Unfired 430 Stutzen on the way!

[eyeguy74]

JMO. I would be testing the accuracy of that rifle before investing a lot of money into it! 

Very true!! After I get everything buttoned up to where I don't have to worry about the stock, I'll try it out with a scope and see what kind of results it gives.
If all turns out to be OK, then maybe, just maybe, I'll look into a custom stock. That is, if Hector's long shot doesn't pan out.

[avator]

Sorry fellas but if it were me, that gun would have been on it's way back to the seller for a full refund + return shipping the minute I saw that crack. If not I would have done everything I could to make sure he never sold another airgun again.
If there is no obvious significant damage to the box then there ain't no way it happened during shipping. If there was enough damage to the box to cause that I would have instantly requested the seller file the claim to the shipper.
The main reason people continue doing business like this is because we allow them to get away with it.... that includes shipping service providers.

[Yogi]

OP,

Are you sure "it has never been fired"

-Y

[eyeguy74]

Sorry fellas but if it were me, that gun would have been on it's way back to the seller for a full refund + return shipping the minute I saw that crack. If not I would have done everything I could to make sure he never sold another airgun again.
If there is no obvious significant damage to the box then there ain't no way it happened during shipping. If there was enough damage to the box to cause that I would have instantly requested the seller file the claim to the shipper.
The main reason people continue doing business like this is because we allow them to get away with it.... that includes shipping service providers.

There is damage to the box. Shipping it back to the seller isn't out of the question just yet. He needs to agree to pay for the repair or for a new stock. If he balks, it will most certainly be going back for a full refund.
I really want to keep it, and for what I paid, I think it would still be worth what I paid if he pays for the repairs or a stock replacement. I will admit though, it would be easier to send it back and get a full refund than to go through the process of a repair.

[eyeguy74]

OP,

Are you sure "it has never been fired"

-Y

Honestly, I don't know. I can tell you that the original owner paid for a "10 for 10", but if it has been fired beyond that, I just don't know. I can tell you it is extremely clean in every nook and cranny. That could easily be from proper ownership too.

[avator]

Sorry fellas but if it were me, that gun would have been on it's way back to the seller for a full refund + return shipping the minute I saw that crack. If not I would have done everything I could to make sure he never sold another airgun again.
If there is no obvious significant damage to the box then there ain't no way it happened during shipping. If there was enough damage to the box to cause that I would have instantly requested the seller file the claim to the shipper.
The main reason people continue doing business like this is because we allow them to get away with it.... that includes shipping service providers.

There is damage to the box. Shipping it back to the seller isn't out of the question just yet. He needs to agree to pay for the repair or for a new stock. If he balks, it will most certainly be going back for a full refund.
I really want to keep it, and for what I paid, I think it would still be worth what I paid if he pays for the repairs or a stock replacement. I will admit though, it would be easier to send it back and get a full refund than to go through the process of a repair.

No offense intended but you certainly have more patience and desire to own this gun than I will ever have. I wish you the best of luck for a good outcome.

[Cslinger]

Like above you are putting FAR more effort then I. It would have gone straight back.

Heck I am almost tempted to sell you my .22 at this point.

[eyeguy74]

If only you guys knew the level of patience I have. My fuse has certainly grown longer over the years, but once I admit defeat, that's it. Game over. If not for Hector being involved, I would have given up on the whole thing, but I love full stock rifles, be it an air rifle or a powder burner.

[eyeguy74]

Like above you are putting FAR more effort then I. It would have gone straight back.

Heck I am almost tempted to sell you my .22 at this point.

Shoot, don't tempt me like that! 

[Novagun]

Tricky situation. Depends what you can prove. Damage to the box is documented. Timber can check naturally sometimes assisted by a change of climate . Could even be a result of how the tree was felled .Maybe the sender is genuinely unaware of what has happened.
A screw down through the pistol grip might or will pull the crack up tight but is unlikely to obliterate the crack mark as the varnish is probably cracked .
My guess is that to do a good glue repair you would have to open the crack to get sufficient glue surface and glue penetration .
I have repaired two cracked stocks and they shot well thereafter.

[Mark 611]

I honestly doubt the seller is going to spring for a stock repair or replacement.  it's a pellet gun! I could see if you purchased the gun and have had it for a while and somehow the stock was damaged like that and you wanting to fix it, I get that, but broken before you got it is not something to me that's worth all that trouble, if you were expecting something new in box so to speak, and it arrived in that condition! I would have returned it asap! there are other guns out there just like it! that can be acquired if you want 1 that bad JMO, I agree avator on this 1! 100%

[avator]

BTW... Kudos to Hector for going the extra mile and trying to help a new comer to the forum along with all other contributors to this thread.

[JPSAXNC]

In the original ad for the gun, the seller says ( no returns). That would have been a big red flag.

[avator]

In the original ad for the gun, the seller says ( no returns). That would have been a big red flag.

OK, that's ugly.

[Ronno6]

In the original ad for the gun, the seller says ( no returns). That would have been a big red flag.

Really no big deal.
If the item is defective ebay will generally step in to resolve the situation.
It is conceivable that the OP could wind up with a full refund and keep the rifle............
I have had that result before, but usually on items that were less costly.

[c_m_shooter]

Wood is repairable.   I would simply drill for a screw to clamp it and put some thin slow cure CA in the crack.   Once it has had time to cure, remove screw, and drill for a dowel to be glued down through the grip.   Don't have to go all the way through the bottom of the grip.  File/whittle the top of the dowel down to the inletting.

[eyeguy74]

Everyone has good points as to whether to keep it or send it back. I ended up getting it for just under $450 after shipping and taxes. I feel like I got a good deal on it without the damage, and pending the repair or Hector’s luck, may still end up with a good deal.
At that point, the ball will be in the seller’s court. I’m not going to pay much more, if anything, due to packing or handling mishaps.
My only responsibility was to pay the seller. I held up my end of the deal.

[Ronno6]

delete.....

[Ronno6]

I have been known to go to great lengths to save a gun that would have made more economical sense to scrap.
I do it for the personal satisfaction of knowing that I could figure out how do do it, then did...........
And, the added satisfaction of knowing that I was salvaging something uncommon is just icing on the cake.

It is not always about the dollars and cents...........

btw.... I had never considered the technique of orientating a screw from the top down.
There is seriously more meat to grip in the pistol grip area below the crack, and no plugged hole apparent from the bottom...
Good idea c_m_.............

[Denby95]

Only posting this because so many of you keep recommending CA/super glue (Poly Methyl Cyanoacrylate). If you want to use it for your own personal use, that is your right to do so with your own belongings, but there are better adhesive choices for long term aging properties, adhesion qualities, resistance to temperature, shock, UV, load capacity in recommending an adhesive to someone else.

Some information on CA adhesive. Ultraviolet light (the sun) and alkali environments will break down their bonds, with commercial brands their quality is variable often containing added plasticizers, some solvent resistance in long term reversal (Horie 1987). They're usually used for temporary adhesion like holding something in place due to their fast set capability while a second adhesive with better long term aging properties but may have a slower setting time is used, after which the CA is removed (Down 2001). See the attached overview of CA literature, if anyone would like additional literature, I can provide more peer reviewed research and books on the topic.

Sources cited: Materials for Conservation, C.V. Horie, and Down, Jane. A literature review of cyanoacrylate adhesives.