refinishing 99 savage

[a j cave]

I have a couple 99c that i am going to sell. the finish on one is worn. I generly stain & oil the preped wood. As I am selling these should I finish different? Varathane as final finish. What do tou look at in a refinished gun. ( these are 308 hunting rifles little collector intrest) thanks for your views AJ

 

[Kilo Charlie]

I have finished or refinished a few rifles, and I have done all of them the same. Birchwood Casey stock stain and grain filler, followed by lots of coats of Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil. Beautiful results every time. Never have used Varathane or the like.
Like you, I wouldn't be real concerned about refinishing a 99C in .308; I would think carefully about it if it were a .250 or other less common chambering. And someday, even the .308 99C will have collector value.

 

[sgt.rock]

I'd leave it as is and let the new owner decide if he wants it to be refinished or not. I often see a firearm for sale, and when I find out it has been refinished, I just keep looking. Unless done professionally, I wouldn't trust the work done by anyone, and sometimes it can be hard to reverse the "damage" of a "bubba job" so that it can be done right. This is hard to assess,unless the buyer is handling it in person. But that often limits sale opportunites.
I am not saying you will "bubba" the rifle, but that some perspective buyer might not be able to look at it and decide you did a good job.
This is especially important IMHO with rifles that aren't currently on the assembly line. Such as Model 94's and savage 99's. Buyers may buy them looking at future values, (which plummet with refinishing)

 

[sunray]

Varathane is for cheap particle board furniture. Not gun stocks.
"...little collector interest..." All 99's are hunting rifles. You might find yourself surprised. Depending on the age and model of a 99, they can have considerable collector interest. Putting plastic on it will drop the value in half.