Cracked stock on Kentucky rifle

[houserocker]

My CVA .45cal Kentucky rifle has a crack on each side of of the stock just behind the lock mechanism on the narrowest part. One has been there for years but I noticed the other when I was cleaning it after the Frostbite Shoot. It is a fairly cheap rifle but has great sentimental value. I don't want to spend too much to get it fixed and would be willing to do it myself but I don't have a clue about the best way to go about it. I know the Native Americans used to wrap wet rawhide around the stock and let it harden on there. Any deep thoughts?

 

[Half-cocked]

Clamp it in a drill press, drill a 1/4" hole in the stock perpendicular to the crack and use slow-cure epoxy to glue in a hardwood dowel (route a groove down the side of the dowel, to allow air & epoxy to escape, otherwise the dowel will lock up). File then sand the dowel flush with the stock, stain to match.

 

[Jim Keenan]

Unless the idea of a "frontier fix" intrigues you, why not contact CVA and see if they will sell you a new stock? Not as romantic as leather, but a lot better looking.

Jim