Thread: Hi tec stock failure

I own one of Ken’s stocks , there is no way my stock would break by strapping it to my pack and catching the barrel on a tree as I walk past it .
There has to be more to this than meets the eye .
I’m not ready to throw Ken and his business under the bus just yet .
I have no Dog in this fight, but is this really the best way to air your grievances and find a solution?

Originally Posted by Mauser308

I think it's an ask for a two year old product to claim defect, but in situations like this where a product fails in an unusual fashion it tends to suck for all parties.

Going forwards, the benefit of carbon is that it is relatively easy to repair even as a home job, with no chance of future failure. But, it doesn't help the purchaser's current fuc*edoffedness at the product and manufacturer due to the failure.

Yeah, it's not difficult to do a 3 layered carbon fiber patch repair and not that expensive if you have sheets of carbon fibre and some epoxy lying around.
This is why I'm surprised that Ken didn't offer a compromise of doing a repair of the stock for free.

Customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth advertising are 80% of a business's long-term success.

No axe to grind either way, but I do love a good engineering failure analysis challenge.

Carbon fibre structures are typically strong for their weight, until they have a stress raiser present. Its mechanical properties then result in stress concentrations not typically seen in other materials, which can lead to a failure. Basically, its not as forgiving as other materials.

Looking at the first photo, in the palm swell, what are the marks on the surface of the stock to the left of the break?
Are these scuff marks?

Originally Posted by Tirau

Attachment 162004

Photos how it was carried, and as you can see no big marks from hitting anything.

Not sure why one would carry a rifle like this? The physics of it are asking for trouble.
All of the mass/weight of the scoped barrelled action is unsupported above the straps securing the butt stock to the pack. There is nothing to secure the heaviest part of the rifle to the pack. Therefore there is nothing to keep the rifle fore end and butt stock in the same plane should the rifle fore end get caught up or take any side load during transport. I have two of Kens stocks and have had one of them for 4 years and have no problems with it what so ever. But then I have never tempted fate and tried packing the rifle in that manner without the fore end being strapped down as well.


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Originally Posted by DaveE

Not sure why one would carry a rifle like this? The physics of it are asking for trouble.
All of the mass/weight of the scoped barrelled action is unsupported above the straps securing the butt stock to the pack. There is nothing to secure the heaviest part of the rifle to the pack. Therefore there is nothing to keep the rifle fore end and butt stock in the same plane should the rifle fore end get caught up or take any side load during transport. I have two of Kens stocks and have had one of them for 4 years and have no problems with it what so ever. But then I have never tempted fate and tried packing the rifle in that manner without the fore end being strapped down as well.


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My thoughts also


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Originally Posted by DaveE

Not sure why one would carry a rifle like this? The physics of it are asking for trouble.
All of the mass/weight of the scoped barrelled action is unsupported above the straps securing the butt stock to the pack. There is nothing to secure the heaviest part of the rifle to the pack. Therefore there is nothing to keep the rifle fore end and butt stock in the same plane should the rifle fore end get caught up or take any side load during transport. I have two of Kens stocks and have had one of them for 4 years and have no problems with it what so ever. But then I have never tempted fate and tried packing the rifle in that manner without the fore end being strapped down as well.


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I thought the same when i saw this. All the forces lever around the weakest part of a stock. I have seen factory plastic tikka stocks break here when carrying like this. Also that would put at least 27inchs of leverage above the top tie point. Not only would it be bloody high but that some serious leverage were you to catch in on something then pull sideways to the rifle (weakest direction).

Originally Posted by Hermitage

Yeah, it's not difficult to do a 3 layered carbon fiber patch repair and not that expensive if you have sheets of carbon fibre and some epoxy lying around.
This is why I'm surprised that Ken didn't offer a compromise of doing a repair of the stock for free.

Customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth advertising are 80% of a business's long-term success.

Im not suprised Kens based where i grew up. Plenty of guys i grew up with will brake shit then claim warranty all the time. One purposely ran over a Leupold scope that was discontinued and demanded the next model up as replacement. When you see that a few times and you get a call of someone breaking a product 2 years in your a bit suspicious.

The other is it sounds as if tensions were maybe a bit high maybe and ringing on a Saturdays a little poor taste IMO. I cant imagine that led to a great start.

Originally Posted by Stocky

The other is it sounds as if tensions were maybe a bit high maybe and ringing on a Saturdays a little poor taste IMO. I cant imagine that led to a great start.

This.
Otherwise, give the customer the benefit of the doubt and do a carbon fiber patch repair. Business 101

I've had a carbon stock break on me, but it was cause I was a bit rough on it at the time, repaired it with Araldite and some glass fibre, not the prettiest repair but strong and functional. But it bought home to me the fragile nature of carbon compared to regular fibreglass.

If the stock in this thread was mine, I'd be asking the maker if he could fix and be reasonable about it - if he was not playing ball, I'd just shrug my shoulders and fix it myself. Just happy I'm still strong enough to carry a regular weight rifle about the hills.......

I just looked at photo of how rifle was carried.........that looks so hilarious.sort of like an old school CB aerial...or even a shortwave one...how the hell do you walk with it like that???? I wont carry a internal frame pack if load comes up above top of my head...why the K2 Hunter pack is so good...and even with rifle slung on hook it doesnt stick up like that......yip if my stock cracked I would be pissed about it....get it fixed and get over it,there has been advice on how to go about it already posted....superlightweight just HAD TO have a weakness....guess we now have some idea of what it is....scuff/scratch it up and it can break...carbon arrows carry warnings about not using with ANY DAMAGE......and the results of doing so are all over the net,and are horrific...carbon fibre fly rods snap if hit with weighted nymphs......
here is a tip for any who care to take it...sling your rifle across your FRONT when carrying a pack....with longer barrel and suppressor its how I carry anyway.

Carbon fiber will definitely shatter, arrows are bad for that.

It is not relay surprising these break when there is so much emphasis on light weight, just like the bike mentioned that a few break. For bush hunting in the NI I would always stick with wood, a chassis or something synthetic but solid.

Hardly related, but Stug's carbon stocks are tough as teak. Mine have taken a few beatings. I wonder if they were made in a similar way to this Hi Tec that has broken?

I have a Hi Tec too and have no concerns about it. Taken a few spills with it.

Read the start of the post, that explains why I carried it like that on this one occasion, FYI that pack is not full and the gun is not pushed right into the pocket so when carried it’s not that high, it’s only a 20in barrel.

Originally Posted by Stocky

Im not suprised Kens based where i grew up. Plenty of guys i grew up with will brake shit then claim warranty all the time. One purposely ran over a Leupold scope that was discontinued and demanded the next model up as replacement. When you see that a few times and you get a call of someone breaking a product 2 years in your a bit suspicious.

The other is it sounds as if tensions were maybe a bit high maybe and ringing on a Saturdays a little poor taste IMO. I cant imagine that led to a great start.

I run a business and get calls at 8pm on a Saturday night, always working and make sure my customers are happy,
Funny thing I went out of my way one weekend to price a job that ken wanted done at his house ��

And no Ken didn’t even suggest a repair.

that is typically where stocks break
Thinnest point with the greatest leverage
If the rifle was the other way around and it happened when you took it off it would make more Sence than a Manuka branch