I recieved a Norinco M-14 rifle on trade from another outstanding Gunnut last week and I've been playing with it. It came with the original wood stock, of whatever the heck they use material. 
It also came with a fiberglass stock and a Boyds walnut stock. Since I'm more drawn to walnut, that's what I wanted to use. This one was factory finished with inletting and stain. However, things weren't quite right. The butt plate was the worse part, have a look.
That's a good 1/4 inch all the way around, and while it may work if I ever lay it down on a sharp rock it could split, besides it just looked weird. Also the 'finished wood' was rough and would give you splinters on the right side of the butt. I decided this needed work. I brought into the shop Yesterday and worked it down while I killed time waiting for the Wife to finish her shift at her job. I sanded it down by hand until I was able to evenly bring the contours into the butt plate.
I then finished stripping then smoothing the rest of the stock. I brought it home and wet sanded it to bring up the grain. Then I started oiling it last night with several coats and polished it between coats. This Morning I finished it with 00 steel wool and rubbed it with a wax sealer.
The bare stock.
After the first coat.
And the finished stock.
It may be a combat style rifle, but it's a sporting rifle to me. I want it to look like one, so it now has a light luster, nice colour and beautiful grain. I'll pull the metal off the chu stock today and get it put together ready to go. I wasn't going to scope it at first, but I'm curious to see how well I can get it to shoot. So once this is all done, I'll pick up a mount and throw one up top. I'm liking this one.
It also came with a fiberglass stock and a Boyds walnut stock. Since I'm more drawn to walnut, that's what I wanted to use. This one was factory finished with inletting and stain. However, things weren't quite right. The butt plate was the worse part, have a look.
That's a good 1/4 inch all the way around, and while it may work if I ever lay it down on a sharp rock it could split, besides it just looked weird. Also the 'finished wood' was rough and would give you splinters on the right side of the butt. I decided this needed work. I brought into the shop Yesterday and worked it down while I killed time waiting for the Wife to finish her shift at her job. I sanded it down by hand until I was able to evenly bring the contours into the butt plate.
I then finished stripping then smoothing the rest of the stock. I brought it home and wet sanded it to bring up the grain. Then I started oiling it last night with several coats and polished it between coats. This Morning I finished it with 00 steel wool and rubbed it with a wax sealer.
The bare stock.
After the first coat.
And the finished stock.
It may be a combat style rifle, but it's a sporting rifle to me. I want it to look like one, so it now has a light luster, nice colour and beautiful grain. I'll pull the metal off the chu stock today and get it put together ready to go. I wasn't going to scope it at first, but I'm curious to see how well I can get it to shoot. So once this is all done, I'll pick up a mount and throw one up top. I'm liking this one.
