I've been on the C&R section for the last few weeks seeking advice. I ended up purchasing a K11 from Simpson and, although I am in LOVE with the gun and glad I got it, I'm somewhat disappointed with the condition/description of the stock.

Disclaimer: The website said "small crack on each side of the tang" so I expected a rather small crack (maybe an inch or so). The crack has been "arsenal repaired" but it doesn't look like they addressed the actual crack.

I'm considering trying the repair myself. There is a pretty good writeup on Surplusrifleforum.com, I'm considering following that topic.

So.... What should I do? If you select other, please describe!








Edit: Yes, I realize I spelled Gorilla wrong, I can't change it..

With the wooden dowel repairs that were done I doubt there will be any further spreading of the crack. I would just shoot it and keep an eye on it to make sure it does not progress any.

This is definitely a collectible stock. It's an all matching K11.

The repair is most certainly sound. I can not open up the crack or close it.

My only concern was how it looks. I think filling in the crack would make it look much better.. It's obviously been arsenal repaired, I don't think filling in the cracks would reduce the value any more than it has already been reduced by having a crack. Honestly, I'll probably never sell it.

If it don't flex like you said then I wouldn't do anything to it. It gives the gun character.

Another option that will preserve the gun's refurbished character but also make the opened crack less susceptible to future damage is to fill it with epoxy dyed with ground charcoal.  Instead of trying to hide the crack, you will be highlighting the crack and arsenal repair.

I would ask Candyman on how to proceed. Or, just send it to him and let him do his magic, the multiple axis would require more experience than I would have.

This is the kind of repair I'd do for cosmetic purposes.  I would guess a lot of us milsurp nuts have at least one or two old "bubba'd" stocks to use as a source for fine sawdust that will match other stocks reasonably well.

I have always said that there is then one way to skin a cat and even more ways to repair a stock.
The one thing you never want to use is Wood Glue. The reason is wood glue sticks to things very good, but does not stick to itself very good. Also oil and solvents attack the glue and cause it to break down. We all use oil and solvents on our guns.
Epoxies work best, but you need to use the right type. Some dry to fast, get to hard and brittle or don't get hard enough.
I have been repairing stocks for almost 24 years and have found that Acraglas works the best. I also like Devcon 2 Ton Epoxy clear with the 30 min set time. Both of these are not effected by oils and solvents once they have cured.
Now to talk about the arsenal repair on the stock in this topic.
It is a basic, Drill, dowel, glue. It is a good repair but the parts were not clamped together very well when the repair was done or it has started to come apart with use.
You have three options.
#1 Leave as is
#2 Reinforce the old repair
#3 Completely redo the repair
#1 is the easiest, do nothing and hope that it holds.
#2 Not to hard, drill into the cracks from inside the stock, using epoxy and dowels. The crack can be filled with epoxy, mixed with sanding dust, but will still show.
#3 This will take a little more work. First the old repair will have to be removed. That is remove the dowels by drilling them out. Use a solvent to remove the glue and clean the area.
Once you have it cleaned and able to clamp the crack tight, with the crack clamped tight, drill into the stock from inside the action. Drill into the crack from the back of the tang cut toward the front. This will allow the epoxy to have a larger surface to hold. Work epoxy into the crack and fill the holes. Insert dowels (bamboo skewers work best) and clamp. You could then drill from inside the action (down) and insert dowels.
Now for the holes from the old repair. Once everything has cured drill into the holes insert dowels with epoxy. Once the epoxy has cured use a forstner bit to counter sink the top of the dowels. Then plug with cross grain plugs made with wood that closely matches the woof of the stock.
Then all that is left is to dress up the area and blend the finish.

Wow. Thanks for the detailed explanation of my options. I like option 3, and it doesn't sound too hard, but I'm not sure my skills are up to the task quite yet; this would be my first stock repair.

I'm inclined to leave it like it is, but I'm worried the crack might get worse over time to the point where it is unsafe to shoot.

Any chance you want to take on an "advanced" project :) I've seen all of your work, and it's

Also, any advice for a solvent that would remove whatever the arsenal used to glue the dowel that also wouldn't destroy the wood?

Thanks so much!

oftentimes in woodworking projects I will mix a little saw dust from the wood im working with into the glue to fill cracks. you could get some sawdust by sanding the end of the stock under the butt plate.

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I have over 40 gun projects of my own right now and with my full time job it leaves my very little time to do stock work these days.
If you would like me to discus the repair over the phone with you, send me another PM over at Surplusrifleforum and I'll send you my phone number.

Here is a tip for those that mix wood with a filler. Sanding dust will word much better then saw dust. When you mix sanding dust with an epoxy it will get darker so, you don't want to use the same color wood. You want a lighter shade of wood. To tell what color you will end up with wet the sanding dust with a little denatured alcohol. The wet look is the color you will get when mixed with epoxy.
I keep different colors of sanding dust in small cups and stack the cups together to keep the dust in them. I stack them from light to darker to make it easy to find the color I need.