Repair cracked handguard?

[BVZ24]

I recently picked up a rifle, antique, VG, never sanded or reblued. The only major issue is the upper handguard is cracked. The repair for the crack isn't as obvious as it normally should be, because the crack was caused, possibly, in the original assembly or repair of the rifle.
I have been able to determine that the rear sight is not numbers matching, and I hypothesize the "new" sight block was slightly larger than the original sight. When they tried to clip the handguard back on, it clipped further back, and went over the receiver ring that it otherwise would have been flush with, causing it to split all the way down the center.
The clips are still holding the two pieces together and to the rifle.
The only two repairs that I can come up with would either be to cut the handguard's sight relief cut deeper or cut the handguard shorter on the receiver end. I'm afraid to have the repair done because of the high original condition of the rifle. However, the damage was caused by a non matching part, and the pressure that broke it is still being exerted on it. The handguard is irreplaceable if it breaks all the way.
Thoughts?

 

[beag_nut]

Pictures are absolutely necessary.
Along with ANY numbers or logo on the rifle.

 

[Blue68f100]

As said pictures are required before a plan of attack can be made.

 

[BVZ24]

Rifle is a Lee Enfield long Lee. 1896.
I'll take pictures when I can.

 

[BVZ24]

Not much too it. First picture shows the rear of the handguard going over the receiver ring. The second picture is the only other rifle I have of the type. It's in poor condition, but the handguard stops at the receiver ring. Internet search of long Lee Enfields show the handguard not going past the receiver ring.

 

[Blue68f100]

Hopefully our expert on stock repairing the Mr GunnyUSMC will weight in.

It looks to me the piece is riveted to something, have not seen on in person to know. This may be a repaid done in time.

To make the repair as it should be would require it to be removed so you could gain access to the inside. My German mauser had a similar crack https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...98-from-wwii-capture-numbers-matching.893463/. Once removed and all of the oils/debree removed from the crack the crack can be epoxied. This is kind of a 2 step process. First the crack would be flexed so epoxy could be forced into it. Then clamped to hold the joint tight till it sets. Then you would lay some fiberglass inside to reinforce the joint.

 

[BVZ24]

The wood is attached to the clips by rivets. The handguard is cracked all the way through, and is two pieces. The rivets to the clips are holding it together.
Since the removing the handguard from the barrel releases tension on the clips, it opens the crack up to 1/4". Because of the risk of worse damage, I won't take it off until I make the repair, so you will have to take my word on it, no pictures.
My plan of repair so far has been to remove it, clip it to a cylinder, and measure how much to remove, or clip it on to the junk rifle (with rear sight removed), file or carefully Dremel the sight notch with the handguard on the junk rifle until I can re attach the sight to the junk rifle. Once I fix the clearance issue, I will remove it from the rifle, glue or epoxy the open crack, and clip it on the good rifle to dry.
I have a good idea how to make the repair, I have made similar repairs with cheaper parts, however I am only a hobbyist. I don't know if this is professional repair territory because of the rarity of the part, and I'm not sure if the repair is "the right thing to do" because of the originality of the whole.

 

[Rule3]

Guess I do not understand.

You say it is in two pieces and all the way through, How can removing it make it worse??

More pictures are worth a gazillion words of guessing

 

[beag_nut]

When you do remove and separate the pieces, decide if you will be using epoxy. When I epoxy woods like teak or rosewood (which are loaded with oils), I clean the mating surfaces with acetone, as was recommended by Gougeon Bros. (WEST System epoxy). I have a solid teak dining table 9 feet long, 42" wide, 2" thick, which I built back in 1983. Weighs 600 lbs. I used acetone to clean every joint, twice, before epoxying them. I am typing this on that table, which is still good as new.

 

[BBBBill]

Hopefully our expert on stock repairing the Mr GunnyUSMC will weight in.

To catch his attention just type @GunnyUSMC

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The damage to the handguard is common. It’s just what happens when a thin piece of straight grain wood is used to make handguards. And then the spring clips add pressure that pull down on each side.
You can see repairs made on these two handguards

It’s common to see the rear handguard repaired on No1 MkIII’s. The cracks were so common that the Ishapore factory in India would inlay wood across on new handguards.
But here’s the question you have to ask yourself. Will the rifle loose more value with a crack handguard, or a repaired handguard?
If I were to repair it, I would make relief cuts on the underside and fill with epoxy and fiberglass cloth. Leaving no visible repairs on the surface.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Drops of superglue?

 

[Blue68f100]

Drops of superglue?

Will not hold, and makes doing the repair harder once used. Epoxy/fiberglass is what holds up to the oil/stress and heat.

 

[beag_nut]

A problem with superglue (cyanoacrylate) is that it is brittle, and does not last over time. The ONLY non-brittle superglue is BlackMax, and it is black, and does not wick into a joint.