Stock missing around lock, any chance to repair?

[King Johhny]

Hello! I was hoping to get some insight on this here. I have worked repairing gun stock before but never on a percussion firearm. I am looking at buying the M1842 musket in the pictures, and as you can see it’s missing a chunk around the top of the trigger/lock area. Would this be repairable at all? I imagine the cutouts and all for the lock are precise so i would just have to get a new stock if I ever wanted to shoot it, correct? Any insight would be appreciated, I’m just not familiar with working on this type of gun. Thanks!

 

[Scota@4570]

This is not a repair for the inexperienced. I have done something very similar on a trapdoor. I split off a piece of similar walnut and matched the grain orientation. I flatted off the stock and repair piece in the milling machine. I epoxied in place and included brass threaded rod to add strength. I then inletted the new to match the missing old. The repair was nearly invisible.

 

[64Springer]

There is enough surface area there that a repair would be sound enough to shoot.

Bring your prior stock work A-Game though.

You'll need really good and flat prep work of the old wood for the new wood to mate properly.

Personally, I would drill into old and new and add some pins and deal with the appearance of the pin ends for what it is.

If you think it's beyond your capabilities, farm it out.

 

[King Johhny]

There is enough surface area there that a repair would be sound enough to shoot.

Bring your prior stock work A-Game though.

You'll need really good and flat prep work of the old wood for the new wood to mate properly.

Personally, I would drill into old and new and add some pins and deal with the appearance of the pin ends for what it is.

If you think it's beyond your capabilities, farm it out.

Ok, I was thinking I’d have to use pins as well.

This is not a repair for the inexperienced. I have done something very similar on a trapdoor. I split off a piece of similar walnut and matched the grain orientation. I flatted off the stock and repair piece in the milling machine. I epoxied in place and included brass threaded rod to add strength. I then inletted the new to match the missing old. The repair was nearly invisible.

I do like the brass rod idea as well, did you thread it into the wood at all or was it all epoxy?

As far as the cutout for the lock, is it just a hole? So I don’t have to worry about the right depth or anything ?

Thanks!

 

[64Springer]

You don't have to tap/thread the wood. Just insert small threaded brass rod with epoxy.

As for the woodwork, it is very detailed inletting/carving. From the pictures, the lock mortise will need to be reworked too. A blending of old and new wood.

It's not just a hole.

Search: Percussion Lock Mortise Pictures. It will give you a better idea of what you're biting off.

 

[King Johhny]

You don't have to tap/thread the wood. Just insert small threaded brass rod with epoxy.

As for the woodwork, it is very detailed inletting/carving. From the pictures, the lock mortise will need to be reworked too. A blending of old and new wood.

It's not just a hole.

Search: Percussion Lock Mortise Pictures. It will give you a better idea of what you're biting off.

Thanks for the info! How would I know what to inlet and how deep? Will it Match up to the lock? I’ve search online for some schematics of that area but can’t seem to find much.

 

[64Springer]

This is what you're up against.

Not terribly hard if you have hand skills and patience.

Buy the rifle and dig into it.

It's the only you'll know.

Good luck.

 

[King Johhny]

This is what you're up against.

Not terribly hard if you have hand skills and patience.

Buy the rifle and dig into it.

It's the only you'll know.

Good luck.

Sounds like a plan!

Thank you!

 

[FlinterNick]

Well there are generally two ways, and a few others.

1. Graph on wood with titebond and epoxy and blend to the stock, this is an ok method, however the gun will appear repaired.

2. Restock with a copy from a blank.

There is no ideal solution to this, most want wood repairs to be unnoticed or unblemished, which is almost never the case.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Dang. I know that's way beyond my skrillz...

I just checked S&S's website and their M1842 stocks are out of stock.

Parts rifle? I think one of the guys here was building a '42 from parts. He might know a good source. I can't remember his handle.

 

[FlinterNick]

Dang. I know that's way beyond my skrillz...

I just checked S&S's website and their M1842 stocks are out of stock.

Parts rifle? I think one of the guys here was building a '42 from parts. He might know a good source. I can't remember his handle.

I wouldn’t use a pre-carve, id copy the existing one, the tolerances will be much closer with extra wood to customize

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

I wouldn’t use a pre-carve, id copy the existing one, the tolerances will be much closer with extra wood to customize

Right on. I am a -zero craftsman when it comes to wood. Not that much better with metal. I can kinda fix a lock though!

I would be trying to find an original stock in decent shape, and fit the parts into it.

 

[gemmer]

Hello! I was hoping to get some insight on this here. I have worked repairing gun stock before but never on a percussion firearm. I am looking at buying the M1842 musket in the pictures, and as you can see it’s missing a chunk around the top of the trigger/lock area. Would this be repairable at all? I imagine the cutouts and all for the lock are precise so i would just have to get a new stock if I ever wanted to shoot it, correct? Any insight would be appreciated, I’m just not familiar with working on this type of gun. Thanks!

On Ebay, there is a cut down 1842 musket stock in very good shape. You could remove an oversize section from it and graft it to yours. Better yet, take the forearm from yours and graft it to the one on Ebay.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

This is not a repair for the inexperienced. I have done something very similar on a trapdoor. I split off a piece of similar walnut and matched the grain orientation. I flatted off the stock and repair piece in the milling machine. I epoxied in place and included brass threaded rod to add strength. I then inletted the new to match the missing old. The repair was nearly invisible.

This is what you want to do. The stock will be sound enough to shoot after the repair, but I have my doubts about the inside of that barrel.

 

[2 shots]

looks like someone was working on it with a hammer if you want a shooter might be best to check the barrel and breech to make sure its safe before you put the time and money into it. dont know what you can get it for but good 42's are not that expensive. best of luck with it if you get it.

 

[Eric Krewson]

If you have never done a scratch build or a complicated repair shy away from this one, some of us could do the repair but not complete newbie.