M1 Carbine Stock Repair

[eyecanshoot]

I recently bought a M1 Carbine. A previous owner screwed a mag pouch onto the stock. I removed the mag pouch and want to repair the holes. I'm planning on using a wood filler and then matching the color. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions based on experience?

[Daycrawler]

Thats a tough one everything will show. IMO fill the holes with a wood dowel and then trim flush and sand. Real wood will stain better than any filler.

[eyecanshoot]

Thats a tough one everything will show. IMO fill the holes with a wood dowel and then trim flush and sand. Real wood will stain better than any filler.

I was thinking that I could just paint the filler to match the wood. Using dowels sounds like a good option. Should I try the filler? If it turns out bad, I can drill it and then use dowels.

[JoshIronshaft]

A dowel off the shelf will show end grain when you install it. To do it right you use a face grain (side grain) plug so it blends better with the stock grain.

[Delkal]

Keep it simple. Mix some fine sawdust with glue then try to get it close to the stock color with a drop or two of stain. Fill the holes with it and let it dry some, then wipe it down with a damp cloth to remove the excess glue and to level the patch. You want to avoid having to sand the stock so when dry use some steel wool to (lightly) get off the last traces of glue. Then rub in a few drops of linseed oil to restore the finish. Use pure boiled linseed and not the hardware store "linseed finish" crap.

While you are at it this would be a good time to give the entire stock a light coat of linseed. Rub some on, let it sit for a few minutes, then rub off any excess, and let the stock dry for a week. Repeat as needed. Make sure you burn the linseed rags as soon as you are done since they can sometimes spontaneously combust.

[Bang]

The human eye vision system can detect the differences within 228,000 hues. Add to that differences in surfaces. Good luck.

[eyecanshoot]

I'm not convinced that this stock is original, but it could be. The handguard has definitely been replaced at some point. I'm torn between replacing them with original IBM stock and handguard or saving some money by replacing them with mint repro parts.

I have never sold a gun in my life, so resale value isn't really a concern of mine. I think this carbine will be the family's favorite occasional shooter, before it gets passed down to one of my children.

[Delkal]

Just put the mag pouch back on and enjoy your rifle. While the screws could have been done by Bubba there is no way to know if the holes weren't originally a WWII or Korea modification. You will always be able to see the plugged holes and filling them will not increase the value of the rifle so why mess with it? If the edges of the screw holes are burred and slightly raised just lightly scrape them down till flush and rub a drop of linseed oil on them.

There are also carbine stocks out there with 2 screw holes on the left side of the stock where a grenade launching sight was once mounted. Some people don't like those either but to me it is original and just part of the rifles history.

You will not like the repro stocks.

[eyecanshoot]

Just put the mag pouch back on and enjoy your rifle. While the screws could have been done by Bubba there is no way to know if the holes weren't originally a WWII or Korea modification. You will always be able to see the plugged holes and filling them will not increase the value of the rifle so why mess with it? If the edges of the screw holes are burred and slightly raised just lightly scrape them down till flush and rub a drop of linseed oil on them.

There are also carbine stocks out there with 2 screw holes on the left side of the stock where a grenade launching sight was once mounted. Some people don't like those either but to me it is original and just part of the rifles history.

You will not like the repro stocks.

I will enjoy it, but the mag pouch is never going back on. I cannot fit it in my safe with the pouch on it and I find it unappealing. Velcro wasn't invented until 1955 so I know that the mag pouch isn't original. The holes bother me so leaving them alone isn't an option.

What is wrong with replacing the stock with a period correct one made by the original manufacturer? What is wrong with repro stocks?

[Delkal]

What is wrong with replacing the stock with a period correct one made by the original manufacturer? What is wrong with repro stocks?

GI carbine stocks have shot up in price so check what decent IBM stocks are going for before you decide. If you are OK with paying for a replacement that would be the best option. But also look up what kind of stock. If it originally had a high wood stock the price will be much higher. You used to be a able to pick thru boxes of carbine stocks at gunshows for cheap but those days are long gone and now you are lucky to find a junker that needs a lot of work under $70.

Repro stocks are usually oversized, poorly fitting, and generally shunned by collectors. To me they just don't look right and the differences can be noticed without even picking the rifle up. As long as your stock doesn't have any cartouches you would be better off doing a complete refinish on the stock you have.

Check out the CMP forums for more info on carbine stocks and the consensus on repro stocks. Also look at their classifieds section since there are usually stocks for sale from legit sellers. Ebay is a minefield of humped stocks with fake markings (and people paying sky high prices for the fakes).