Ever noticed an unsightly hole in your gun stock, marring its beauty and function? Wondering if there’s a fix, or is it time for a replacement? Let’s embark on a restoration journey together!
Did you drill a hole in the gun stock by mistake? And trying to fix that and make a new hole that partially overlaps the existing hole? Don’t worry. You’re not alone.
There’re many of my clients faced your situation and I’ve fixed many gunstocks with cracks and holes without leaving a single mark outside.
Here’s what I did. Let’s find out, How to fix a hole in a gun stock?
To fix a hole in a gun stock, drill a hole around it with a standard diameter. Apply some wood glue to the wood plug from the same wood with matching grain and drive it inside. Let it dry and flush the surface. Finally, drill a new hole using the Forstner bit.
Simple as that! But there’s a lot more to know about fixing a hole in a gun stock properly.
In this article, we’ll explore what materials and tools you need and how to fix a hole in a gun stock properly with the correct procedure and so much more.
Furthermore, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions as well.
Let’s dive in!
Tools And Materials To Fix A Hole In A Gun Stock
- Wood glue/carpenter’s glue
- Forstner bit
- Similar wood piece with matching grain
- Flush cutting saw
- Fine grit sandpaper (220 grit)
- Wood stain
- Drill
Gather the above supplies and get ready!
How To Fix A Hole In A Gun Stock?
Here’re the steps you need to follow when fixing a hole in a gun stock.
- Drill A Hole Around the Existing Hole
- Cut Wood Plug from the Same Wood
- Coat With Wood Glue
- Insert Wood Plug into The Hole
- Flush The Surface
- Light sanding
- Stain And Finish
So, let’s discuss each above step in detail to fix the hole in the gun stock properly with less trouble.
1. Drill A Hole Around The Existing Hole
If the hole that is existing in the gun stock doesn’t have a standard diameter to fill with a wood plug, you should definitely make a hole around the existing hole according to the standard diameter.
Drill a larger hole on the gun stock around the existing hole using a Forstner bit.
Having a hole with a standard diameter helps to match with a wood plug of similar color and avoid slight movements between gun stock and wood plug once they are fitted.
2. Cut Wood Plug From the Same Wood
First, you need to find a wood piece from the same wood gun stock built. Plus, the wood you found need to have similar color as gun stock wood and should match the grain.
Basically, the following factors of the wood that you’re going to cut wood plug need to be exactly the same as gun stock wood,
- Same wood type
- Same wood color
- Similar wood grain texture and direction
If the selected wood type has a different physical appearance than the gun stock wood, the repaired area will be highlighted outside once you fixed the hole with a wood plug.
Or you can get the same wood piece that is used to make gun stock. Leftovers and scrap wood.
After selecting the wood, cut the wood plug with the Forstner bit matching the same color and same wood grain direction.
3. Coat With Wood Glue
Now coat the wood plug that you cut with wood glue which is also known as carpenter’s glue.
Apply glue to the area that goes into the hole cavity.
Cover up only using a sufficient amount of glue since adding too much can overdose and sill out of the hole due to the pressure between the surfaces.
Plus, the removal of excess wood glue is difficult, and adding a thin layer of glue makes the process easier.
4. Insert Wood Plug Into The Hole
Now it’s time to drive the glued wood plug into the hole that we prepared according to a standard diameter.
Insert the wood plug completely into the hole quickly after you coated it with wood glue.
Since wood glue tends to set quickly and once it gets hardened; insertion can be so much more difficult.
After jamming the hole in the gun stock with a wood plug, let the applied wood glue dry and cure completely.
Upon drying, the wood plug and cavity surfaces will bond tightly with glue, and this helps to avoid individual movements between the surfaces upon stress.
5. Flush The Surface
Once the wood plug sets permanently inside the hole, trim the pop-out edges of the wood plug to flush and avoid surface randomness.
Or you can use a file to flush the wood plug with the stock surface.
Trimming and snapping the wooden plug ends will ensure it is flush with the surrounding surface. This helps to hide the drill hole mark on the wood surface.
6. Light Sand the Area
In order to make the repaired area smooth, sand the area that was repaired with a fine-grit sandpaper.
