Enfield Stock Repairs

[nijalninja]

Not entirely gunsmithing but I figure its the best place to ask.

I have one SMLE Butt-stock and one MLE Fore-end here each with cracks that need repairing.

The SMLE butt-stock seems to have gotten a hard bump from the rear and cracked both sides around originating from the rear. Now I remember hearing that to fix cracks you have drill a hole at the tip of the crack and plug it with another piece of wood, but in this case were the cracks likely extend into the inside of the butt-stock holes I can imagine making those inside surfaces good would be near impossible, and the glue going everywhere... yay. That is if that is even the right way to fix a crack.
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Next is the MLE fore-end: Its got a crack down the middle where the little curved block holes the two sides together, but the brass plug on one side is missing letting the pin moving freely and the two sides of the stock move as they please (I assume firing the rifle with this missing is what cause the split in the first place). Now I can glue the little crack up, but while missing the brass plug for one side I don't know how I could stop it from cracking again. I could always just take it out entirely, drill the whole bigger and just dowel peg it, but that'll make it less 'MLE-ish'. How impossible would it be to find and fit one of this little things, or is there another fix for it, or should I just dowel it?
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Cheers for any help, now I gotta go back and clean off my bench, yay.

Information

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[CINDERS]

Allot of the armourers of old used a thing called screw wire made of brass (See pic) drilling the hole to suit then putting glue into the repair and screwing it in leaving it a bit proud so it could be dressed with a file and made good.
One gunsmith said he could make his on a lathe but I am a bit wary how it would stay straight with the cutting process.
Carlamouse (Handle) usually has some on fleabay if you want to go that way.

303 round for scale.

[nijalninja]

Ah yeah I have seen that stuff and have considered for other repairs, but for this one with the inletting for the plugs I would likely want something to take up that area rather than leaving it empty for all matter or crud to get in their, or something to hook on an edge and shear the wood, hence I was thinking of dowelling it. That being said I do want to try a repair with that stuff, and up until now I did not know precisely where I could get it from. Cheers for that Cinders.

[Sunray]

For the butt toe crack, the easiest method, now, is a needle style epoxy applicator and a clamp. Might and usually does require opening the crack a tick, cleaning as best you can then applying the epoxy.
The other isn't easy with anything. The epoxy applicator will still work but the crack is harder to get at. Usually caused by drying wood and recoil.
"...a hard bump from the rear..." During drill. Part of the reason butt plates are metal.

[CINDERS]

I just had another look at the butt issue and seeing as there is a lightening hole you could A) use a half round small chisel gouge out on the inside of it @1/3 the depth then epoxy in an oak dowel use a custom made wedge to hold it in place but not too much pressure lest you open up the crack. B) Use an oak dowel the same size as the lightening hole and epoxy it in place but put a small groove in the dowel so the excess epoxy can come out the back.
The butt plate will hide the repair you may have to clean the inside with acetone to get rid of all the oils just a couple of ideas others with more experience may have better suggestions.

[RCS]

I also a crack on my Lee Enfield Mark 1*** butt stock. I believe it was caused by the extra holes, like your butt stock. I am not going to
do anything and going to leave the small crack alone. By using glue or both dowels and glue would detract from the value. If I needed
to shoot this rifle, I would change the butt as those early stocks with the extra lightning holes are rare

[nijalninja]

Sunray, I really am not sure that epoxy on its own will solve either issues for good. The split fore-end I think has enough 'meat' for the epoxy to grab but the butt is pretty thin where its busted and I don't reckon that would hold. That being said cheers just the same.

Cinders, I can't quite envision what you mean in your 'A' statement for repairing the butt, but from you said I have gotten an idea: what if I used a dowel at the front of the crack and glued and clamped the rest, but make sure the dowel makes its way into one of the lightening holes where I can kind of get at it and maybe cut or gouge it away. The second idea with dowelling the lightening hole would work for sure but its not something I would happily do to this stock.

RCS, I will probably avoid filling the lightening holes as best I can, but I think that by doing repairs with dowels, glue, cleaning, and gouging is about as genuine as you can get with these rifles, and so long as you don't botch or bubba it it really can't hurt the value unless it is from a very very pristine example. I was saving this stock to build a target SMLE, but if I can't fix this split I will have to find another butt, but considering this one and its vast markings I will not complain, only thing is that it has a matching fore-end (same rifle) and I would hate to have to split them up.

[Doco overboard]

I would clean with solvent. Gouge out three troughs one being along the crack, and then glue in two dowels. One inserted through the screw where the sling swivel base is installed but not before the hole for the stock lightening is fitted with a slip fitted dowel of similar wood that has grooves in it Bind the stock till it sets then bore out the larger dowel to a like or slightly smaller dimension and drill for the screw.
Depending on how it went, I may even dowel the butt-plate screw holes to support the work and help remove slack once its done and the rigging for slightly squeezing the stock has been removed. I would probably use a product designed for bedding like acra or two part Devcon two part if its available. Carpenters glue may work too for aesthetics.

[nijalninja]

Doco, you said gouge three troughs but I can't see what the purpose of the two of them would be. You said the one goes along the crack and you dowel it? Is that length-ways down the trough you mean? Also the idea of a slip dowel in the lightening hole sounds genius. I suppose I wuould have to bore out the hole a bit larger for a large enough piece of dowel to bite into the wood and then be bored. I'm just not sure what you mean about the screw; does the screw for the sling swivel go all the way into the lightening hole? I didn't think it would be that long. Also, the butt-plate screw hole dowels; do you mean width ways, as in side to side? I suppose up and down seems a bit silly to me but its worth asking since its all new.

You actually have just however given me an idea, it might be somewhat like what you are explaining (I suck at visualising things that people say so sorry for that): How about two dowels, one either side, in holes drill from the bottom up into the butt beside the lightening holes, then glued and made good? Only issue I can imagine is that the thin wood may be prone to splitting when you drill it out. But maybe with an unlightened stock it may work. Either way cheers Doco for the tips and idea inspiration.

[Doco overboard]

When I say three troughs Im trying to describe how to gain more purchase on a dowel glued in place before it is bored out slightly under size. (lightning hole depth) It looks like from the pictures the rear mortise for the sling swivel and screw hole may intersect if the screw was actually longer. Dowel that hole into the larger one before re-drilling for the screw and omit drilling the lightening hole to full depth. Once all together, any slack that is removed from the butt-plate screws can help to stabilize the repair by the butt-plate acting as a strap once everything is tightened up.
Or....you can drill the lightening hole larger, then glass in a larger dowel and re-drill to original size. Just take some steps to prevent a split out prior to doing any boring. Use a hand brace and a bicycle inner tube bound around the stock tightly to support it when boring.