Purchased an all-matching (including the stock) DOU 44 that someone had started to sporterize. They sanded the end of the stock to the point that most of the "step" where the cupped butt plate fits is gone. Any suggestions for repair, splice, or just get another stock?
I would get a correct type replacement stock so the rifle is usable but keep the matching stock. It would be difficult to make an invisible repair of that alteration. It also looks like the bolt takedown disk was removed and a rear sling swivel was installed. Was the stock shortened too?
The stock isn't shortened at all. It's sanded to the point where there's up to an eighth of an inch of buttplate overhang in places though. It's a shame, because other than a coat of varnish, most of the stock is untouched. I guess I'll start looking for a white glue laminate replacement. Thanks for the reply.
If you eventually want to repair the original stock, I guess one way would be to use a mortise and tenon joint.
You would use the butt end of a donor stock as the mortise to replace the damaged end of the original matching stock. The butt end of the original matching stock would be reduced in size further to make the tenon that would fit inside the mortise, as seen below (please excuse my crude MS Paint illustration)
It wouldn't be an invisible repair but it would salvage the original stock.
If you eventually want to repair the original stock, I guess one way would be to use a mortise and tenon joint.
You would use the butt end of a donor stock as the mortise to replace the damaged end of the original matching stock. The butt end of the original matching stock would be reduced in size further to make the tenon that would fit inside the mortise, as seen below (please excuse my crude MS Paint illustration)
It wouldn't be an invisible repair but it would salvage the original stock.
Sounds like a workable idea, but I'll add one thing -- instead of making a nice neat rectangular mortise and tenon, like you would find (sometimes exposed) on things like Craftsman or Stickley-style furniture, think machine shop, not wood shop: mill the hole in the donor piece on a milling machine (or, a really stable -- not hand-held) router setup. Mill the "plug" part a bit oversize, and it will have square shoulders; chisel rounded shoulders by hand, and sand for a tight fit.
One advantage of a round-shouldered mortise is that the donor end will be stronger, since it doesn't have sharp corners where cracks want to start.
The lazy way out is to just lop off a couple inches on the original stock and pin the donor in place with a couple or three good thick wooden dowels
I suppose it's a question of whether one is more attached to the idea of a gun with matching-number stock, or to the idea of a correct, one-piece, un-diddled stock regardless of where it came from. I suppose with my personal priorities, I'd just look for another stock, as good or better than what it replaces, and save the sanded one just to have it. After all, in real life, if a stock was damaged, the gun would be overhauled with a replacement anyway.
id just refinish the sanded part to mach the rest, at least make it look nice. as far as the buttplate goes, the screws should hold it on fine, whoes gonna know theres a small peace missing underneath.
+1 on what milsurp_collector said about getting another stock and keeping the original just to go with the gun. The money not spent on the restore project will help offset the money spent on a replacement stock...
If I am reading this correctly it sounds as if the stock in front of the buttplate area has been heavily sanded. If so - then I would leave as is and purchase another stock for shooting. If however the stock has just been sanded or reduced under the buttplate I agree with mlsurps repair suggestion. In any case you have yourself a nice rifle!
Thanks for the additional replies. I think you've convinced me to try and find another stock. It would probably look better by going that route.
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