I've had antique furniture crack just like that due to changes in humidity and temperature.
That really doesn't look like impact or stress from mishandling.
To break a 100 year old stock like that should have shown some serious and obvious damage to the box it was shipped in.

Sorry. If all else is well I’d take the stock off & look at getting it fixed up.

I found 03 stocks on the SARCO website rated as "good condition". You might pick one of these up and have it reconditioned. $75

The stock had a crack long before USPS got ahold of it. The seller didn't disclose, and then packed it inadequately.

Your anger is misplaced.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by mojojojo:
Given the USPS’s notoriety for fucking things up I’m sure where the blame lies.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/4900010564

I'd say, Commandments #5 and #9 fit OP's position quite well.

Ya beat me to it, Q

Funny, given the discussion, but it wasn't until last night I remembered that, when I sold my 03A3, I was very careful to note this:



Don't see it? How about now?



If I'd wanted to make that crack invisible, it would have been trivial for me to take the photo of the stock in such a manner that it would have been. In fact you probably would never notice it in this photo:



(For those interested: You can substitute "lg" for "sm" in each of those image URLs to get the full-size photos.)

Having had some small experience in woodworking, and having studied the behaviour of wood fairly extensively (it's my engineering mindset), I knew that crack might be an issue and it might not. Such is the nature of wood.

I'd be willing to bet the rent that if the OP went to the Military Surplus Collector's Forum and asked them about it, he'd hear the same thing many here are trying to tell him: Old milsurp rifle stocks do this.

It is unfortunate, sorry to hear. But from your pics, I see no other trauma or damage, just a clean break.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can also cause a virtually invisible defect in wood to open up like that.

How was it shipped? Unpressurized cargo container?

I'd have to see the box it came in to see if it took a beating.

Unless your shipping box looked similar to the above, anything could have happened, starting from the seller to your hands.

On a related note.. last week I was driving down a road and saw an Amazon delivery guy walk up to someone's door with a box, hold it out straight at arms length, chest high and drop it. Had there not been cars behind me I'd have jammed on the brakes, got out and screamed at the guy. What a piece of shit.

One time when living in Pittsburgh I used a new FFL for a transfer. I’m pretty sure they dropped my S&W 627 UDR and cracked a grip panel then tried to blame the shipper. I called BS since the gun shipped in a padded hard case and there was a small nick in the wood where the grip hit concrete.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:
Abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can also cause a virtually invisible defect in wood to open up like that.

How was it shipped? Unpressurized cargo container?

I'd have to see the box it came in to see if it took a beating.

Friday in Dallas it was sunny and 75 degrees.
A huge storm/front rolled though the area, by Saturday morning (12 hours or less) it was below freezing with snow flurries.
In Dallas at 15:00 it was 75, when I got to Muskogee at 19:00 it was 40, temp dropping and raining.

I've picked up loads in Big Cabin, OK from the freezing temps of St Louis, and drove them down to warmer temps in Dallas.
It is still pretty damn chilly in those trailers when I get to Dallas.
But once those doors open it causes a rapid change of temp and humidity.

So even at ground level, abrupt changes in temperature and humidity can occur in a matter of minutes.

I don’t think the USPS is to blame on this one as others have pointed out already. It would be interesting to see the box the rifle shipped in and the photos of the rifle prior to shipping. I’d also like to know where the rifle shipped from. It appears you’re in NC. The weather pattern has been pretty strange the past few days.
I’m glad you’re getting a full refund and it seemed to go through pretty quickly with the seller not bickering about the situation. Hopefully you find another 1903 soon. I’m certain you’ll have the seller send the next one in a hard case as well.

The internet is repleat with photos of guitar necks snapped during shipping. Even in hardshell cases. Cracked finishes are also a well known phenomenon in guitars circles due to sudden temperature changes.

I've been lucky on both counts, but I did receive a guitar once that the frets were past the edge of the fret board and buzzed all over the place. After a few days, everything was fine.

The OP has no claim with the USPO as he wasn't the shipper. He also has no ability to get it fixed as he rightly refused to take possession of it.

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
I don’t think the USPS is to blame on this one as others have pointed out already. It would be interesting to see the box the rifle shipped in ...

Several members have asked about the condition of the box in which the rifle was shipped. The OP has been noticeably silent on that point. This might reasonably lead one to suspect the OP, being angry about the outcome, simply found USPS the easiest target for his anger.

Seeing the box doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I’ve had products arrive to my house broken and the box looked pristine. I say we give the op the benefit of the doubt since he hasn’t posted in a couple of days.

Think I would have taken up the offer from some of the posters for references to gun stock repair experts and had it fixed. No guarantees that something similar won’t befall the next purchase. Hundred year old stocks have been through a lot of temp and humidity cycles and may have hidden defects in their wood that could show up any time.

Tough crowd.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

Several members have asked about the condition of the box in which the rifle was shipped. The OP has been noticeably silent on that point. This might reasonably lead one to suspect the OP, being angry about the outcome, simply found USPS the easiest target for his anger.

Heck, as long as we're jumping to conclusions here, may as well jump to the other logical conclusion that OP simply hasn't been back since? Though, that one probably doesn't satisfy?

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder:
The stock had a crack long before USPS got ahold of it. The seller didn't disclose, and then packed it inadequately.
Your anger is misplaced.

It does really seem to be crack existed for a while, maybe not this wide, but the edge of the crack is NOT fresh. It can be fixed, find a good wood worker, it can be restore without a trace.
If the box was damaged, go get the insurance money - that'd help you to restore; if box had no damage on it, you might have to swallow this one.
Take it easy, it is not a difficult on to fix.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG_P226:
It does really seem to be crack existed for a while, maybe not this wide, but the edge of the crack is NOT fresh.

I'd noticed that, too, but the OP didn't seem interested in keeping it and having it repaired, anyway. I don't blame him. I probably wouldn't have been, either. Regardless of who was to blame for the damage.

I returned a West German marked P226 for a refund though pics & description were given. When I received it, I found wear & dings that weren't apparent just seeing standard digital photos.

I definitely wouldn't have accepted a rifle with a stock that split like that if the purpose is to be a period-specific addition (in excellent or better shape).

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
Why do you think the USPS broke it? You have said nothing about the box being damaged. Perhaps you should direct your anger to the seller.

stuff breaks,


I ship a lot of firearms, mostly thru USPS,


had a shotgun shipped last Nov,, wrapped tight in foam, secured in a nice box, all like I've shipped 100x's before,

arrived broken just like mojo's pic,

box was not damaged,
shotgun was not cracked when we shipped,

so, did the receiving FFL drop it? or did it just break in an unseen stress area?? or ??

insurance paid for it, so all was good,


stuff happens,


honestly, no guarantee Registered would not have the same happen,