Cracks, chips, or splits, sooner or later you will be faced with stock repairs.  Some are minor and easy to fix while others need more consideration on the approach.

by R. Coles

This article focuses on the repair of a laminated vintage 1960’s Bench Rest M98 Mauser 300 Weatherby Magnum covering how to use different glues and epoxies to repair major splits along with re-enforcing pins for additional strength. The first step to any fix is identifying an appropriate repair method and forming a plan. When this rifle came into my shop it represented a classic piece of Bench Rest history with the old school rails under the forearm and bottom of the butt stock. An aluminum diamond plate bottom piece supported the leaded forearm. With a total weight of 63 pounds including the rails, keeping things tracking smooth on the bench bags was not a problem.  I couldn’t even consider scrapping this stock and fitting new wood to the action – this is a piece of history!  This rig would have to be made good as new and restored to its old shooting glory once again.