cracked rubber butt pad mystery

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bobski

Hunter
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
3,315
Location
Ct., Va., & Vanzant, Mo.
i cant take no for an answer. ive been searching for years. there has to be something out there, or someone with the knowledge of repairing a plastic fused spacer crack on a rubber butt pad. the area where its cracked is in the classic high stress area of the toe. either it was snagged on a gun rack, over tightened, or dropped. ive seen many like this. and the answer i always get is...must be replaced or it will just crack again.
who out there has a secret repair method for this?
it is one of the hardest repairs ive ever encountered, that always tends to leave 'smiths stumped. any old timers know any tricks? anyone want to take it on? ive had suggestions to drill and pin, glue, remelt with a soldering gun, etc.... i need a for certain, done it a million times, works like a champ answer. lmk. and thanks in advance.
 

needsmostuff

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
525
Location
Tucson,AZ
Well,,, sometimes NO is the correct answer.
Rubber and plastic are compounds that have a lifespan. Drying ,warping and shrinkage are the enemies . Older compounds seem to have shorter lifespans and when it is over ,,,,,it's over.
Fight that windmill if you must but any attempt at preservation involving glue, melting , fillers or some such will look like Bubba gone wild and be short lived. Would you attempt to repair your car tires when they crack ?
Looks like a nice rifle so give it the respect it deserves. Replace it and go shoot it.
 

z1r

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
121
Epoxying the pad into place would work but if it is old enough to crack the "spacer" I would imagine that the pad material has seen better days as well.

Me, I'd simply replace it.
 

elmo123

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 20, 2016
Messages
58
Bobski,

I had a Model 50 Trap gun that the pad was cracked just like the one in the picture and I tried everything from glue to epoxying a thin steel strip the entire length of the pad and it always cracked again. I ended up buying one of the aftermarket pads from Brownell's that were copies of the original pad.

Mike
 
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