Prepping USGI Walnut stock for M305

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Stripes

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So after finally solving my M305 function test woes I'm finally getting geared up to drop my rifle in the USGI walnut stock I picked up from wolverine last November. But naturally I've got a few questions first (don't want to screw this stock up since they are now apparently unobtainium)

1. The wood is in need of another coat or two of oil. Which is preferred, Tung oil or boiled linseed oil? I've got both on hand but I'd like to know which will give me a more authentic finish. I don't plan on stripping or sanding the stock at all, I want to preserve as much of its history as possible.

2. What's the best way of keeping the connector lock from wiggling out of the op rod spring guide? I've read about the "popsicle stick mod" in the sticky but the pictures are no longer there. Plus gluing a popsicle stick to the inside of it seems a little iffy.

Anything else I may be forgetting that I may need to address?

Thanks guys
 
I'd strip the stock with chemical stripper and refinish from scratch. My preference is Tung oil.
Whatever you do, do NOT excessively sand the surfaces where the receiver meets the stock and the trigger group "wings" lock up underneath the stock. Removing too much material will make the receiver loose in the stock.

The popsicle mod is just that: a bit of wood glued to the inside of the stock to keep the connector pin from walking out. If you want to avoid doing that, you will need a USGI length connector pin which is longer than the Norinco one and will not walk out.

This is mine after 9 or 10 coats of Circa 1850 Tung Oil (I believe it is actual Tung oil with dryers added). I tried 100% pure raw Tung oil and that took FOREVER to dry out, so I gave up on it.

11381376025_5161aa9eba_b.jpg


The finish isn't actually as glossy as the picture makes it out to appear. That's just light reflecting off the ceiling.
 
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That came out looking great! Might just have to strip it down and start fresh as well.

I'll have to see if treeline will send a GI connector pin here. Maybe I should have bought one of those parts kits afterall!
 
If you want the "more authentic finish", the US military finish for Garand and M14 was done with Raw Linseed oil. You'll need to apply it in several coats and let each one dry before the next one. It will go on clear, but in time will give you the reddish tint that you see on the unfinished USGI stock.

If you want the battle hardened, aged look, the "more authentic finish" is the darker gummed up look, it's just dried on oil and fine dirt mixed together. Just apply the raw linseed oil over top of the unstripped stock.

As for stripping the stock, the chemical strippers are very harsh and some can bleach the outer layer of the wood.

Simple Green sprayed directly onto the stock and scrubbed firmly but not abusively with a dollar store scrubby pad, then rinsed off with warm/hot water, work very well and won't damage the wood. A warm/hot water prewash before applying the Simple Green, will clean-up a badly gummed up stock

After allowing the wood to dry completely, apply the raw linseed oil.

All of this is best done if you remove the stock metal before starting. The metal to wood joints will tend to allow the water and oil to pool up and really slow the drying process in these areas.

As for the action to stock lock-up, Odd Shot is 100% correct. The accuracy of these rifle is greatly affected by the tightness of the lock-up. DO NOT remove any wood from this area unless you can’t lock-up the trigger guard without excessive force. For accuracy, the trigger guard should close to about a ½ inch from closing before applying the final force to close it up.

Hope this helps.
 
I went with the simpler is better approach on mine and had good success with it. I took damp not wet towels and steamed the dirt off with an iron, took the grit grime and dirt off perfectly but left the original finish intact. Only concern is any stock stamps, as this method while removing a few small dings also can remove the stamps. I then actually used a bunch of mineral oil and let multiple coats soak in and it looks really good. I can also eat off the food grade finish. Not the correct oil, but it worked well, all I was really doing was rehydrating the oil in the existing wood and finish.
 
Stripes said:
So after finally solving my M305 function test woes I'm finally getting geared up to drop my rifle in the USGI walnut stock I picked up from wolverine last November. But naturally I've got a few questions first (don't want to screw this stock up since they are now apparently unobtainium)

1. The wood is in need of another coat or two of oil. Which is preferred, Tung oil or boiled linseed oil? I've got both on hand but I'd like to know which will give me a more authentic finish. I don't plan on stripping or sanding the stock at all, I want to preserve as much of its history as possible.

2. What's the best way of keeping the connector lock from wiggling out of the op rod spring guide? I've read about the "popsicle stick mod" in the sticky but the pictures are no longer there. Plus gluing a popsicle stick to the inside of it seems a little iffy.

Anything else I may be forgetting that I may need to address?

Thanks guys
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I won’t comment much on the refinishing, other than to say I’m a fan of the watco Danish oil (available at your local hardware store) as opposed to linseed. Remember to sand the oil in with 600grit to fully seal the wood.

