Depending on what it is, you might be destroying any potential collector value by refinishing it. Please consider looking into that before proceeding.
rec.guns might be another place to ask this question, by the way.
See you there, perhaps? Dave Hinz
I have a couple of rifles with walnut stocks. At the moment they have just the 'factory' finish, which looks like a couple of coats of an oil. (I have contacted the manufacturer to try to discern exactly what oil).
I would like to end up with a high sheen, but not glossy finish, that will not make the gun slippery to handle, especially if the weather should turn wet whilst hunting. Are there any of the standard oil based finishes that somebody (preferably a gun user) would recommend for a finish?
One rifle in particular has a beautiful 'tiger stripe' pattern in the grain, which I am certain will look fabulous when given several coats of the good stuff.
I thought i'd drop by first though and see if anybody has any experiences or information they would like to share?
Thanks
TJ
I fully agree with Dave and also to check in at rec. guns. Leave those stocks alone until you determine the rifles' value. Since you have contacted the manufacturer, I assume it/they is/are still in operation. Who were the manufacturers? U.S. or foreign? If they are military rifles, I am assuming the present finish is BLO, boiled linseed oil, but I could be wrong. Any any event, leave those stocks absolutely untouched until you know much more of the rifles. What are the dates of manufacture? If military, the dates could be stamped on the top front of the receivers toward the barrel and just forward of the bolt opening. Tell us what you see there and on the two sides of the barrels at the rear where they screw into the receiver. Pay particular attention to ALL of the marks - even the funny looking ones, perhaps in a weird alphabet. THEY DO MEAN SOMETHING. Perhaps we can help, perhaps not.
Hoyt W. Federal licensed Curios & Relics collector
If you determine that the guns do not have a collector value, try using Birchwood Casey Tru-oil. Great stuff!
I have a 40 year old 22 semi-automatic that I purchased new with an unfinished stock. It has the the nicest finish I have ever applied. It's simply Outer's gun oil. I applied a number of coats over the first month and then wipe the gun down with gun oil after every use. I believe the saying for an oil finish goes something like:
Once a day for a week. Once a week for a month. Once a month for a year. Once a year for life. (It the case of a gun I recommend once after each use).
-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
USMC recipie linseed oil + large amounts of elbow grease :-)
I refinished my Pre-64 M70 featherweight a couple of years ago after a week of hunting in the rain finally ended the factory finish (geeze it only lasted 40 years :) I stripped it including using an old toothbrush to give a moderate brushing of the checkering. Oiled it over three weeks with Linseed oil then finished it with Paste wax. It's worked great so far.
Allen
Book recommendations:
"The Modern Gunsmith" (Vol 2, I think) 1930s book (two-vol set, one is actions & barrels, one is stocking). Out of print for years, but still easy enough to find (look for an ultra-rare copy that _isn't_ signed by the author!) This is the best text I've seen on how to apply gunstock finishes.
"Staining and Finishing for Muzzleloading Gun Builders" William A. Knight and William R. Mende Privately published pamphlet, available through US gunshops. A couple of real chemists study the science of oil finishes and their practical application for recreating old firearms.
Then armed with some knowledge, go to your finishing. Ignore any comments about commercial finishes or raw oils. These do _not_ deliver the right result. To do it right, you're also going to be working with either heated or at least warmed oils.
Tru-oil isn't bad stuff as an effective and easily used product, but it's far too high-gloss for my tastes (and yes, I do get to work with oil finishes on pre-Great War English shotguns).
Thanks for the comments all.
"rj" wrote in news:6TRrc.43305$gr.4301727 @attbi_s52:
I have an old Springfield .22 that has been in my family since the 1920s. Each generation has done minor sanding and refinishing with linseed oil, and that's it. I remember when I first removed the butt plate (when I was about 15) and found my father's name on the stock, from when he'd taken it in to his high school woodshop for some light sanding. This is a gun that has seen heavy use, much of it banging around lose in a model T, then a
1950s Willy's. It's a very nice tactile finish for a working gun.-Derek
You know that that's worth a small fortune, right? Unmodified, I mean.
As a shooter, that's great. As a collector, I am cringing. As long as it's gentle and only with the appropriate oil (sounds like it is) it's not too bad, though. Fun little guns, aren't they?
Dave Hinz
Dave Hinz wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:
The really cool thing is that I have a pair-- I got a second, matching model at a farm auction about ten years ago for $40. It wasn't in quite as good condition, but it's a good match.
Oh yeah-- can't think of a much better gun for a kid to learn with. I know there have been many 1,000s of rounds through our original and it's still one of the most accurate gun with iron sights I've ever fired. I'm looking forward to passing it on to my grandkids (along with that second one now).
-Kiwanda
Me too ;)
I'll double your money right now, my friend...
They were designed for trainig troops; the cost of .30-06 ammo was prohibitive, and supplies were tight; the .22 trainers have the same dimensions, etc as the '03 Springfield used by the US military at the time. Basic marksmanship can certainly be taught on a .22 as well or better than a high-power rifle, so it's a sound method.
If you wanted to drop me an email, I'd be happy to look up serial numbers or whatever for you, if you want specific info on which varients you've got.
Dave Hinz
Mine are old 1906-06 03-A3s from the days when our government felt it was a good idea to have a well armed and trained population. I bought them, and ammo, from the DCM (the Pentagon's Director of Civilian Marksmanship) for $25 each. Admittedly it was many years ago but these weapons still work as well now as they did then.
I've been at this for long enough to remember boarding an Allegheny Airlines flight at Logan on my way to the Camp Perry pistol matches carrying several pistols and about 3,000 rounds of hand loads on board. The airline and flight crew were well aware of what I had and why I was carrying it. No problems.
I still have those pistols. If I carried them on a plane today the Govies would have a fit. What's changed? I haven't and the pistols haven't.
RB
Dave H>
Now that Clinton is gone, you can buy them again from
When were you at Perry? I bet we have some overlap.
I've got to get back there. My kid is 5, old enough to hang out on the beach with mom. Maybe next year. I understand the mess hall got hit by a tornado and is no longer used, sorry to say.
Dave Hinz
The world has.
RAW linseed oil at that. I recall a fellow recruit mentioned BLO within the hearing of the DI. The DI came unglued. I don't think he had been left in the clamps long enough. He came unglued very easily and very, very frequently.
Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA
Tom Veatch responds:
Three fingers, too. For whatever reason, our drill instructors insisted on raw linseed oil and rubbing the stock long enough to heat it enough for the LO to pick up a sheen, which it eventually did, long after we were sick of rubbing. I wonder what boots do today and for the past 3+ decades that the M16 has been at the fore? Some kind of car polish?
Charlie Self "Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen." Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
"Sheen" had become a no-no by my SEA camouflage days ... AAMOF, we were taught to use a handful of sand/dirt/mud to take it off.
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