Refinishing a wood stock

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haggisbasher

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Haggis Jnr. has a very nice Browning .22 T Bolt MK II in original condition.
The blueing etc is like new, the wood is excellent, EXCEPT for a small area of the varnish coming off at the underside of the stock.

My question is, should i leave it in it's original condition, OR, have the wood stripped and have a real nice oil finish done ?

The rifle would then be gorgeous, but not original.:confused:

I would like opinions on what you would do please if it were yours.
Thanks
 
Refinish it. A ####e looking stock doesn't command any premium.

Better yet, give it to JR and do it as a father-son project. Quality time as well as a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

And stop buying him all these nice guns! Royalty or not!
 
BigUglyMan said:
Refinish it. A ####e looking stock doesn't command any premium.

Better yet, give it to JR and do it as a father-son project. Quality time as well as a sense of accomplishment for a job well done.

And stop buying him all these nice guns! Royalty or not!
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:D OK :D
Problem is >>>>> I do not have the expertise of being able to refinish guns, unlike most of the guys on CGN, so i have to try and find those real choice deals ( once in a blue moon ) that just happen to come my way ;)
 
I would say refinish it. Just because the finish is not origional does not mean it will lose value, as long as it is done right. Heck might even increase in value.

I know with the rifles that I have refinished no value has been lost, they look much better now than they did from the factory.

I say do it as a father son project, take your time and do it right. It will make the rifle that much more special.

Good luck!
 
Don't sweat the inexperience. If you find a book at the local librabry or bookstore about refinishing fine furniture, the principles apply. There was an article in Gun Digest about three years ago entitled the Lemon Meringue Stock. I used that recipe on a Browning A Bolt with goor success. The stock was an piece of extra-plain figureless walnut but after the refinishing it doesn't look half bad.
 
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The rifle has no collector value, so like BigUglyMan says, refinish it just like you would a table. Do it yourself though. Having it done would cost a fortune.
 
If your not going to sell it and your just using it for yourself than just refinish, I just completed one of my old rifles (it was worth it)
 
RayT said:
If your not going to sell it and your just using it for yourself than just refinish, I just completed one of my old rifles (it was worth it)
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My view as well.
Too much emphasis is put on "originallity".

Even a super example of a pre 64 m70 in 270, or an old Parker SxS, is worth only what you yourself see in it unless you want to sell it.
If it is a family firearm that will never be sold, do whatever to make it nice.
I have rebarreled , rechambered , restcocked, and rethreaded a bunch of our faminly fireamrs that never would have seen service, now they get shot.

I have been told by soime people thatI have ruined the collector value of them .
One in particular is a Stevens Tip down which is now in 22Khornet , with a spare Anschutz barrel I had hanging around.

it had a bulged 32RF barrel, how thee hell are you going to
ruin the collector value" of that!!??:confused:Tbolts are starting to get pricey, but so what? It 's yours!
cat
 
haggisbasher said:
:D OK :D
Problem is >>>>> I do not have the expertise of being able to refinish guns, unlike most of the guys on CGN, so i have to try and find those real choice deals ( once in a blue moon ) that just happen to come my way ;)
Click to expand...

Here is an excellent resource to walk you through refinishing a rifle stock.

http://riflestocks.tripod.com/
 
haggisbasher said:
The blueing etc is like new, the wood is excellent, EXCEPT for a small area of the varnish coming off at the underside of the stock.
Click to expand...

I'd definitely refinish haggis. And, consider doing it with your son. Once you remove the two screws on the but plate of the stock and remove that you need a long standard screw driver, fish around deep in the hole till you feel the screw, undo it and off she comes. Or if your not comfortable with doing that, get a local shop to remove it for you. All your doing after this is redoing a chunk of wood.

Browning usually has a thick finish. Here's your secret weapon:

00007324.jpg
Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint and Varnish Remover
Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover removes old paint, varnish, shellac, lacquer and urethane - even multiple coats. Its gel formula makes it ideal for exterior use and vertical surfaces. Because it contains no water or harsh chemicals it is safe to use on fine furniture. It will not disturb the wood's natural patina or raise the grain, and it will not harm glue joints or veneers. Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover is non-flammable and almost odourless.

After that you reapply whatever finish you want. I just did my new reloading bench for instance; (yew wood) with several coats of hand rubbed "Circa 1850 Tung and Teak Oil" then two coats of spar varnish. I 'sanded' with 0000 steel wool after every coat, (and during application of the oil). Worth the effort!

I hope you consider giving it a shot, we're all rookies some time....
 
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Looks like 100%

Looks to me everyone agrees you're going to get a lot more out of doing a refinishing job than just a new finish. I would only add that it helps to have access to a laundry tub or similar where you can kind of sponge off the remnants of goo when you use that paint/varnish remover gunk with cold water.

The whole project probably will go far faster than one might expect and with a bit of care the results will be satisfying for years to come.
 
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