Could this be Saved?

[Doco Overboard]

I bought a broken Martini Butt-stock for the sum of the parts, but what a gawd awful beautiful piece of timber.
How would you go about repairing it for 303 shooting?
I'm going to try it.
Yes I know, worn out junk for the dust bin but MH parts no longer abound. And I like a challenge.
How would you go about it, I know there are some talented wood workers here on the forum.

This is what a rusted out stock bolt will do when you turn it. Or, drop it straight down doing drills prior to a range trip on some concreak.
And most importantly, why they were tapered/greased in the middle as best I can tell.
I grabbed it off the evil pay becuase I'm a sucker for junk and cant stand not having it for a project.
Suggestions abound I'm sure I want to learn something other than hey fool, dont try it!

 

[gtodave]

I've got a similar break I plan to fix. Inherited gun. Original owner threw some glue on it and put a bolt through it (no joke). I plan to remove the bolt, drill it out and glue a dowel rod in the hole. Should clean up nice and stain relatively evenly.

i've done some "bow tie" patches on another gun that worked well. Forend was split in two, and these held it together nicely, even when the forend split in another place. I plan to use this on the broken stock as well.

Like this but much smaller.

 

[DutchV]

AcraGlas is your friend, and maybe a couple screws. Not like it's gonna get much worse.

Here's Mark Novak fixing some broken stocks:

 

[wilcam47]

I bought a broken Martini Butt-stock for the sum of the parts, but what a gawd awful beautiful piece of timber.
How would you go about repairing it for 303 shooting?
I'm going to try it.
Yes I know, worn out junk for the dust bin but MH parts no longer abound. And I like a challenge.
How would you go about it, I know there are some talented wood workers here on the forum.

This is what a rusted out stock bolt will do when you turn it. Or, drop it straight down doing drills prior to a range trip on some concreak.
And most importantly, why they were tapered/greased in the middle as best I can tell.
I grabbed it off the evil pay becuase I'm a sucker for junk and cant stand not having it for a project.
Suggestions abound I'm sure I want to learn something other than hey fool, dont try it!

Id clean out the broke piece with rubbing alcohol, let it dry then use titebond iii clamp it together. Wipe off the excess with damp paper towel, Let it dry. Should hold quite well.

 

[Allen65]

Id clean out the broke piece with rubbing alcohol, let it dry then use titebond iii clamp it together. Wipe off the excess with damp paper towel, Let it dry. Should hold quite well.

Some Martinis wore their factory walnut stocks, many had replacement stocks fabricated out of tropical hardwoods in India or elsewhere. If it's an oily tropical wood, Titebond won't properly wet out and won't hold well. Epoxy works better on oily woods, and brass pins perpendicular to the bond line would improve peel strength and impact resistance of the bond.

 

[wilcam47]

Some Martinis wore their factory walnut stocks, many had replacement stocks fabricated out of tropical hardwoods in India or elsewhere. If it's an oily tropical wood, Titebond won't properly wet out and won't hold well. Epoxy works better on oily woods, and brass pins perpendicular to the bond line would improve peel strength and impact resistance of the bond.

True, looks like figured walnut to me. You could glue or epoxy it and drill 3 or 4 perpendicular 1/4 holes and run a 1/4 hardwood dowel and glue/epoxy that in. Also

 

[Doco Overboard]

I use tite bond for a lot of peg and patch which is very strong with good clean wood.
For this one I agree epoxy would offer greater strength.
I think what I’m going to do is epoxy a stub into the tenon clear through the hole for the stock bolt. Clamp. Drill it out afterwards. Then add hardwood dowels lengthwise perpendicular to the stock bolt hole.
I’m also going to have to bore some vents so the epoxy doesn't get air bound and squeeze out when inserting the dowels.
I’m going to try it I think.
The steel buttplate screws and sling swivel are are worth more than total cost of the broken piece so I think it’s worth a save attempt.
Thanks for the reply’s.

 

[Allen65]

I use tite bond for a lot of peg and patch which is very strong with good clean wood.
For this one I agree epoxy would offer greater strength.
I think what I’m going to do is epoxy a stub into the tenon clear through the hole for the stock bolt. Clamp. Drill it out afterwards. Then add hardwood dowels lengthwise perpendicular to the stock bolt hole.
I’m also going to have to bore some vents so the epoxy doesn't get air bound and squeeze out when inserting the dowels.
I’m going to try it I think.
The steel buttplate screws and sling swivel are are worth more than total cost of the broken piece so I think it’s worth a save attempt.
Thanks for the reply’s.

The dowel-fill-and-redrill is what I did for one of the IMA MH dried/cracked stocks that I fixed up a while ago, with the dowel going in through the lever cup hole so it's hidden from the outside by the lever cup. I also ended up milling out along some of the warped cracks where wood had shrunk and disfigured, and inlaid blocks of walnut with epoxy because no amount of clamping was going to get those edges to ever meet again. It looks like an arsenal repair now.

Those carbine sling swivels are hard to find. What's the condition of the lever cup spring? Those are really hard to find.

