12BVSS .308 crack in stock around rear pillar

I just took my bvss apart to look at bedding it and found a crack right in the center of the inletting on both sides of the rear pillar and looks to go all the way to the floor of the stock.

The pillar is loose and wobbles somewhat. Is this something i can fix when I bed it or is it now just pretty firewood? I would hate to go and bed it just to have it be a problem later on down the road. In the attached pics you can see a darker line on each side front and rear of the pillar.

[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/sgregory/0903091713a.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/sgregory/0903091713a.jpg[/img]

I'd knock that pillar out, clean out the pillar hole well and epoxy it back in when you bed the rifle. The glued-in pillar will reinforce that crack so it shouldn't cause any problems.

In addition to Lou's advice, I would inject some Gorilla glue into the crack (with a glue tip) and clamp it for a day. Then I might consider putting a threaded brass pin (brownell's sells them) through the stock at the crack (easy to do and couldn't hurt a thing).

Or...pre drill the hole for a 3" goldie screw...and cut off the ends....after you apply a little glue to it.

Shane, did you attempt any fixes on this yet?????

Just wondering as I noticed my vlp stock has something similar, although mine looks smaller. Mine actually looks like the stock split a little where the laminate is glued together. Dont look like theres anyway to get glue in there unless you drill into the split first.

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Originally Posted by pdog06

Shane, did you attempt any fixes on this yet?????

Just wondering as I noticed my vlp stock has something similar, although mine looks smaller. Mine actually looks like the stock split a little where the laminate is glued together. Dont look like theres anyway to get glue in there unless you drill into the split first.

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Same here, very small crack in area where the rear pillar is. The pillar is still solid but my recent bedding job has a slight crack in the bottom so I am concerned about it getting larger and bedding being less effective.
Was thinking of Gorilla Glue like "Eric in NC" (its a great product) but not sure how to get it deep into the crack.

If you heat up Epoxy you can get it to run like water. Makes it easier wick it into cracks. I stick it in a microwave or use a heat gun.

As Lou said - hot epoxy runs like water or you can hog out material to get glue in, or just drill a smaller through hole, clamp the heck out of the stock, coat the threaded brass rod (about 1/8" diameter) I mentioned earlier with glue, run it in with a drill and cut/file it off flush with your stock.

Oh and another trick I learned from an old 1903 collector was heated glue (gorilla glue or epoxy - whatever floats your boat) on waxed dental floss. You can put the floss in a crack, run drops of the glue along the floss into the crack (syrenge or glue tip needed) and "floss" the crack before clamping it up with a padded clamp. (hope that makes sense).

Takes some practice to get the feel and you will need to monitor for glue "foaming" out of the crack as it dries.

I just got off the phone with a local gunsmith about this to see if he had any ideas. Very nice guy to talk to. He told me to bring it up and he can fix it for about $35.

He said he drills into it from the magbox side with his milling machine and basically cuts a horizontal slot in it, along with a vertical slot on each end. He then uses what he called a "T-bolt"(basically looks like a bolt/screw with a head on both ends) and epoxies it into this slot. He says the combo of the epoxy and the T-bolt will not allow the laminate to split any further.

So basically the finished job can only be seen from the magboxwith the action out(minimal evasive surgery ;)), and is as strong as drilling a thru-hole and screwing or pinning it.

For $35 it cant hurt to try, and I'm dropping it off tonight if I can get done work in time. If not it'll be tomorrow morning.

I'll let you know, and try to get some pics of the T-bolt and finished job.

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Originally Posted by pdog06

I just got off the phone with a local gunsmith about this to see if he had any ideas. Very nice guy to talk to. He told me to bring it up and he can fix it for about $35.

He said he drills into it from the magbox side with his milling machine and basically cuts a horizontal slot in it, along with a vertical slot on each end. He then uses what he called a "T-bolt"(basically looks like a bolt/screw with a head on both ends) and epoxies it into this slot. He says the combo of the epoxy and the T-bolt will not allow the laminate to split any further.

