M1A1 Stock Cracks

There are two hair line cracks on both sides of my M1A1 stock. They extend down from the bottom of the recoil plate cover towards the magazine catch area. I understand these are not uncommon. The cracks are hardly noticeable, and everything is tight...there is no movement in the wood. From the inside, there is some evidence of the crack on the left side...not noticeable on the right. After a session on the range yesterday, I noticed a trace of lubrication oil weeping through the left side crack. Couple questions...Should I be concerned about this? Do I risk damaging the stock further by firing the carbine? I assume this is repairable? Who would you look for to fix something like this? Any recommendations?

Thanks, Charles. Now I think about it, it was probably bore cleaner, not oil that found it's way to the back of the carbine. I have broken it down, and it's dry in there now. The crack is tight...it doesn't spread at all even when I put a little pressure on. I don't know how I could get glue in without really forcing the crack open...which I don't think I want to do.   

BEBIII wrote: Should I be concerned about this? Do I risk damaging the stock further by firing the carbine? I assume this is repairable? Who would you look for to fix something like this? Any recommendations?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes (some say fix, some say leave it alone).

The only one I know of here with skills repairing wood is Charles.  There may be others, maybe someone else can chime in?  There are a couple of other people on other forums who do stock repairs.  A GI fix would involve brass pins.  Some use glue though I've read this might not be enough to stand up to recoil.  I've also read a fiberglass repair using the same materials for bedding a stock could be done.  A tough choice as some repairs will show more than others.  As mentioned, a brass pin repair would be ideal but have never heard of someone with those kind of repair skills.

Was the stock not cracked before it was shot?  Any repair must be sturdy enough to hold up if it will be shot again.  If your stock is GI, can buy a cheap stock and shoot it thus preserving the good stock. I almost cracked a hand guard while holding court at the range (Charles knows the story) and was fortunate not to break anything.  Haven't shot anything USGI since.  Would love to see pictures of it.

Again, JMO.

Picture of a GI brass pin repair

expert carbine stock repair would be Frank Derrico, here are some of his threads ont he MILSURPS forum.



https://www.milsurps.com/search.php?searchid=7993042

His email contact is frderrico@ceas.coop

Thanks, guys, for the advice. The cracks were on the stock when I purchased the gun, I'll reach out to Mr. Derrico to see if this is something he can help me with. I do like to fire all the rifles in my collection...that's half the fun of owning them. Will attempt to post pictures later.

No, no noticeable difference with regard to the cracks. I ran a hundred rounds through it Saturday.

Good news.  Something to keep an eye on.  I have one with a crack in the same area as yours but only on one size.  It's smaller length wise, but larger top to bottom.  Took pictures and measurements to keep an eye on it and make sure it isn't spreading.  Don't think it could be fixed with glue though as it isn't narrow enough.  Combing trough the CCNL's to see if there's any mention of the cause.  I know it was a weak point and I think later stocks were changed to address this problem.  If I can find something, I'll post it and a pic of the crack on mine.

Quick thought on why they crack there. The cut out for recoil plate creates a natural stress riser. Combine that with the fact of having a pistol grip causing leverage.  

Now that I have seen pictures of the cracks in the M1A1, I have to say it is not a simple glue job. I would hang it up or as suggested, get a shooter stock. 

From the inside, the crack on the left side is visible, but I can't see much on the right side. I also wondered if it might have previously been repaired. There is some residue that might be glue...hard to say. No rough edges anywhere.