If you ever want to take that hand guard off to stabilize that long crack behind the rear sight, you need to be very careful about your technique, as many of us have found out the hard way and have discussed on this forum ad nauseam.

The stock needs to be removed by carefully unscrewing the two trigger guard screws and moving the front barrel band out of the way. Shimmy off the lower stock off of the receiver and put it aside. Unscrew the two rear sight screws, remembering which goes where, and remove the rear sight. Very carefully, slide the hand guard forward on the barrel and turn it upside down as you slide it towards the front of the muzzle. Only when you see it has cleared the thicker part of the barrel can you then take it off and examine it. The metal retaining rings are often so spring loaded tight that the tension in them can, and often does, cause the wooden guard to crack. You would have to see what condition it is in, try to clean it up, remove any old putty, glue or epoxy, if necessary, and then try to glue it or epoxy it with some type of clamping to keep it tight while drying.

I use regular wood glue if it is just cracked. I use a colored wood epoxy filler if it needs filled which can be stained.

It's hard to get it exactly matching but I use a dark cherry stain to match colors. It doesn't have to look perfect just better and be stable. I have an old barrel I slide the hand guard on while it's gluing to keep it positioned correctly to dry in the right position. It's also good to keep a nickel or quarter jammed in the retaining ring when the hand guard is off the barrel to relieve some pressure on them. I use different size nuts that fit.

If you aren't planning on this repair, ignore the above!

Good luck!