The L.C. Smith Collectors Association

The L.C. Smith Collectors Association
[ The L.C. Smith Collectors Association ]

A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 1, 2026, 9:55 am
Edited by board administrator August 1, 2026, 10:04 am

(Lloyd- I took the liberty of editing the post with your real name as required. If you want me to delete the post I'm happy to do so. I also linked the DoubleGun post to save verbiage.)

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=677666

Re: A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 1, 2026, 2:32 pm, in reply to "A bad day"

That's excellent Dr. Drew, thankyou.

I was hoping someone here might have suggestions.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Dan Wildhaber on August 1, 2026, 4:55 pm, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

If i was going to do the stockwork, assuming all the pieces are still present, I would reassemble with Titebond type glue to get nice invisible fits.
Then put it in a vise on the mill and mill out a channel the full length and width, of the trigger plate and trigger guard just as deep as possible through the entire wrist. Then glue in a carefully fitted oak or walnut spline fitted full length with thickened epoxy.
Re-inlet as necessary.
Just like doing a buttstock transplant.

Fillet repair

Posted by Drew Hause on August 1, 2026, 5:06 pm, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

Something like this Dan?
https://doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=printthread&Board=1&main=48107&type=thread

Re: Fillet repair

Posted by Dan Wildhaber on August 1, 2026, 8:40 pm, in reply to "Fillet repair"

Drew, The trigger-guard is right at 1/2" wide so a big channel can be cut underneath it with an end-mill once the stock is secured in a vise on the table of the milling machine. The channel should be just a tiny bit narrower than the trigger-guard so the repair is completely hidden. You can go from the head all the way through the wrist to the end of the trigger-guard if you need to.

If you have the book "Shotgun Technicana" by Mi hall McIntosh he shows the process. The big spline provides the strength instead of dowels and pins. It can be 7/16" wide 1 1/2" high and 6 inches+ long.
I have even used it proactively when the wrist was weakened by a bark inclusion uncovered when converting a stock to a straight grip.
Obviously some re-inletting is in order depending on how extensive the spline is.
The Titebond makes nearly invisible repairs and holds everything together for the milling process.
Once that's done and the big wooden spline is epoxied in it's rock solid.

Re: Fillet repair

Posted by Tom Garver on August 2, 2026, 6:33 am, in reply to "Re: Fillet repair"

Here is a gun that I repaired about 10 years ago using a modification of Dan's method. This is an 1890 "XXX" gun that was in pieces and missing quite a few pieces.

Re: Fillet repair

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 2, 2026, 12:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Fillet repair"

That is quite respectable. My 1890 Quality 2 in good hands now. Hopefully it will end up looking as good.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 3, 2026, 10:23 pm, in reply to "A bad day"

This gun spent several years (decades?) in Alaska. Did drying out here in Colorado for the last 2-years affect this process in any way? The wood coloration is different in each section exposed by this break, does that mean anything?

Re: A bad day

Posted by Drew Hause on August 4, 2026, 8:29 am, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

I'm not a wood guy Lloyd, but have seen lots of cracked and shattered stocks. The oil staining at the apex of the lockplate inlet is very typical, but I agree there is discoloration which looks to be down the middle of the head of the stock. I don't know if this was an intrinsic defect or the results of 100 years of oil.
When everything is apart it will be more clear, and please let us know.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Dan Wildhaber on August 4, 2026, 2:48 pm, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

It appears to have been refinished at some point.
It may have been oil soaked previous to that refinishing. The person doing the refinishing may have subjected it to a prolonged acetone bath to draw out the oil.
This is just speculation but that's the most likely scenario.
I don't have any personal experience with this but there's lots of warning to that effect that it should be avoided.

I doubt the humidity difference had any effect.
When humidity changes, the moisture content in the wood just gradually adjusts to the new environment.
The wood may have shrunk an almost imperceptible amount in Colorado. It didn't weaken it.
The oil and acetone is what weakened it.

Looking at the way it shattered like that made me think it's integrity had been compromised.
What is your gunsmith's opinion?
He should be able to tell.

Re: A bad day

Posted by David Williamson on August 5, 2026, 8:02 am, in reply to "A bad day"

In looking at the photo, the wood looks to me to be "punky", no fibers anymore. Possibly because of it being soaked too long in acetone or whatever to remove the oil.
Also, from what I see, I don't believe that stock can be fixed well enough to shoot. That "punky" wood is soft now and unless the whole part of that stock is hollowed out and filled with some type of hard filler or better yet have it spliced with a good stock from that era.
As to the top tang broken, that steel was crystallized probably from being case hardened too long or not done right. Cases hardening should only be .003-.004 thousandths thick.

A question that has always bothered me, how do these stocks get that much oil in them? What do people do to get that much in them, especially in a side lock where the lock can be taken off and cleaned, then a Q-tip with a drop of oil will do one side.
I don't comprehend "oil soaked". The other is storing guns with the barrels down, ridiculous.
Barrles down only if you are short on space in the gun cabinet and have to put a gun in between.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 5, 2026, 9:13 am, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

Hello David!

It looks odd to me too. I have no way to know if it was ever in acetone, but I thought it looked different as well.

Terry Nicholson has it and he's darn practical. When he finally gets to it I'm sure ill get a readout. In the meantime I'll be looking for a proper piece of wood in case it's beyond hope. We didn't have English walnut down at the shop but we still have lots of Turkish walnut left over from an AyA program we were running. I'll have to see what sort of deal I can make for a piece that will do the gun justice.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 5, 2026, 10:30 am, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

The bigger question for me is why is it piercing primers?

Re: A bad day

Posted by Dan Wildhaber on August 5, 2026, 10:58 am, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

It's piercing primers because the bushings are wore out.
This allows the pins to protrude further than they should.

Re: A bad day

Posted by Lloyd McKissick on August 5, 2026, 11:45 am, in reply to "Re: A bad day"

That makes perfect sense, thank you.

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