Odd shot hit it on the head, popsicle stick mod is just a bit of wood glued in. I don’t generally reccomend swapping the connector lock pin as it’s just a skootch wider in diameter than the Chinese pin and I’ve found a fella has to drill out the hole in the receiver to allow the pin to slide in. And bargain bits from c-tire won’t touch the surface hardening. The “welfare” fix is a strip of masking tape over the pin to keep it from walking out.

John
 
I am a huge fan now of putting old crusty rifle stock in the dishwasher.
NOT THE RIFLE lol see the epic, immortal thread on that one!

Put an old nasty wooden spoon in your dishwasher and see how it comes out after. It works very well.
I've refinished many rifles and many stock using everything from oven cleaner, to heavy duty wood stripper etc. Nothing gets the deep grease, oil and crud out of a stock like a dishwasher.
You will have to sand it well and properly after but once you start hitting that fresh wood with some boiled linseed oil, you will see!

The only time I would not use it now is if I was trying to preserve cartouches, or if you want the old battle scars preserved as the dishwasher method will raise those dents right out. After working your way up with proper sanding from 180 to 320 grit they will be long gone. If that is your goal then elbow grease, heavy duty gel type stripper, steel wool and a lot of hot water.

Regardless of your method you use to clean it, when you get it all scrubbed out, soak it in hot water and dish detergent to suck the last of the grease out of it then let it dry really well before moving on to light sanding and finish of choice.
I like Boiled Linseed Oil personally. Hand rub it on good and hard. Let it dry, light 0000 steel wool to open the pores up, more oil and repeat until you're happy with it.

As to fitting it for an M305 the only physical problem you will run into is on the right side of the Norc receiver under the op rod charging handle slot/groove. Look under the receiver and you will notice it has a downward angle for lack of a better description.
You will have to carve/sand lightly this part of your USGI stock to mate up with this angle or the receiver will not sit flush and true with the stock when you clamp the trigger group finger guard lever closed/and or it may not close at all.

That and blocking the right side auto selector groove to ensure the op rod retaining pin doesn't walk out during firing aka the "popsicle stick method"
Aside from that you shouldn't have any major problems.

Once you get her in there, you want to glass bed it! Not for the faint of heart but it's the number one step to making it shoot more accurately/consistently.
My M305 is Marine Tex bedded into a USGI Walnut Stock.
 
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The result of a couple years of RLO. I stripped any oils off and it was pretty dry when it arrived. I let it soak in a few coats of RLO and then apply a light coat every couple months or if I notice anything getting dry (usually the pistol grip or cheek rest).
 
If you are looking to keep the original finish, if it is still the original finish, it is all natural Linseed oil or tung oil.
Iirc early ww2 US stocks were finished with 100% raw linseed while most late War (ww2) and on wood stocks received 100% pure tung oil. Refinishing in the field was done mostly with linseed or BLO, so a mixture of the two would not be unheard of.
You can find both 100% raw or boiled linseed and tung at Lee valley for sure, and maybe some wood working or hardware stores.
Watco, Circa 1850, et al have Japan driers or varnishes in them and are therefore not authentic.
Varnishes on military weapons imho is tantamount to treason, but they are harder wearing than straight oil finishes.

You can cut the oils slightly with 100% natural turpentine, and this will help draw the oils into the wood while pulling some of the crap and dirt out of the stock. A little heat here will also help. You want to be careful though, the heat applied is low - like doing this under a lamp with a 100 watt lightbulb low, and the turpentine cutting is 20% of the entire mixture. You’ll need a fair amount of patience with this method as you slowly and methodically work it in with a clean tightly woven cotton cloth and a lot of elbow grease.
You can do more like a 50:50 mix, but keep in mind that the oxidation of the original finish oils, mixed with dirt and other oils and cleaners over its lifetime is what gives it that distinctive redish colour.
 
m14medic.ca said:
I won’t comment much on the refinishing, other than to say I’m a fan of the watco Danish oil (available at your local hardware store) as opposed to linseed. Remember to sand the oil in with 600grit to fully seal the wood.

Odd shot hit it on the head, popsicle stick mod is just a bit of wood glued in. I don’t generally reccomend swapping the connector lock pin as it’s just a skootch wider in diameter than the Chinese pin and I’ve found a fella has to drill out the hole in the receiver to allow the pin to slide in. And bargain bits from c-tire won’t touch the surface hardening. The “welfare” fix is a strip of masking tape over the pin to keep it from walking out.

John
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OR... you skim cut a longer SAI connector lock in the lathe, install it, and don't muck about with glue and popsicles. That's how I used to always do them when I built M14's for guys maybe 10 years back. Worked like a charm.
 
Take your connector lock pin to a machine shop They can make you
longer ones from stock. I hand them made out of stainless
 
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