Stock breakage

[Woodcock survey]

After reading many threads about appropriate ammo for vintage guns i have asked myself if in 10 years as a member and 5 as an associate if i have ever seen a first hand example of stock damage directly attributable to these so called magnum loads and can't say that i have.
Do not get me wrong, i am an advocate of light loads. Have promoted 3/4 and 7/8 12 ga. loads in many threads here. At the clubs i shoot at i am known as a PIA about it.
Does anyone have first hand experience with a load that damaged wood that can be directly linked to heavy loads? The stock makers on here probably have the most to do with this and would see it in repairs and replacement work.
Again i do not believe there is any need for the heavy fast loads ammo companies promote.

[B. Dudley]

Usually a stock breaking from recoil is due to the wood shrinking over time and screws loosening up causing the action to be somewhat loose on the stock. This causes uneven stress upon recoil on the stock head. That is how you can loose the top of the side of a stock. But this can also happen just from opening and closing the gun if the action is loose enough in the wood.

I have a few times seen stock heads blow apart from ruptured primers on hot loads that send pressure back into the action and the wood cheek ends up being the weak link.

[Woodcock survey]

Thank you Brian, i appreciate your answer and can see how a reciever given even the smallest amount of movement will batter a stock no matter what ammo is used.

[Stan Hillis]

I have been the owner of a 32" barreled 16 ga. L C Smith for some 15+ years. When I got it the wood was perfect, in all respects, not oil soaked in the least. I used it only for doves with 1 oz. loads and never had an issue. I used it on a crow shoot one time with 1 1/8 oz. loads where I shot maybe one and one-half boxes of shells. After that I noticed tiny hairline cracks developing behind the lock plates, both sides. I had it addressed by Jim Kelly of Darlington Gun Works and stopped the damage.

I do understand that L C Smiths are more prone to this cracking than boxlocks but I really believe it might have never occurred had I stayed with 1 oz. or lighter loads. IMHO if you want to use 1 1/8 oz. or heavier payloads in vintage doubles go up a gauge to the 12.

[Bill Murphy]

Stan, do you have any good recipes for those babies?

[Stan Hillis]

Yes, Bill, I do. 3 1/4- 1 1/8 - high antimony 4s or 6s, out of a full choke.

What you do with the corn and peanut crop robbers after that is up to you.

[Keavin Nelson]

Dan,
the analogy I make is splitting wood. What works better, a 2# axe or a 8# splitting maul. F=MxA. The heavier the load the greater the rearward force. In my experience it isn't unusual to find a stock that has split internally before it even shows on the outside. I have repaired a number of them found that way. Wood stocks shrink/swell, and absorb oil around the screws and actions, sometimes for many decades or over a century.

[B. Dudley]

Also, the root cause of a lot of damage can be forces other than recoil. If a gun is banged around or dropped an internal crack can start which is then worked on more by recoil. I feel that this is what causes split heads on parkers and foxes. And LC Smith featherweights have so little wood in their heads that they can crack with even the slightest forces applied in the wrong direction.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by keavin nelson

Dan,
the analogy I make is splitting wood. What works better, a 2# axe or a 8# splitting maul. F=MxA. The heavier the load the greater the rearward force. In my experience it isn't unusual to find a stock that has split internally before it even shows on the outside. I have repaired a number of them found that way. Wood stocks shrink/swell, and absorb oil around the screws and actions, sometimes for many decades or over a century.

We have seen a few Parker 10 and 12 gauge guns that were obviously ordered for heavy waterfowl shooting where they were originally ordered with reinforced or pinned stock heads… most likely for this very reason.





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[Mike of the Mountain]

I have had two guns have the cheeks break off. A Browning BSS 12g that wound up having a cracked and repaired cheek before I bought it. The whole cheek on the left side came off. I wound up having the stock replaced and it's my go to waterfowl and crow double. Not that I hunt waterfowl and crows often, but I can shoot anything out of that gun. The second gun was a 16g Fox Sterly. Same deal. The 16g shells were a bit snotty and the 5th shot with those shells had the stock around the auto-safety rod break off. Had that repaired and reinforced then sold it.