinking.
The wood ideally should be kept at around 50-60% relative humidity, which equates to about 9-10% wood moisture content over time.
Dryer climates and the wood will continue to shrink, and when fastened in places which have been inletted and are thinner, the wood will crack to try to relieve itself.It's not a recoil issue I'm sure..:)
The thinnest superglue( quality stuff like you can get at a good woodworking supply house Super T etc should do the job to help the cracks from growing longer.
Make a tiny 'dam' out of modeling clay ( 1/8" tall) on either side of the crack and then apply the supergue so it will run down and into the crack without getting all over the finish.
An initial droplet of warm water applied with a syringe will facilitate the CA glue in setting up in the crack.

What's your normal relative humidity out there? Bet it's pretty dry most all year..Wood doesn't like prolonged super low humidity..and neither does house plants and your body..:)Jim

Not sure about the humidity over here. Im right next door to medford.

The little lever was bought new about 12 years ago. it is walnut. What you are saying mekes sense and I am sure that is what has happened due to the fact that my 9422 lives in a scabbard behind the seat in my jeep cherokee. I have since taken it out! I will give the super glue trick a try.

MudBogger,
Been to that part of Oregon and your humidity is low..but it's great country.
Try the superglue treatment, and bring the little rifle indoors and out of the case where the wood can breathe.
This time of year, the interior of that jeep might get over 100F this time of year and things are dry down there( look at the NF fire danger signs)

I've seen all sorts of woodwork and done alot also.
Seen perfectly good well made heirloom hardwood furniture literally come unglued when it travels to a very low humidity area from where it resided for years in the eastern states...

Fitted wood on steel will move and shrink( or expand) ( the steel, screws etc don't change uch or at all) depending on the MC changeing.Moisture content of wood WILL change over days and weeks and gravitate to the ambient humidity to a corresponding moisture content.
Keep your firearms stored in an ambient that's about 50-60% relative humidity and they'll do fine, neither rusting corroding on the metal end nor shrinking-swelling on the wood parts.
Going afield even in extreme weather with a properly finished wood stocked firearm doesn't pose serious problems, so long as it doesn't stay there over long or be neglected with the drying, cleaning, oiling & wax when it comes home.
IF possible, remove the buttstock from the receiver tang to do the superglue treatment.Wipe off all excess superglue as it doesn't dry - cure in air well at all, but only when exposed to moisture and tight fitted joints.
A drop on a slightly damp pair of fingertips and a drop between two pieces of very dry nedia will demonstrate when the CA glues work..and when they don't .Jim

Beat me to it!!

I am not a fan of superglue for repairing stock cracks... It is strong but not very shock resistant.

I drill a tiny hole at the end of the crack and heat the wood thoroughly. Apply a small bead of slow-curing epoxy along the crack including the bare wood on the inletting and cover with saran wrap. The cooling wood will create a vacuum and suck the epoxy in deep.

Clean-up is easy with a sharp knife.
art

Drill a small hole at the end of it. I was told that is what a femals butthole was for.

Sitka: what is the purpose of drilling the small hole?

Stops the split focal point and allows the epoxy to flow better into the damaged area.

gotcha.

WOW u guys got it despite of my humor.

where was the humor?

Me

Sitka Deer, with all deference to your experience, I don't think short of dropping the .22 lever rifle hard on the butt that there's much need for shock( recoil) resistance.

I'd still try the superglue fix and regulating the ambient where the rifle is stored first..One can always go to more extensive efforts afterwards if that doesn't work.
Best regards, Jim

I had a hairline crack on the butt of my 300 Win mag. I drilled a small hole at the end of the crack, and superglued a wood plug in the hole, and got some more in the crack. I was refinishing the stock at the time, so once it was all sanded, and covered in poly, I have had no problems.

Not sure if it was mentioned above so forgive me if I'm being repetitious. Figure out why it cracked in the first place. The majority of the small cracks I've fixed, particularly in the tang area, were due to bedding problems. Problems mostly caused by wood shrinkage over time but sometimes just poor bedding. Don't fix the cause and the crack will likely come back.

FWIW I've had good success with superglue (the good stuff) on shallow hairline cracks and chips where stresses are light. If there's a structural issue then epoxy and possibly carbon arrow shaft reinforcement.

I reserve hole drilling at the end of the crack for cases where the wood is twisting itself apart and the stock won't be replaced for whatever reason. This spreads the splitting force which would otherwise all be focused at the end of the split. Shouldn't be necessary if the crack is caused by improper bedding. Fix the bedding and abnormal force will no longer be focused on the area of the crack. In that case a normal repair without reinforcement should work.

nighthawk
You are exactly correct about fixing the cause before contemplating a fix for the crack. I have had too many repeat problems with superglue to use it for cracks anymore. The epoxy never fails and takes very little effort.

I got a bunch of tiny drills at the Boeing surplus yard years ago and the biggest are in the 50s... smallest are 80, which is .0135"... Tiny. Smaller cracks something around a 70. They disappear under the finish.
art

Thanks for the tip, holes that disappear I can accept. I keep tiny bits for drilling holes in printed circuit boards. Now to work on my patience and try your epoxy method - super-type glues are oh so fast and easy.