K98 Mauser Stock Repair - Need Help!

dcloco

Friends K98 Mauser with a laminate stock is cracked from the rear bolt and heading to the comb of the stock.

Crack is visible behind the trigger guard and on/at the combo.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Fatstrat

Sounds like a pretty serious crack. Fortunantly the 98K is a Milsurp which has lots of parts, including stocks sets available at fairly reasonable prices.
But if you want to try a repair, I can suggest something that has worked (so far) for me.
Super glue. Preferably the ones that come in a small bottle.
1st remove the action from the stock. You don't want to take any chances of glueing the action to the wood. Then just start filling the crack w/the glue. Pour some in, wait a few minutes until it dries, then add some more. Do this until you completely fill the crack.
Someone else might have a better idea, but this has worked so far on a couple of cracked stocks I have.
One is 410. shotgun buttstock cracked similiarly to the one you describe. (crack visible on both top and bottom, running thru wrist of stock.)
The other was a Lithgow Enfield that cracked forward of the magizine on the bottom. I used a clamp on that one to close the crack after adding glue. Held for me for several years. I've since sold the rifle to a friend who reports it's still holding. Good luck.

zipperzap

For a real bad crack like that I'd repalce it. Once they go that far I think superglue won't do much.

2?

D.S.COLE

Here is how I would fix what you describe.
Take the butt plate off and as you describe the crack should be crossways of the butt . If this right ,drill a quarter inch hole in the center of the crack toward the comb, use a long bit and go all the way to the end of the crack . You have a hole inside the stock that cant be seen . Fill the crack with Brownells acra-gel mixed with a little of the brown dye that comes with it to match the wood color.Now press a a piece of hardwood dowel that fits fairly firm but doesnt spread the crack, all the way down the hole. you may have to spin a quarter inch dowel against some sandpaper to get the proper fit as the hole and dowel are the same. Now clamp it tight in padded vise .If your vise isnt big enough use surgical tubeing or twist a a loop of heavy cord around it to close it tight as possible .The dowel forces the epoxy in the crack and the epoxy sets up around the dowel and it is strong as new.

nononsense

dcloco,

There are a dozen ways to fix these types of cracks but until you fix what's causing the crack, the problem will persist.

I start by relieving the area right behind the tang.

Relieve the area behind the recoil lug, degrease both areas and do a correct bedding job.

It also sounds like the biggest problem is the rear action screw and the 'pillar' spacer that sits in the stock. If there isn't enough clearance for the screw and spacer, it will act like a recoil lug and cause the split in the stock. Drill out the hole for more clearance.

This is really brief and not meant to be a complete course in Mauser stock making. If you need more information, it might be wise to contact a local gunsmith or friend that has some skill in this department.

Best.