Help with an old swivel stud hole

[dak0ta]

Hi,

The previous owner of my Savage 99 drilled the swivel stud about an inch from the heel so it became loose and eventually the screw stripped out of the wood. I drilled a new hole about 2.5'' from the heel, clear of the old hole, and the swivel stud is secure again.

However, I'm left with the old hole. What do you guys recommend to fill this hole and blend it with the rest of the walnut stock? Wood filler and a bit of walnut stain?

 

[Broncoxlt]

use the dust from the new hole with wood glue to make filler then finish.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

How about some of that furniture ding/scratch repair putty? Might that hold up?

 

[dak0ta]

I was thinking of using the filler putty and mixing with stain, then finishing it off once dried.

Other option is using epoxy and stain.

Or the dust option, but I threw that dust out already

 

[303tom]

This is what I use................






Here is how it works..............

 

[dak0ta]

Looks good, but can you point out where the repairs were made! Haha good job

 

[StrawHat]

If you know a cabinet maker (a real one, not some laminate guy) he can make a plug from walnut (I think that is what Savage used), bore a corresponding hole and glue the plug in place. Then a little shaping and finishing and the old hole will disappear.

 

[45_auto]

Make a plug made from a walnut dowel.

http://www.woodcraft.com/PRODUCT/20...ode=10INGOPB&gclid=CP-I0cSKrLcCFUtgMgodYEAA2A

 

[jmr40]

It is too late now, but if this ever happens again it is a lot easier to repair and use the old hole. Simply glue a small "toothpick" size sliver of wood in the old hole. It will fill in the space and you can reattach the swivel. This way you don't have an extra hole to fill in.

People are notorious for drilling through Marlins trademark bullseye on their stocks for stud mounting. I've ordered new Bullseyes from Marlin in the past and repaired botched jobs. One of those ordered from Marlin might look neat, even on a Savage. It works just like a walnut plug. You'll never get the grain to match perfectly, so why not make it look like something is supposed to be there.

 

[dak0ta]

Thanks for the great ideas, will let you know how it goes!

I redrilled because the original hole is way too close to the heel, about an inch. I like mine at least 2-2.5 inches.

 

[Still Shooting]

Plug cutting and fill

To get the best fill for the old hole, do the following:

Locate a piece of walnut, similar hue and grain (cabinet maker, or scrap from a good lumber dealer)

Go to the hardware store, and buy (if you don't already have these) a 3/8" dia. plug cutter bit, and a 3/8" boring bit (NOT a twist drill!).

Cut a plug or two from the walnut piece.

Shave down a piece of pine (or whatever) to tightly plug the old screw hole. This will let you center the 3/8" boring bit pilot on the old hole.

Now bore the 3/8" hole centered on the old screw hole.

Put a little good wood glue on the plug (I like Titebond III for this kind of stuff) and align the grain on the top of the plug in the same direction as the stock grain around the new hole. Gently tap the plug into the bored hole.

When the glue is dry, carefully shave down the plug with a sharp wood chisel, until it's just a little bit "proud" of the stock. Sand the plug flush, and finish.

It takes about as much time to describe this process, as to actually do it!

 

[Robert101]

^^^^^Now that is the right way to fix the hole.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Do not use wood putty.

It will always look like a wood putty filled hole, no matter how hard you try to stain it to match the stock.

rc

 

[Geno]

If you use a dowel rod, be sure to compress the ends, with something hard, so that the grain "seals". Otherwise, the pours will be open, and those will drink-in more dye when you finish it. As such, the plug will almost certainly be darker than the rest of the stock.

Edit to add, the other trick I have seen done, is to use a dowel rod, but to leave it approximately 1/8" too short. Then, from the inside of the stock (say the barrel channel), to remove some wood, and fashion a plug to be placed on top of the dowel rod. Be sure to align the grain in the same direction. This technique is used for high-end cabinet-making.

Geno

 

[303tom]

No matter what you do it`s going too look like a filled hole..............

 

[StrawHat]

Do not use a dowel. End grain will never match long grain. Use a plug cutter and a similar grained piece of wood.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

People are notorious for drilling through Marlins trademark bullseye on their stocks for stud mounting.

That bugs me too. The bullseye identifies Marlin's walnut stock (as opposed to stained birch) and is really too far from the toe of the butt for a proper rear stock swivel anyway.

It is amusing that a rifle butt has a heel, toe, comb and belly. It is still a pain to buy a nice 39A Mountie with a hole where the bullseye used to be.

 

[Sav .250]

use the dust from the new hole with wood glue to make filler then finish.

Good idea, That is if he hasn`t thrown the old wood "dust" away.

 

[dak0ta]

I might just get some saw-dust, dye it with some walnut stain, mix it with some epoxy and fill the hole, then smooth the hole over the best I can. Don't really need a perfect match, just fill the hole and not stand out.

 

[Chawbaccer]

I was going to suggest the Marlin bullseye too as most repairs will still be visable. You could also use a brass or german silver rod for a bit of an accent.