So basically the finished job can only be seen from the magbox(minimal evasive surgery ;)), and is as strong as drilling a thru-hole and screwing or pinning it.

For $35 it cant hurt to try, and I'm dropping it off tonight if I can get done work in time. If not it'll be tomorrow morning.

I'll let you know, and try to get some pics of the T-bolt and finished job.

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But the laminate outside of the T bolt area will continue to crack....unfortunately.

I never thought of heating the glue to make it run freely.

Had wanted to use a syringe but it was to thick to flow properly so I may give heat a try. It will require a small hole drilled to get glue in deep enough because the crack is so small it is hardly even visible but like any crack it will grow and I want to stop that.

Probably pin it as well, stock had been modified so appearance is compromised already.

Thanks for quick advice guys. :) :)

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Originally Posted by dcloco

But the laminate outside of the T bolt area will continue to crack....unfortunately.

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Maybe.. I dropped it off tonight, and after him looking at the stock in person he is gonna do it a little different than what I said above. He is gonna put the T-bolt on the rear side of the pillar area instead, where the main split is. The T-bolt will go the entire width of the inlet opening, so it will take care of most of the laminate. He is also gonna remove the rear pillar, shave a slight bit off the dia. of the pillar(instead of enlarging the hole), and actually bed the pillar back in place.
This should give that whole area a much stronger bond, and with the T-bolt going the hole width of the inlet opening, I dont think the laminate will split anywhere else. I hope. He is a very good smith and I will take his word for it. He said he has done many wood stocks this way and it works very well.

I got mine fixed for now by epoxying the pillar back in and removed some material here and there and added as much epoxy as i could around the whole area.

Not sure it will hold up forever as i have only have a chance to put 8-10 rounds through it since then.

If it continues to be a problem i guess i'll try to get a new stock.

I just got the call from my local smith that my stock is done ;D. Pretty quick, I dropped it off at 9pm on the 15th. He was waiting on parts for a couple other jobs so mine was good timing as he was able to fit it right in.

I'll try to pick it up tonight and take some pics of the repairs.

Is anyone concerned that 3 people all have the same problem with the same stock? I would think Savage might want to look into the problem before they have a whole bunch of people complaining!

Warm glue and dental floss...HMmmmm...I wonder if I could sneak this into my wifes "bathroom supplies" in the morning and have some "quiet time"???

Dave

My smith was saying this is actually very common with laminate stocks, not just Savages. He's done alot of them.

I thought it may have been caused by tightening(or over-tightening) the action screw when the pillar is recessed in the wood(you know how some are not flush with the inletting, so the action actually dont sit on the pillar.).

My smith seems to think it may have been caused at the factory,when the pillars are installed in the stock. The factory pillars are "pressed in" instead of bedded or epoxied, and could've initiated the split due to the lack of wood at the rear pillar of these stocks.

Who knows?

here's a pic of the finished repair. Sorry it's a little blurry. I'll try to take a better pic of it tonight.

[img width=600 height=450]http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t106/pdog06_photos/DSCN4461.jpg[/img]

-The hole between the pillar and magwell is where he drilled it and filled the hole with thinned epoxy till it started seeping out of the split at the magwell, ensuring the epoxy filled in the entire split.

-The main repair is cut at a depth almost to the bottom of the pillar, the T-bolt placed in, and epoxied in place.

-The pillar was also removed during the process, turned down a couple thou and grooves cut into it, and bedded back in place.

It really looks like a solid repair and he guarantees it will hold. Almost makes me wanna take my bvss stock to him and just let him do it before it splits too ::).

For $35....I don't think you could have gone wrong. It looks like a class "A" job all the way. As for the other stock, you could get it done......but I'm of the opinion.....if it ain't broke....don't fix it.

But that's just me.

Dave

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Originally Posted by pdog06

It really looks like a solid repair and he guarantees it will hold. Almost makes me wanna take my bvss stock to him and just let him do it before it splits too ::).

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Looks good.

You might be on to something...get it fixed prior to the seperation occurring.