Another Wrinkle to Duffle Cut Repair (more pics)
First, I want to say a big Thank You to Hambone for this thread, it has been a great source of information - top notch and an inspiration!
So here's the scoop. earlier this year I was finally able to purchase a very nice restoreable K98, not just any old K98 but an original bcd4 LSR from the original owner. Here's the dilemma... The original stock was duffle cut and the forward piece was lost a long time ago. The stock that remained was the original that came back with the vet with the rifle, un-sanded and beautiful for a late one. It is also a bit unique in that it is a semi-kreigsmodell that never was fitted with the bolt take down disks (according to Dave Roberts, only the second one he has ever seen).
You can see what I started with in the photos. I looked for four months for a "match" to the missing end and after buying five stocks from three countries I came to the conclusion that trying to match and fit the wood from an existing rifle was not going to happen. Forget cosmetics for the moment, if the color and wood looks right but does not fit right what do you have? The forend of any stock has been hand fitted, rasped and sanded to get the bands to fit correctly and there are too many variations and invariably one dimension will be off and fit poorly. In addition the late "C" stocks are just different enough in dimensions that earlier stocks with cleaning rod holes do not line up properly. The fitting of the brass tube for basic alignment earlier in this thread is essential and must not be overlooked when attempting to repair a stock! The brass tube is your alignment check and if any dimension or fit on the new forend is not exactly the same size or preferably LARGER than the original stock - Stop and go no further! You cannot make the forend bigger, only smaller!
So using a short piece of the 30" brass tube from my local hobby shop, I fitted the new piece and it was just dimensionally larger than the original so it could be fitted after gluing was completed. I have the following suggestion for those on this journey however, if the barrel channel sits proud above the old barrel channel in the original stock, remove the new piece, wrap some 80 grit paper around a maple dowel and sand it so that it lines up exactly with the original barrel channel BEFORE gluing. Sight down the barrel channel and it should be straight and true before gluing. Make sure your 90 deg cut on the original stock is true and that the new section fits tight with minimal seam all around when final fitting with the brass tube. These three areas, the barrel channel, butt seam and correct length are your biggest concerns before gluing! Do not try and reshape the forend or fit bands until AFTER the gluing process is complete.
Here is the one trick that I would like to add to Hambones original thread: Seeing as how you now have a long section of un-used brass tube, get yourself an old or repro beater cleaning rod and make sure the nut threads are clean and the rod screws in easily. Get two flat washers that fit closely to the cleaning rod diameter so that they will not clear the patch end. Cut a short section of brass tube and sandwich it between the washers and dry fit your new stock end by gently tightening the cleaning rod making sure it does not bottom out on the nut before you draw it up tight! Having a couple of spare washers on hand for shims is a help if you are a little short on your tube. Disassemble, wipe all parts down carefully with alcohol to remove any grease and oil, especially on the threaded rods which invariably have some cutting oil residue on them. Oil residue is not your friend when using adhesives!
Follow Hambone's gluing instructions at this point in the process. I recommend that you force the Devcon down deep into the threaded rod holes repeatedly by turning and "unscrewing" your threaded rods so it will push the glue down deep. If you have a well fitted butt joint (you did fit it exactly did'nt you?) use the Devcon sparingly in this seam or you will have a mess to deal with. Once I began pushing the glued assembly together I stopped about 1/4" from the butt joint. Use a Q-tip and wipe up any gobs of Devcon oozing out of the threaded rods or the brass tube before going further. Coat the cleaning rod with a good wipe of Ballistol and slide the the washer/tube/cleaning rod assembly down the center hole. Gently slide the butt joint together and wipe up excess Devcon. Begin slowly tightening the cleaning rod checking your alignment carefully. I used a flat screwdriver cinch it down so the joint nearly disappears. Wipe up the Devcon again!
You can put the action with barrel back in the gun if you want, however I found that a hardwood 20" rock maple dowel wrapped in some waxed paper is easier to use and allows you to really check the fit on the barrel channel when clamping it up. See photos.... Wait 24 hours before messing with it anymore!
Looking at my photos, you will see the results, once the glue has set you need only to get a fine flat rasp and true the new forend to fit the bands correctly. Go slow and fit the bands one at a time WITH the handguard in place when fitting the rear band. Once done, dry run and put it together and enjoy your handywork!
FYI... The new stock forward section was made by Leszek Foks in Poland from dimensional drawings and photographs. He makes them just a bit oversized to allow proper fitting and marks exactly where you will need to cut it for your project (check twice, cut once!). All at a cost of around $50 US shipped to your door.
So, I want to get some feedback from the members on both the process and the final results when dealing with a rifle that is missing the duffle cut end.
P.S. As far as finishing and matching the new piece to the original stock, that is a whole different subject! After weekends of trial, error and dabbling in the black arts of alchemy on some sections of original laminated red glue stocks I found the the magic I think!