Cracked butt stock of 56S

[lomalinda]

Got a bit of a hairline crack on the butt stock of an old AK...Anyone have a recommendation as to dealing with it? Is there a "glue" (my wood working knowledge is obviously quite limited) that can be dabbed in there to hold **** together without ruining the appearance of the wood?

[SanPedroShooter]

Its such a hairline crack, the only way your getting anything in there is with a syringe. Does move or wiggle at all? If not, I would leave it untill it becomes an issue and then glue it. Some of my mosins have whats called a kerf. Its a little wedge of wood meant to tighten up cracks. That kind of by hand work is seen anymore, or really necessary on a modern gun, you ust buy a new part....

[lomalinda]

I can make the crack enlarge my torquing the stock a bit...Not sure if it will enlarge with "normal" use, though, since it was recently acquired.

What kind of glue would you recommend?

[SanPedroShooter]

Jeez, I am a finish painter, so I just use wood glue, but there about a million in one glues and epoxys out there. Harbor freight sells a two part epoxy that is damn near indistructable. I have used it on wood, but never to attach wood to wood. I used it on my AK to attach the swing swivel back on to the wood buttstock, and the rear swivel gets a lot of tension put on it from the sling.

If you are going to be torquing it, which I am sure you will just by shooting it, you want to use something really strong that wont split on you. At the point it is, it might be just as well to let it open a bit more, instead of forcing it open to get glue in there, but I would have to look at it. Search around for some wood glue or epoxy that is meant for high stress applications.

Also if you are going to refinsh the stock, make sure you can sand it and stain it, the glue that is. Either that or do a really neat job. If its solvent based epxoy, it may eat some the finish.

I looked at the picture again, and my best guess is left untouched, it might slowly get longer and longer, and that part of the stock may crack off if it is dropped repeatedly from a great height or used to pound tent stakes or fence posts.

What they would do in the old days is cut a kerf right where the crack ends and put a little wooden plug in there to stop the spread. I have a mosin with something just like that. Definitly a war time expendiancy.

I would just keep an eye on it, and check to see if it spreads.
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