Can a Cracked Stock be Dangerous?

[farscott]

I was shooting an informal round of trap with my latest rescue 870 when on the sixth shell of the round, something felt wrong. The shot had exited the barrel because I hit the target, but the gun felt wrong in recoil. It vibrated in a strange manner, for lack of a better description. I cannot put it into words, but it bothered me. I figured it was best to finish the round with my usual trap gun, my 870 Classic Trap, and to find the issue before I shot the rescue 870 again.

After the round, in the midst of a nice rain, I excused myself from the range, went home, and took the gun apart. What I found surprised me. The wrist of the stock, almost immediately behind the receiver, is cracked. More importantly, it is cracked on both the left and right sides of the stock. The cracks are about an inch long on the left side and more than two inches long on the right side. I took two pictures of the right side crack, as the pictures are worth more than my words. Based on the pictures, I believe the cracks may have been there when I bought the gun. That means shooting the gun exacerbated/widened the existing cracks.

A cracked stock is a new experience for me with an 870. To be fair, this is the most abused 870 I have purchased, so the cracked stock does not surprise me. It will be replaced. The gun does shoot just fine, so a new stock is well worth the cost.

I do wonder what would have happened if I continued to shoot the gun. Would the stock have failed totally, allowing the receiver to recoil into my cheek? I also wonder what would cause such cracking. The stock does appear to be oil soaked at the wrist.

 

[Dave McCracken]

It happens. Often the stock bolt has come loose a little.

A decent smith can fix it so it's almost invisible. Or, just get another take off stock and replace it.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Sometimes a knot in the wrong place can do it too, though, that wouldn't be an issue on an 870 I don't think.

 

[JohnM]

Duck tape !!!

 

[Rail Driver]

About 20 years ago a buddy and I were shooting 12ga shotguns with his father. One of the shotguns was an old Sears pump and the other was a single shot 12ga of some kind. The pump gun saw a lot of rounds that day, and the wrist of the stock was cracked similar to what I saw in your pictures. When the stock finished breaking through (in the middle of an informal round of toss up the empty can and see if you can juggle it with buckshot) the stock bolt dislocated my buddy's thumb and made a nice 1/4" deep, ~3/4" diameter puncture wound in the meat of his shoulder. It might work for years like that, but someday when you're not expecting it, the stock will break and you never know how it will go down. You could get lucky or you could get hurt badly.

(Edit to add, I had no idea how long the stock had been cracked but it had been that way as long as I could remember. I shot the gun myself dozens of times that day with no ill effects).

 

[243winxb]

Very easy fix using Brownell's Acraglas Liquid epoxy bedding compound. Drill 1/8" to 3/16" holes inside the stock, the acraglas will run to the outside of the cracks. Put vaseline on the outside of the crack so acraglas does not stick to stock.

 

[Whacked]

wood glue
cheap, available at lowes, hd, etc.
easy to use
clean up excess with wet towel
the glued part will be stronger than the rest of the stock

 

[RaceM]

If the wrist is already oil soaked glue or goo ain't gonna stick well. It might be salvageable after some serious degreasing. Otherwise, just get a new chunk of wood.

 

[Frozen North]

I saw a Mossberg 500 cracked in the same way come all apart. The shooter had a sore hand, but no serious injuries.

I would fix it or replace it.

 

[farscott]

The stock and forearm will be replaced. I knew this gun would need some work based on its condition on the rack at my LGS. It was purchased with full knowledge that the real value was the receiver and the vent-rib barrel.

I am going to turn this gun into a HD gun and the condition was factored into the decision when I bought the gun. With tax, I paid less than $200 for it. I already have found a parkerized 18.5" barrel for it. I am looking for a set of 870 Police wood for it, but I may settle for the factory polymer stock set if I cannot find the wood.

 

[Gunnerboy]

I agree Duct tape

 

[JohnM]

Actually duck tape saved my bacon once on a hunt.
We'd put in a spike camp way up pretty high and were working our way down a real bad steep section of mountain.
My horse went out from under me and slammed into a tree.
My rifle was in a saddle scabbard and the stock was snapped clear off.
When we got back to camp that evening I dug out a roll of duck tape and got things back together good enough to keep hunting.

 

[oneounceload]

I would not use it for the time being until fixed or replaced

 

[451 Detonics]

duct tape is a miraculous thing...this shot gun was shot regularly after it was duct taped (not by me) I tested fired it but have since added new wood...the areas in red are rotten plastic wood filler

 

[farscott]

Here is the stock in question where it met the receiver. When I removed the stock, the screw was tight and the bearing plate was in place. Note that the crack is all the way through on both sides of the attachment hole. I bet, based on how it cracked, that the stock was loose at one time, and the stock cracked due to battering from recoil.



I am going to strip the stock, repair the crack, and refinish. It should be a fun winter project. Right now, the gun is wearing an 870P synthetic stock from the Wilson Combat sale. Not very pretty, but very functional.

 

[BigN]

I shot a trap gun with a tiny crack in the stock, right under my cheek. I was bleeding after the shot, replaced the stock. It's amazing what happens to the gun when it goes off. Pinch City

 

[wildman5759]

I've got 6 or 7 870's in the safe. 3 of them have/had the exact same cracks that you show. All of them were bought used for cheap.

The way I fixed them was to take a hacksaw and cut straight down from the top of the stock, down to where the crack ends. Using a high quality wood glue, I glued the cut off piece back in place and clamped it for a day or two. I then pre-drilled 3 holes per side from the top (I don't remember what size bit), and 3 holes per side from the bottom. I squirted a little glue in each hole using a syringe, and using 4d 1-1/2" casing nails, nailed them into the pre-drilled holes to hold the two pieces together. Countersink, putty, sand and finish (or don't if you don't mind the utilitarian look).

A couple things to consider would be (1) the length the nails need to be long enough to be sure you are getting good embedment into both pieces (an inch or so is plenty), and (2) make sure that you don't predrill the holes the entire depth of the nails. You want them to make their own holes for the last 1/2" or so that way they can do their job.

The first one I fixed is on its 7th waterfowl season, and I never miss a hunt. Haven't seen any separation whatsoever yet.

 

[farscott]

That is an interesting approach to the fix. I would not have thought to cut off the damaged section.

My approach is the following:

1) Strip the finish from the stock.
2) Spread the cracked area open.
3) Gently sand the edges.
4) Apply petroleum jelly to the outer surfaces so the glue from below does not stick the "Class 1" surfaces.
5) Apply wood glue mixed with some of the sawdust from the sanded edges to the cracked area.
6) Clamp stock so that glued area is under compression.
7) Wipe off excess glue.
8) Refinish after glue has cured for a few days.