Advice on Yugo stock

[John Galt]

I have a G series all matching Yugo with 2 larger than hair-line cracks on the right side cross bolt area of the stock.  When I got the rifle it didn't have a cross bolt nut.  I fixed that.  Should I not fire the rifle due to the cracks?  What about epoxy on the inside to stabilize the cracks?  What is the accepted way of dealing with cracks like this?

Thanks,

John Galt

[Greatguns]

The fix is irrelevant to my question, but was the crack already there before you put the nut on or did you possibly screw the nut on too tight and caused the split? I only ask so you can verify that you are not pinching the stock with the bolt/nut. Otherwise, if you repeat the tightening it may/will just crack again.
As to shooting, may aftermarket stocks don't even have the crossbolt so I don't think you'll hurt anything continuing to shoot it.
On repair, given the oils in the wood gluing it may or may not hold without first removing the oils from the stock. One thing I use a lot to remove oils, cosmoline, etc. is brake cleaner. It dissipates the oils well, dries without leaving a residue, and does not harm the metal or the wood. You do have to re-oil whatever you are working on afterward though.
Here is one method you can try. Someone else may have another suggestion that may be better, but here is my $.02 worth.
1. remove the stock and remove the cross-bolt.
2. with a flat blade screw driver, putty knife, or similar separate the crack just enough to then take a spray can of brake cleaner(use the nozzle tube) to clean out the crack area. It will dry fast.
3. After a few minutes, with the crack still separated and from the inside of the stock, run some really good wood glue down into the crack. You may want or need to use a toothpick or similar to get the glue down into the crack better.
4. remove the screwdriver or whatever you used to separate the crack and then clamp the stock to press the crack together(don't over tighten or you may indent the stock). Leave it for 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours, remove the clamp and with a razor blade gently remove any excess hardened glue.
6. As needed lightly scrub with #0000 steel wool then oil up(tung oil or linseed oil works real well) the outside of the stock to match up the finish. You may not need to do anything if you are lucky.

[Phosphorus32]

Does the crack in front of the cross bolt go all the way through to the interior?  If not I'd be inclined to leave that for if/when it gets worse with continued shooting. 

The crack behind the crossbolt I would repair as GG described.  Sometimes I wet two sides of a piece of stiff paper or a thin putty knife with wood glue to help work the glue into the crack.

[Dannyboy53]

Not trying to 'jack John Galt's thread but what name brand of wood glue would you guys suggest? I've used Elmer's in the past on various projects but never on a gun stock.

[Greatguns]

Not trying to 'jack John Galt's thread but what name brand of wood glue would you guys suggest? I've used Elmer's in the past on various projects but never on a gun stock.

Elmer's, as with Tribond, has varying levels of glue. For this application I always use the Tribond III Ultimate as it is waterproof. When I was doing cabinetry I always carried a bottle of the Tribond III Ultimate on the truck in case I had to deal with a crack in the face frame of a cabinet. It never let me down.
Gorilla glue works well too as it is an epoxy, but I don't like the way it foams up and it is hard to work with the dried foam part after it sets.

[Dannyboy53]

Thanks Greatguns, I don't know how the Elmer's wood glue would work with oils, etc, embedded in the stock, I've only used it on new or clean wood and it did okay. If Elmer's didn't hold it seems there would be the added problem of hardened glue to be removed from a crack in a stock! Tribond sounds like the ticket.

[Greatguns]

Thanks Greatguns, I don't know how the Elmer's wood glue would work with oils, etc, embedded in the stock, I've only used it on new or clean wood and it did okay. If Elmer's didn't hold it seems there would be the added problem of hardened glue to be removed from a crack in a stock! Tribond sounds like the ticket.

I don't know if you caught it, but I did mention the oils in the wood and my cleaning method in my first post. The guy that taught me the flooring and carpentry trades had a saying, "what you are sticking down will only stick as good as what it is stuck to is sticking" Got it?

[Loose}{Cannon]

Wood glue is water based.  Get the crack damp before applying the glue as this will bleed it deeper into the pores.  Also wipe up the area afterwards with a damp rag and there will be no scraping of dried glue.

[Loose}{Cannon]

Epoxys are usually two parts that are mixed. Gorrilla glue reacts with water in the air and will setup much much faster if you dampen the wood with water.  But yeah,.. foams up. Also strong as hell.

[Greatguns]

We always hated using water, but being cabinetry that may have been why. Just the way I was taught. Will have to give the water a try next time. I do have an all matching sino that my daughter has I need to fix the stock on.

[Dannyboy53]

These are all good things to know, thanks guys!

[John Galt]

Thanks for all of the comments guys.
The cracks were there when I got the rifle. 
I had thought about cleaning with brake cleaner to get rid of the oils.
I am a woodworker and thought about using gorilla glue as it is commonly used to glue oily wood.  Not sure about cosmoline though.

It is forecast to be -25 tonight with 20mph wind and cold for the rest of the week.  I will not be shooting anything for the foreseeable future!

John Galt