Trapdoor stock adjustment

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  • Last Post 02 December 2015
tlkeizer posted this 01 December 2015

Greetings,   The Springfield Model 1773 Trapdoor 45-70 that I use mostly had the stock cut off by the barrel band, and now is held on in the back by the barrel band and two heavy finishing nails that had the heads cut off; the nails go into the stock in two holes.  No, not by me but long before I received the rifle.  I had the stocks parts glued together with some epoxy, but that did not hold up to firing.  Also, the barrel band is not a tight fit to the wood. What I am thinking of doing is when it warms up for shooting again clean and re-epoxy the two parts, and then put silicon caulking between the wood and the barrel and let that set.  Either that, or make some brass bands that extend onto the base and forearm and either screw them to the wood or make some tenons to hold the brass.  The stock has been cut and re-finished sometime in the past so it in not a collectors piece.  I would like a stock that holds together.  It appears sometime in the past someone, maybe my grandfather long before I was born, thought about sporterizing the rifle, but since the barrel band fits over the small piece of forearm the sporterizing of the stock was never done. TK

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delmarskid1 posted this 01 December 2015

I siliconed a .22 stock along it's barrel channel once. It shot miserably and was a bear to remove. Just one experience of course. Meaning that I will never do it again.

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Brodie posted this 02 December 2015

tlkeiser, You didn't mention how thick the forstock is where it is broken.  If there is enough wood I would dowel or pin the pieces together when you apply the epoxy to glue it back together.  It's a common practice when gluing end grain stock together and adds a fair amount of strength.  You might also cut a mortise in the stock ( a channel or groove running length wise across the break) and fill it with Marine Tex (or Tech's) a two part epoxy that is very strong.  If you want to use that to bed against the barrel be SURE TO WAX THE BARREL WHERE IT WILL CONTACT THE MARINE TEX.  If you don't wax the barrel the stuff will stick to it and I doubt if you will ever get it apart again.  Also, you can build up the bottom of the fore stock  with epoxy and take up some of the slack in that loose barrel band.

I hope this helps. Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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RicinYakima posted this 02 December 2015

Brodie has the way I have done '03 stocks; dowels and quality epoxy, not the hardware store stuff. Ric

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tlkeizer posted this 02 December 2015

Greetings, Thank you guys. I will not use the silicon, no sense in learning that the hard way.

I will see about removing the nail pins, enlarging the holes for dowel rods so more hold can be done by the epoxy, and see about mortising the stock side and maybe a little on the forearm side. I have a friend that may have some Marine Tex; if not then I will search for some next time I am in the big city. I will also see about building up the forearm.

The break is under the back barrel band next to the stock portion where the two sizes of wood abut.

I have an old ramrod that I think in hickory, about as good a wood as I can use (needs reduction in size of course)?

TK

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Brodie posted this 02 December 2015

If you are using epoxy to glue to pins or dowels in an the pieces together you can use steel pins or dowels .  They don't have to be made of wood.  Just rough them up with some sand paper or a file to give the epoxy something to hold on to.  You can also mix metal filings with the epoxy or fiberglass dust or cuttings to give it strength.  Just be sure to wax any metal that you don't want to be glued to the stock so it can act as a release agent.  Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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