strengthening 150 year old Rolling Block stock

ramairthree

Joined: Jan 2012

Posts: 14640

EE: 100% (5)

GA, USA

Posted: 5/8/2026 1:31:06 PM EDT

I am going to be doing some work on a 150 year old carbine.

Over a century ago the fore end was split, and it was chopped, and some resin/pitch spacer used to fit it.
Then, instead of the barrel bands a leather and trade cloth wrap were used.

The leather wrap was super brittle and essentially shattered off since those photos.
The trade cloth also just thinned out to paper as it turned to dust. Nothing really holding on the forend anymore.

I want to keep the original fore end- the gun was my great great grandfather’s given to my great grand father as a dowry.

What would be a good fill for so much space to make it strong and serve as the spacer? Something like JB Steelstik? It’s not your typical bedding job for accuracy.

What makes a good releasing agent to put on the barrel, etc. While shaping and fitting it.

More importantly, I went to a lot of trouble to convert it to centerfire and make ammo for it-
I’m shooting some light loaded 12.7x44R I made for it. The buttstock is also the original 50 year old wood, it slides on to the two prongs of the receiver much like many old lever and pump guns.

These can work like a wedge on old wood and I don’t want to split the buttstock.
Will a regular Accra glass coat and fit be a good strengthener, or is there a stronger option? And what would the releasing agent be for that?

It had not been shot since 1930 or 1940 according to my oldest uncle. It spent decades in a cloth case. When he gave it to me it spent a decade as a wall hanger. Since the old wraps were dead I decided to make it shoot again. Which basically meant casting the chamber to verify it had never been converted, slugging the bore, going from a 12.17x44 rimfire block to a center fire block. Then buying 50 Alaskan brass, cutting it down with a mini table saw and jig, using a case trimmer to fine tune, chamfering it, getting new powders, finding the right size pure lead, lube, bullets, etc.

I never knew my great great grand father. Or my great grandfather. My grandparents from that side of the family were born around 1900. My grandfather died when I was in grade school in the 70s. My grandmother in the 90s. My dad got killed in an accident when I was a kid. One of his brother’s in the 90s. His sister about 20 years ago. My uncle that was in WWII and Korea a decade ago. That whole side is gone other than my cousins, etc.

I’m glad I have it shooting but don’t want to split the buttstock.

Thank you for any pro tips/advice.

ramairthree

Joined: Jan 2012

Posts: 14653

EE: 100% (5)

GA, USA

Posted: 5/17/2026 7:25:22 AM EDT

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Advice/help for bedding/strengthening 150 year old Rolling Block stock

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Advice/help for bedding/strengthening 150 year old Rolling Block stock

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Advice/help for bedding/strengthening 150 year old Rolling Block stock