Third Party Press

Top hand guard repair

edritchey

Member
I need the advice from the pros. I have a byf 43 rifle that had a hardwood stock set and I’ve noticed while doing a routine wipe down of the metal parts that the top wood hand guard piece has developed a crack from the inside it’s not noticeable from the top outside view. My question is if I should seek someone to repair this or just let it go. As I said it’s not all the way through yet but concerns me as to how to keep it from getting worse. Thanks in advance for any help / advise. Eric Ritchey
 
Always repair (try anyway) a crack before it gets worse.
The fact that it is on a non-visible part of the gun is a bonus and probably makes it minor. Jump on it now. And deal with what is causing the crack in the first place.
My 2 cents.

EDIT: Oh. I’m not a pro. Just a drive-by giver of opinions and thoughts.
 
Hand guard

I think the problem with it is that it is drying out from age. It appears to be made of some sort of European walnut. I hope it doesn’t get worse but I don’t know how to keep it from doing so. And I’m not sure what to use to try toFix it before it gets worse.
 
I think the problem with it is that it is drying out from age. It appears to be made of some sort of European walnut. I hope it doesn’t get worse but I don’t know how to keep it from doing so. And I’m not sure what to use to try toFix it before it gets worse.

Well if the problem is the wood drying out you have plenty of options and everyone here has there own opinion. Being a K98 I would use what the Germans (and everyone else) used for that period and that’s linseed oil.
In this case I would use boiled linseed so as to minimize any further darkening. But you have a lot of options. Wood is wood so a little internet search will give you the pros and cons of these options.
Good luck and get on it!
 
Well if the problem is the wood drying out you have plenty of options and everyone here has there own opinion. Being a K98 I would use what the Germans (and everyone else) used for that period and that’s linseed oil.
In this case I would use boiled linseed so as to minimize any further darkening. But you have a lot of options. Wood is wood so a little internet search will give you the pros and cons of these options.
Good luck and get on it!

Thank you that sounds like a good idea to keep it from getting any more cracks. You wouldn’t happen to know a good way to fix the crack that’s already there would you?
 
Thank you that sounds like a good idea to keep it from getting any more cracks. You wouldn’t happen to know a good way to fix the crack that’s already there would you?

My advice is to cut a tiny groove along the crack, on the underside of the handguard . . . .then run a bead of fiberglass resin in that groove. Keep the bead shallow, so as to not interfere with the barrel.
 
My advice is to cut a tiny groove along the crack, on the underside of the handguard . . . .then run a bead of fiberglass resin in that groove. Keep the bead shallow, so as to not interfere with the barrel.

Thanks for the advice but I might try to find someone with better woodworking skills to do it for me this was my Dad’s rifle and I don’t want to mess it up.
 

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