Light sanding is recommended since rough sanding may damage the finishing layer of the gun stock.
This makes the surface smooth with no bumps and ready to take on a stain.
7. Stain And Finish
Once you’re done with light sanding, clean the area well with tack cloths to remove sawdust and other residues.
Then apply a wood stain with a matching color to the gun stock. This helps to even out the surface and hide the repairing marks on the surface.
Apply wood stain evenly along the direction of the wood grain for better absorbance. After that, let the stain coat dry well for a minimum of 6 hours.
Finally, you can seal the whole gun stock surface with lacquer, varnish, or any other waterproofing sealer to protect it against weather elements, UV light, and small cracks.
That’s it! You’re done with fixing the hole in the gun stock with the easiest method possible.
If you made the previous hole in the gun stock by mistake, now you can drill a new hole in the gun stock using the Forstner bit.
Make sure to make cuts with precision since fixing the hole for the second time in the exact same position can be extremely difficult and loosen the stability of the wood plug.
Can You use Epoxy Or Resin To Fix A Hole In Gun Stock?
Yes, you can use epoxy, resin, or shellac to fix a hole in gun stock only if the hole is too small.
For large holes, never use epoxy, resin, or shellac since they cannot move with the original wood upon expansions and contractions as wood plug does.
The wood plug can move with the gun stock wood just as it is originally. This is the main advantage of using a wood plug over epoxy filler when fixing gun stock holes.
Any epoxy filler, or resin, including JB weld able to fix a hole in gun stock so well. But they set so harder than the wood plug and when the wood expands along with temperature and humidity changes, the epoxy filler will crush the wood fibers around it and lose the connection between them.
Over time the wood around the repaired area gets splits and cracks due to the huge pressure that comes from epoxy filler.
Therefore, always go for wood plugs to fix large holes in gun stocks. For small ones, Shellac is the best filler you should go with.
That’s it, folks! Now you know, how to fix a hole in a gun stock with the correct steps.
Let’s answer some frequently asked questions as well.
Can You Use Wood Filler On A Gun Stock?
Don’t use wood filler on a gun stock when repairing or fixing a hole or crack. Wood fillers do not have the potential to fix gun stock damages and their durability is not so good.
Use woods of the same type, and color and with matching grain to fix holes and repairs on a gun stock, or use epoxy or resin to do the repairs and cracks instead of using wood filler.
Wood filler is a cheap method of repairing gun stock which is not recommended except if you’re on a budget.
Can You Glue A Gun Stock Back Together?
Yes, you can glue a gun stock back together using an adhesive like epoxy. Basically, you can use whatever glue attaches the separate parts together.
You just have to check whether it works on wood or not.
First, you need to clean the openings well to remove dust and debris. Then apply epoxy on both surfaces and clamp them until the epoxy or glue gets hardened properly.
But gluing tock parts doesn’t provide the original strength of the wood. Therefore, use brass stock repair pins to reinforce the gun stock and hold both parts well with extra strength.
Therefore, use glue and brass stock repair pins to get the maximum strength upon repairing gun stock.
Brass stock repair pins don’t rust like regular nails and apply two or more to get a good structural strength. Apply them to areas with lots of material to fit well inside.
What Is The Best Glue For Gun Stock?
Here’s a list of some of the best glue for gun stock repairs,
- 2 pat epoxy
- Brownells Acraglas Gel
- Titebond 3
- Super thin Cyanoacrylate
Did I cover all you wanted to know about: How To Fix A Hole In A Gun Stock?
In this article, I have deeply discussed, how to fix a hole in a gun stock properly using the correct procedure, we have discussed the supplies you need and all the tips and fixing techniques.
You can fix a hole in a gun stock by inserting the same wood plug into the hole after applying the carpenter’s glue on it. First, drill a hole in the gun stock with the standard dimension with the Forstner bit. After inserting the wood plug, let the wood glue dry and flush outside. Finally, drill a new hole.
Furthermore, I’ve answered frequently asked questions.
Hope you learned everything need to know about, how to fix a hole in a gun stock easily.
Try to apply the techniques you learned through this article to give your gun stock life back.
