Wood Filler For My Tactical M336

[Idiot]

After discussing the merits, or not, of a Ramline plastic stock to replace the beat-up walnut stock on my Tac-M336 I decided to stick with its original walnut stock. However, I will need to make a repair to the butt stock.

Whoever owned this carbine (is it a carbine at 20 inches, or a short rifle?) mistook the target button for a place holder for a sling swivel stud. But when he drilled out the target to fit the stud he must have used a crooked or very dull bit because the edges of the hole is frayed. And frayed hole openings in wood are, as many of you know, just waiting to be snagged so an inch or so sliver can be torn from the stock.

I want to fix the problem in a quick and dirty manner by dumping some sturdy filler into it and then sanding it round once it drys.

Can you guys suggest a filler to do the job. Maybe a colored epoxy would work. What do you think?

[neil mitchell]

Use epoxy with some walnut sawdust mixed in. This will be alot stronger than wood filler.

Neil

[deerwhacker444]

If it was mine, I'd drill a slightly bigger, nice hole and fill it with the size appropriate hardwood dowel and wood glue. Then when it's dry, sand it back down and re-drill. I've tried both methods and I find the dowel looks better IMO than filler, as you can line up the grain of the dowel to somewhat match the stock in some cases. I've doweled stripped holes in the buttstock holding the buttpad on with great success.

Just my $.02 worth

[nemhed]

Idiot, we will require photos of your finished creation.

[86er]

You can use Accrabond or Accraglas (Brownell's). It can be colored and sanded upon drying. Any of the previous ideas will work too.

[Hobie]

I epoxied in some antler... yes, I have replacement bullseyes but, liked the idea.

[Idiot]

I like the Accrabond idea (maybe brown bondo?). But, I think if I have to actually spend time doing something right (dowel method), maybe I'll combine it with Hobie's antler approach (without the antler). Except I'll countersink a 30-30 case head until the rim is flush, then fill the rest up with clear epoxy so the head still shows.

Now you guys have got my tiny brain working and that can be dangerous.

[TomD]

Epoxies are a far better fit with wood than accraglass (can't say about accrabond), or bondo. AG works as a bedding material because it is held in by the action bolts. You wouldn't want to glue you aicraft capspar down with the stuff. I'm assuming here it is still the stuff that requires a catalyst vs. an A & B part - a Polyester product.

When you say you could put in a case and loose it in further glue, it starts to sound like a big hole. My approach would be to work down that section of the stock with a plane just enough to get the hole surounded with wood, you are going to loose the lower corner of the stock in the process. Then glue on a new piece of walnut parallel to the grain , and work it down. This repair can be done artfully enough that it looks like a new stock. I think one of the gunsmithing demoes we had here on a guide gun involved a gun with a butt stock that was glued up from the factory out of two separate pieces of wood. You can't do worse than that.

[Idiot]

Yep, TomD, you are right. The case head of a 30-30 would require a big hole. See what I mean about being dangerous.

I think I'll just mix up some two part epoxy, dump it in the hole, let it dry, and sand it off. That should get the job done just fine.

I use two part epoxy to hold cross bolts in place to reinforce the stock behind the recoil lug on heavy recoiling bolt actions. It works pretty good.

Thanks for the responses.

[Grizz]

Dumping epoxy in and letting it dry will ruin the job BECAUSE:

The epoxy is much harder than the wood. It is almost impossible to sand hardened epoxy flush with the wood because the wood will always sand fast and the hard epoxy not at all.

The thing to do is catch the epoxy at exactly the right moment in the curing process and use a scraper, like a cabinet scraper, to make the epoxy flush with the wood surface.

Another problem with the epoxy idea is that you cannot stain it, so it will never blend in exactly with the surrounding wood. Not a problem if you're planning to paint the stock. I've used wood dust + epoxy to fill spots in wood and you can always see the repair. It has never blended in seamlessly for me.

This is why the dowel is a more practical solution.

[Dirty Dan]

What's the deal with the bullseye/target dot on the stock? Looks like the perfect place for a sling swivel if you like the things. I prefer no slings and no dots.

I'd drill it out and insert antler, turquoise, a gold nugget or the head of a shell casing and be rid of the bycolor plastic dot.

[marlinman93]

What's the deal with the bullseye/target dot on the stock? Looks like the perfect place for a sling swivel if you like the things. I prefer no slings and no dots.

I'd drill it out and insert antler, turquoise, a gold nugget or the head of a shell casing and be rid of the bycolor plastic dot.

The "deal" is that has been Marlin's trademark since the 1920's. It's close, but not the perfect spot for a sling swivel. Marlin had factory swivels about 1" away.
If it were mine, I'd mix up Acraglass Gel with the coloring agent that comes with it from Brownells. Then I'd put a dab in the hole and push a new bullseye into the gel and set it aside overnight. Then you can shape it, and sand it to fit, and the only filler will be the small amount that is around the bullseye, so it will look good and not show much.-Vall