Longtitudinal Crack in Fore-end forward of Trigger Guard

[Roy]

Next time you put large dowels in, put a little V shaped cut down the side of the dowel to let the air and any excess glue out of the bottom.

Nice work on the stock repairs. I'm doing the draws on my No4 right now. (because I think I buggered them up 15 years ago)

Roy

[nijalninja]

Good idea, but its a hole straight through where the excess glue can just run out the other end.

I've started on a set of draws, which was quite daunting, and now this. Its pretty good fun when things don't go pearshaped so much. Best of luck with your's. May I ask how you buggered it up the first time?

[nijalninja]

Slight update. I don't want to be the only one reviving this thread but I suppose in the future if someone finds it I hope it has the answers they need.

Also bonus picture of other fore-end I was going to patch at its rear then scored a chip forward of the trigger guard.

Attachment 95509Attachment 95510Attachment 95511

[Roy]

I think I didn't know how to properly take a forend off and pulled it off from the muzzle end. This was in the early 2000's before the wealth of info that is available online. Its was my first enfield and cost me $190

[tbonesmith]

It’s a bit late now, but opening the crack and getting glue intonation t is absolutely essential to this sort of repair. The dowel should reinforce the repair not be the repair. May I suggest that you drill out the dowels you have put in forward of the crush collar, open the crack and get some good wood glue or epoxy in there, clamp it up and redowell after the glue cures with the next size up of dowell!

Regarding the repair at the rear I feel that might give you trouble too, I’ve posted a similar repair to that before, but I think you’ll find that with the whole area collapsed as it appears, there’s more to it than you’ve addressed. I’ll try to post the pics of what I’d suggest you try at the rear

[nijalninja]

Hey Tbone, yeah everyone seems to reckon that but every split like this I have tried to repair with glue always splits back open again after unclamping it, even on guns other than Lee Enfields. I also can't say I feel confident in opening up that crack too much without the stock splitting anymore. I can get the dowel out and re-do it after gluing the crack but its never worked for me yet, hence I would rather place more importance on the cross-dowel. I also have had trouble getting glue into cracks before. I've tried using little pins to prod the glue down in there, heating the area, etc, but maybe the problem is that I am not spreading it open enough.

And yeah what I have done so far on the rear is just the bit which I already know how to fix, or at least stop from worsening. I also have seen pictures of a job you did which looked like what I will have to do with this one. Basically take everything out, glue a block in, and then re-cut the rear end entirely and hand-fit it to the action. Probably dowel or brass rod it in in there too. Not something I am keen on, but I'll take my time to make sure I know what needs to be done as best I can before starting. From what I can see the draws have sheared from the stock altogether and been allowed shift backwards and then break out the little bit of wood joining the two sides of the wrist face of the fore-end. Meaning I will need to cut out and replace the entire draws area.