Now, I have no reason to own a 458 Win Mag as I live in Arizona and the biggest thing I can hunt is an Elk. I have no plans to go to Africa or Alaska and this has no practical use. So why did I buy it? She said $299 and the next thing I know I'm filling out the 4473.
But, it has a crack in the tang area. What would be a minor annoyance in a 30-06 could turn into a deadly projectile in a 458 Win Mag. So, what to do? I like the stock as far as style and being original to the gun. I don't really care for the replacements that are on the market. Mostly synthetic that I don't care for and the wood ones that are available are pretty plain and don't have the recoil bolts installed so they would take some work. Now, I have repaired some stocks in the past and had great results in both function and finish. But this one has some potential to be more than a broken stock if I get it wrong. Here is the overall rifle. It had some surface rust and the crack in the stock but otherwise was ready to shoot.
And here is the crack at the tang. Obviously someone has tried to make repairs:
And someone has added some pins:
I can live with the pins. They are what they are. I can cosmetically make the crack and the repairs at the tang disappear. I suspect with some guidance I can reinforce the crack with Acraglass or one of the Devcon products. But to give you a total picture I have to show you the bedding job that was done on this rifle. I assume by Interarms. Research of the rifle indicated that the bedding job Interarms did on these rifles was not the best.
I believe 'Drunken Monkeys' might apply here. That being said, the bedding does do its job. So for $299 I can live with it if it doesn't have to come out for the crack repair. Just keep that in mind.
I bought a box of factory 510 grain full house loads at a gun show with the sole purpose to shoot the gun and see if the stock breaks. I made sure the action screws were as tight as possible and I anchored my lead sled to the ground with 6" long spike nails and strapped the rifle in the lead sled. The rifle could not move when fired. Using a long string, I fired 6 rounds of 510 grain loads through the rifle and monitored the crack at the tang and measured no change after firing. I then fired the rifle 10 more times from the shoulder and again, the crack did not change. My assumption is that the rifle was fired with the action screws loose and that caused the crack. The videos are actually quite funny to watch.
My hopes and desires is that the crack can be filled with an epoxy and I can dress up the surface and call it good. I have a lot of pictures, and can take more if needed. @GunnyUSMC if you are listening I'd really like to hear your opinion. You helped me on a Steyr M95 Long Rifle years ago and I really trust your opinion.
But, it has a crack in the tang area. What would be a minor annoyance in a 30-06 could turn into a deadly projectile in a 458 Win Mag. So, what to do? I like the stock as far as style and being original to the gun. I don't really care for the replacements that are on the market. Mostly synthetic that I don't care for and the wood ones that are available are pretty plain and don't have the recoil bolts installed so they would take some work. Now, I have repaired some stocks in the past and had great results in both function and finish. But this one has some potential to be more than a broken stock if I get it wrong. Here is the overall rifle. It had some surface rust and the crack in the stock but otherwise was ready to shoot.
And here is the crack at the tang. Obviously someone has tried to make repairs:
And someone has added some pins:
I can live with the pins. They are what they are. I can cosmetically make the crack and the repairs at the tang disappear. I suspect with some guidance I can reinforce the crack with Acraglass or one of the Devcon products. But to give you a total picture I have to show you the bedding job that was done on this rifle. I assume by Interarms. Research of the rifle indicated that the bedding job Interarms did on these rifles was not the best.
I believe 'Drunken Monkeys' might apply here. That being said, the bedding does do its job. So for $299 I can live with it if it doesn't have to come out for the crack repair. Just keep that in mind.
I bought a box of factory 510 grain full house loads at a gun show with the sole purpose to shoot the gun and see if the stock breaks. I made sure the action screws were as tight as possible and I anchored my lead sled to the ground with 6" long spike nails and strapped the rifle in the lead sled. The rifle could not move when fired. Using a long string, I fired 6 rounds of 510 grain loads through the rifle and monitored the crack at the tang and measured no change after firing. I then fired the rifle 10 more times from the shoulder and again, the crack did not change. My assumption is that the rifle was fired with the action screws loose and that caused the crack. The videos are actually quite funny to watch.
My hopes and desires is that the crack can be filled with an epoxy and I can dress up the surface and call it good. I have a lot of pictures, and can take more if needed. @GunnyUSMC if you are listening I'd really like to hear your opinion. You helped me on a Steyr M95 Long Rifle years ago and I really trust your opinion.
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