Boyd’s M14 Unfinished Stock Finishing

r.ferg

r.ferg

New member
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
Ottawa Area
Boyd’s M14 Unfinished Stock Finishing

I have been debating getting an unfinished M14 stock from Boyd’s and finishing it myself. This is going onto my M305. Anyone with experience doing this able to give advice? I am bouncing between finishing with pure Tung oil ONLY vs applying a dark stain before the coats of Tung oil. (TreelineM14 recommends Chestnut Ridge stain).
I am concerned that finishing with PTO alone will produce too light of a colour for my liking. I realize the dark colour comes with age and dirt but trying to find a happy medium. I do like how PTO alone brings out the grain of the wood. Photo examples would be very helpful for me, thank you.
 
Im watching this closely. I picked up a finished one off the ee to put on a 305. My issue is not really the finish, but the fitting, as it does not appear to be a simple drop in. Going to be a winter project.
 
Before applying any stain, just wet the stock with some water. That'll show you what the colour will look like after applying the tung oil. If you don't like it, just let it dry and stain it it before applying tung oil.
 
This started as an unfinished Boyd's stock. I rubbed in 20 coats of Boiled Linseed Oil (waiting a day between each application), then let it cure for a year, buffed it, fitted all USGI suplus metal (part of letting it cure for a year was it let me track down all the surplus USGI metal for cheap). No stain on the stock at all. It really brings out the grain in kind of a magical way. Tung Oil would have a similar effect.

left.jpg


Haven't decided what I'm going to do for an upper hand guard yet, but as you might have guessed, I'm a patient guy, and in no rush.
 
USGI stocks can turn out pretty nice. I'm working on one right now. The stain I used is a little darker than I would have like but it still looks nice. Finishing it with Tru Oil.
 
SamaN's 109 water based stain is a good 'go to' when trying to colour match Garand stocks. After it dries, I use pure tung oil (Lee Valley) thinned with citrus solvent 50/50 as a base coat. Then pure tung oil. Use sparingly as a little goes a long ways. let sit for 15 minutes and wipe off the excess. Each coat after takes longer to cure (it does not dry in a traditional manner) Old rule of use was once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and yearly thereafter. Rub in with your hands is the way to apply.
 
r.ferg said:
Very unique grain pattern on that stock grelmar.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

I do woodwork as a hobby, and I've come to appreciate wood for its own beauty. Tung Oil and BLO are my two favourite ways of finishing wood, because it accentuates and brings out the grain. Spreading on that first coat is a magical moment.
 
I have one for my 305 with the wood hand guard. Fitting was not difficult but did take a bit of sanding here and there. I used BLO only and it's plenty dark enough.
Pictures if you wish to your email OP.

Cheers
 
It depends on what you want and what you have to work with.

I personally love the look of natural grain and finished my stock without any staining.

However, only one side of my gun looks good. The stock I have has a thick streak of dark grain next to a thick light "sapling" streak. It looks un-uniform on that side.

Now that a couple years have passed, I wished I had stained that light streak (and just that) darker so that it blends in better.

Here are some pics of the good side:

11381376025_63fb5f20df_o.png


27827578121_e81f9f1081_b.jpg


27827612791_7e26643868_b.jpg



And here's another one I did with a fancy italian walnut with some iridescent burl (the picture just doesn't do it justice)

16684528275_17eae83fcc_o.jpg
 
...and the stocks are cut a bit oversized (called "proud") at the end of the butt, which you may want to work to fit the butt plate so that it is closer to flush. But that's more for looks than function.

The thing you really do have to concern yourself with, though, is to trim the little bit of wood under the end of the charging handle rail of the M305 receiver (which is longer and angled compared to the M1A/M14).
You also have to confirm the function of the trigger. If the stock is too thick (top to bottom, from where the receiver sits to the portion just beneath the wings and tail of the trigger group), the rifle will not pass the trigger function test (the hammer will drop on an already held back trigger at the end of the reload cycle)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom