Salt wood barrel channel?
- Thread starter kamlooky
- Start date
Hmm... Free floating the barrel would certainly reduce contact, and corrosion. Then sealing the interior surface of the barrel with several coats of Varathane or clear liquid epoxy would warrant consideration. Finally, coating the barrel with heavy oil ...
I've got a salty T-bolt and I just spray some Ballistol on it when it looks dry. My action was a little loose in the stock as well so I shimmed the first inch of the barrel channel and the rear pocket with a bit of thin rubber sheet and it's nice now and shooting like a laser!
New stocks are available from Boyd's but I like the original stock. The guy I bought it from did some repairs to the stock and then oiled it,
New stocks are available from Boyd's but I like the original stock. The guy I bought it from did some repairs to the stock and then oiled it,
Luke, I had a 98 Mauser sporter with a full length so called Mannlicher style stock. I bought the thing in pieces and have no idea where the wood came from. It was very light in color and at first I thought it was Maple. Another fellow told me it was Yellow Yew. Very coarse grain and light but it was stable. With a bit of help from Don Robinson in Winfield I managed to make it look presentable.
To make a long story short, every area of the metal on that rifle that touched bare wood was constantly getting rusty.
I talked to a fellow that used to make a living building wooden boats. It seems that "salt" wood was a real issue with those old boats as well as any metal on them if they had ever been on salt water. Commercial boats were already painted or coated before they ever hit the water. Sport boats on the other hand were either painted or coated with spar varnish as well as others. He told me about one fix that always worked for him. He would sand the existing finish down to bare wood and then spray it with several very thin coats of clear fiberglass. No matting just the clear resin. He suggested that I full length glass bed the rifle making sure that no exposed wood was touching any metal.
I was going to glass bed the action anyway so it wasn't a big deal to clean up the rest of the wood. The wood was very blonde so the clear resin was just fine. First of course the action was bedded and then the rifle was taken down and all of the exposed wood in the mag well, screw holes, sling mounts and barrel channel were given several very well thinned down coats of clear resin. The dry wood soaks up the thinned down resin like a sponge. This is good but it takes a couple of days between coats to cure properly. Each of the coats are applied with a brush and are very thin. I had no issues with the stock touching the wood in the barrel channel at all.
That was close to 35 years ago and my step son still has that rifle today. It hasn't rusted ever since the resin coat was applied.
To make a long story short, every area of the metal on that rifle that touched bare wood was constantly getting rusty.
I talked to a fellow that used to make a living building wooden boats. It seems that "salt" wood was a real issue with those old boats as well as any metal on them if they had ever been on salt water. Commercial boats were already painted or coated before they ever hit the water. Sport boats on the other hand were either painted or coated with spar varnish as well as others. He told me about one fix that always worked for him. He would sand the existing finish down to bare wood and then spray it with several very thin coats of clear fiberglass. No matting just the clear resin. He suggested that I full length glass bed the rifle making sure that no exposed wood was touching any metal.
I was going to glass bed the action anyway so it wasn't a big deal to clean up the rest of the wood. The wood was very blonde so the clear resin was just fine. First of course the action was bedded and then the rifle was taken down and all of the exposed wood in the mag well, screw holes, sling mounts and barrel channel were given several very well thinned down coats of clear resin. The dry wood soaks up the thinned down resin like a sponge. This is good but it takes a couple of days between coats to cure properly. Each of the coats are applied with a brush and are very thin. I had no issues with the stock touching the wood in the barrel channel at all.
That was close to 35 years ago and my step son still has that rifle today. It hasn't rusted ever since the resin coat was applied.
gasoline and a match
Many years ago Browning used salt-cured wood for stocks on Superposed shotguns and the barrels pitted badly wherever the wood touched the metal. In your situation I would isolate the wood from the steel by floating the barrel and putting an epoxy finish like Accra-glas on the barrel channel and anywhere else the metal meets wood - as in glas-bed the receiver, etc..
How much clearance does one need to do a bedding job?
Folds of money would be an appropriate item to compare?
One fold, two fold?
I have never done a bedding job, so this might be a fine time to lern
this mysterious performance.
Petrol and le fume` would be an easy way out, but the stock is just to
adorable and comfy to make into kindling.
If I bewger it up, Boyd's it is I suppose.
Thanks for the replies CGN'rs.
Folds of money would be an appropriate item to compare?
One fold, two fold?
I have never done a bedding job, so this might be a fine time to lern
this mysterious performance.
Petrol and le fume` would be an easy way out, but the stock is just to
adorable and comfy to make into kindling.
If I bewger it up, Boyd's it is I suppose.
Thanks for the replies CGN'rs.
longbranch*
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria,BC.
Don't forget to use the release agent. A fellow I know said the salt would eventually leech through bedding compound in less than 2 years. He just kept re-doing it as the rifle had sentimental value to him.
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At one time, Browning had the bright idea of buying wood from a company who used salt to quickly cure and dry their wood, it almost bankrupted Browning.
For some reason "Tru-Oil" seems to work reasonably well on these old stocks.
For some reason "Tru-Oil" seems to work reasonably well on these old stocks.
Luke, just buy an Acraglas kit and talk to your buddy Bruce. He has plenty of experience with glass bedding and will show you how to do it right. One other thing, pick up some cheap 1in brushes. They go for a buck or so. You will need those to brush the glass on the barrel channel. I would also coat the stock rims all around the metal. Don't forget the mag well.
As for spacing, the only part you will have to worry about for clearance will be around the barrel. You want the receiver to be tight.
As for spacing, the only part you will have to worry about for clearance will be around the barrel. You want the receiver to be tight.
