Can cut down stocks be restored?

[IditarodJoe]

A friend recently inherited his great, great, great grandfather's civil war musket. He's told me that although the barrel appears to still be full length, the stock at some time was cut down - apparently in an attempt to "sporterize" it.

I'm curious, are there capable people out there who can create and regraft foreends onto cut down stocks?

[Stephan]

You can actually buy replacement forearms for some rifles..so yes..you can..preferably under a barrel band.

[Gus Fisher]

Dixie Gun works has had a walnut replecement forearm to fix guns like this and they have had it iin the catalog since I was a kid. Talk about ancient history. Grin.

[IditarodJoe]

Thanks guys. I had to make an unplanned trip out of state, but I should see this musket within the next few days and I'll point my neighbor toward Dixie Gun Works.

[Mark Daiute]

These guys have been excellent for me to work with. I have purchased several hundreds of dollars worth of Krag parts from them.

http://www.partsforantiqueguns.com/

Keep us posted.

Mark

[musketshooter]

You need to be sure it's just the wood that has been modified. Bannerman cut down thousands of CW muskets and smooth-bored them into 20 Ga shotguns at the turn of the last century. If it has a loading rod ferral soldered under the barrel, it is one of those guns. Pictures would be helpful in identifying it. Many of the metal parts including the butt plate and trigger assy were crudley invertmnent cast. If the lock is the only original part, it is not worth trying to restore.

[jeep]

Yes it can be done at a cost. But new wood on a old gun will have no collecter value.

[holdover]

once you find out what it actually is, I would put on an original stock and hardware, it most likely is missing a barrel band and nose cap, and lay the cut down one aside as a keepsake. If it actually is the families CW musket bannerman etc never messd with it.. Parts are available from Lodgewood http://www.lodgewood.com/
S &S firearms http://www.ssfirearms.com/ as well as others. I have dealt with the two listed for over 20 years and there are few better. The old stock can be fixed if it was cut forward of a band, but it would be difficult to match the wood.

[Doughboy1918]

I picked up a Sprinfield M1863 that had been cut just ahead of the middle band. Like yours, the barrel was untouched. I purchased a replacement forend from S&S but would recommend you buy one from East Taylor. The one I got was thicker than the original stock is BEHIND the middle band. I was able to use it but it was alot of work. Not knocking S&S as they have many fine products, just not their wood. I was fortunate enough to get a good match as far as grain.
I would also say that as far as value goes the original restored musket is still worth more than a repro, and far more valuable than an old cut-down.
Here's a before & after of mine.

[John Sukey]

well it's not going to be worth what an original is BUT it is going to look a heck of a lot better! Instead of reolacing the entire stock, just splicing in the missing part would be better.