 

[John from MD]

AcraGlas is your friend, and maybe a couple screws. Not like it's gonna get much worse.

Here's Mark Novak fixing some broken stocks:

I second this. I have done hundreds of stocks with AcraGlas and brass threaded pins. I would also make some saw dust (usually from under the butt pad) and mix it with accraglas which would camouflage the crack repair.

STOCK REPAIR PIN KIT | Brownells

With this Kit, plus ACRAGLAS and a vari-speed drill, you can do quick, easy, sure-to-hold repair jobs on cracked or broken stocks. Pins go in easily, won't further split the stock; cannot pull or shoot out; can be cut off at any length. Made of 'h...

www.brownells.com

 

[gtodave]

This thread really makes me want to start my project, but I have way too much other stuff in front of it.

 

[Doco Overboard]

The dowel-fill-and-redrill is what I did for one of the IMA MH dried/cracked stocks that I fixed up a while ago, with the dowel going in through the lever cup hole so it's hidden from the outside by the lever cup. I also ended up milling out along some of the warped cracks where wood had shrunk and disfigured, and inlaid blocks of walnut with epoxy because no amount of clamping was going to get those edges to ever meet again. It looks like an arsenal repair now.

Those carbine sling swivels are hard to find. What's the condition of the lever cup spring? Those are really hard to find.

I don’t have the stock yet hence my proactive pre repair strategy.
I think it may show up today.
I’ve installed a few of the replacement lever cups made available from the MHS.
Inletting/ fitting them and then drilling for the transverse pin on an already issued stock is a liu liu to say the least.
I only have a very few amount of any Martini spares available to me.
With this stock and a solid repair It will allow me to sister it up to an uncut fore end for some future endeavor maybe or even to swap on one of my shooter 303 carbines.

 

[Magnumite]

class was in session. Thank you, gentlemen.

 

[madmantrapper]

Id clean out the broke piece with rubbing alcohol, let it dry then use titebond iii clamp it together. Wipe off the excess with damp paper towel, Let it dry. Should hold quite well.

I agree, I repair a lot of wood and titebond is great stuff. Make sure you get good clamping.

 

[outrider58]

Id clean out the broke piece with rubbing alcohol, let it dry then use titebond iii clamp it together. Wipe off the excess with damp paper towel, Let it dry. Should hold quite well.

Looks like character grade walnut to me too. I would do this plus,pre-drill a couple of pilots and use course threaded screws to draw the wood tight. Later, after removing the screws, drill out the screw holes and insert dowels.

https://www.rockler.com/dowel-rods-walnut-36-long-choose-size?country=US&sid=V91156&promo=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PL&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuqKqBhDxARIsAFZELmKv6Ewu4GqYl0bDQohfZF7U7lt9BHNUporEg1z_Z2zOvWjfQAdWivMaAiRgEALw_wcB

 

[D&Ds]

Looks like character grade walnut to me too. I would do this plus,pre-drill a couple of pilots and use course threaded screws to draw the wood tight. Later, after removing the screws, drill out the screw holes and insert dowels.

https://www.rockler.com/dowel-rods-walnut-36-long-choose-size?country=US&sid=V91156&promo=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_content=pla&utm_campaign=PL&gclid=Cj0KCQiAuqKqBhDxARIsAFZELmKv6Ewu4GqYl0bDQohfZF7U7lt9BHNUporEg1z_Z2zOvWjfQAdWivMaAiRgEALw_wcB

I like that, good idea

 

[DutchV]

A video that might be a better fit for the OP's issue:

 

[Doco Overboard]

He's using the acra gel in the video it looks like to me.
Acra glass is runny and drips, making it hard to manage.
If you dye with the black and the crack is close and you can close it up tight once the compound flashes over, scrape as much as you can off with a razor blade prior to it completely hardening.
Black dye is best for guns with working authentic wood work thats not being completely worked over.
The whole trick to making a repair that doesn't jump out is determining the best method to close it tightly as it can be done.
Once you run a razor blade over it at nearly a right angle, they almost disappear.

 

[Doco Overboard]

I've got a similar break I plan to fix. Inherited gun. Original owner threw some glue on it and put a bolt through it (no joke). I plan to remove the bolt, drill it out and glue a dowel rod in the hole. Should clean up nice and stain relatively evenly.

i've done some "bow tie" patches on another gun that worked well. Forend was split in two, and these held it together nicely, even when the forend split in another place. I plan to use this on the broken stock as well.

Like this but much smaller.

Yes Dutchman. They do not always need to be now tie shaped often armorers inlet them in strips.
Some hand guards have them manufactured into them to create additional strength.
I notice in your image the grain is opposite the boards grain which makes for better strength so the repair wood doesn't split out. Is what I think.

 

[WHBD]

Any updates on this project?

My first go to is acraglas or titebond combined with brass pins to reenforce. I like to sand the stock down first, mix the dust with the epoxy to match the stock more closely and with the pins recessed beneath the surface, fill the holes in with said dust filled epoxy then sand and refinish.

 

[303_enfield]

Pins and horse glue. Then put it on a BSA .22 or wall g HD hanger.

My .02