Turn walnut and blue into a wet-weather rifle?

Bishopus

Bishopus

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So I've got an invite to go to Alaska next year, and I've got a .338 WM I want to take BUT buddy tells me horror stories about what happens to blued rifles up there. It's a Win70, blued in a walnut stock.

I really don't want to buy another rifle in this caliber--load development just isn't _that_ much fun--but I also don't want to come home with a pitted, warped mess.

Is it feasible to give the metal a 'clear' coat of armacoat or one of the other wunder-coatings, or do I need to have it bead blasted and refinished?

Should I worry about the wood warping and put it in a fiberglass stock? And maybe as a corollary, has anyone ever actually seen (not heard about, not read about...) their POI change as a result of wood warping in wet weather?

Thanks for any advice!
 
And remember the INSIDE of the bore is your biggest worry. You can always refinish the outside, but a rusty bore will DEFINITELY play havoc with your accuracy!
 
Look at refinishing your stock with clear epoxy.There is a guy over at 24 hour campfire with the handle sitka deer.He has detailed posts up about doing this to walnut stocks.BTW he hails from alaska.Here is a link to one of his posts searching will turn up more:http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...0&Board=UBB44&Number=373375&fpart=&PHPSESSID=
As far as bluing goes,if your action has been bedded in the stock you can take it apart everynight and oil the exterior of the action and barrel.I use "birchwood casey sheath" in liquid form not aerosol for this task.So far no rust and works great on the inside of the barrel as well.
 
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Keep it clean and well oiled and you will be fine.
I`m not in Alaska but I shoot in all types of weather, rain and snow.
A good cleaning at the end of the day and a light coat of oil on the whole thing, wood included and you be good.
 
I have had bad experiences with blue and walnut in the past but not any more. My solution came in the form of a metal protector called EEZOX. This is a liquid product that you treat the metal with, it is clear and has no surface buildup, it can even be used inside the bore. The treatment was applied two years ago and has had 4 weeks of hunting since the application. The firearm has been exposed to temperatures from +10 to -30 and back to room temperature on a daily basis for the 4 weeks of hunting. There has not been any trace of corrosion since the application, the bore is the only place that got any attention and that was only in the form of a dry patch with a pull through, the exterior was only ever wiped down when the gun was brought indoors into the warmth and the surface began condensing but no reaplication of the product was ever redone. The results reflect what I had originally read about on the 6br forum when they thouroughly tested a bunch of miracle products for corrosion resistance. Excellent product, relatively inexpensive and moderate difficulty in applying. The hard part is stripping down the gun in pieces to apply it everywhere. As for the stock, if it is varnished from the company it should not need any special attention except for the barrel channel or action area which might be stripped of varnish, this can be remedied by the careful applicatioin of a exterior varnish in light coats to seal the wood. The checkering in the wood would also need attention in the form of a coat of tung oil for protection agains water.
bigbull
 
Get an inexpensive synthetic stock and put it on the gun for hunting. As far as the metal, clean it every night of the hunt including the bore and you should not have any problems.

In my case, and although I don't hunt in Alaska, that is what I hve done to my 35 Whelen in a Rem 700 BDL Deluxe (wood & blue). I was able to come up with an original new Remington synthetic stock on e-bay for $10.

My intentions were to replace the synthetic after hunting season but have found the new package so practical and good looking that I have decided to put the wood stock away until the time I might want to sell the gun.

I'm not saying that you will be able to find one for your gun at that price but look around and you might be surprised.

Duke1
 
gunasauras said:
Personally, I'ld leave it as is. Just be sure to clean regularly, and look after it while you are there....
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Same here, just clean it each night if needed, no need to buy or change the stock. Unless it's a collectors rifle.... or was bought for range shooting only :eek: otherwise, use it man and shoot that big bear/moose.

Good luck
 
For use in wet weather, I heat all the metal parts of my gun with a heat lamp until they are hot to the touch.

Then I apply a paste wax to the surface of those metal parts, which will melt in like butter. When it has cooled buff to a shine.

Do this a couple of times.

After this you can oil it or use a silicone rag in the field.

Works good for me.

For the stock, I use a marine spar urethane. Cut the spar urethane with mineral spirits( 50/50).

I strip off the old finish completely and brush on. Apply several coats. A completely stripped stock will soak it in.

Once the stock won't absorb anymore, build up a few coats on the surface.
 
When you're sealing the barrel channel and checkering of a wooden stock, it's also wise to remove the recoil pad and seal that end of the stock as well. It would probably not matte to accuracy, but the butt end can swell up like a balloon if the cut end soaks up too much water.

John
 
jjohnwm said:
When you're sealing the barrel channel and checkering of a wooden stock, it's also wise to remove the recoil pad and seal that end of the stock as well. It would probably not matte to accuracy, but the butt end can swell up like a balloon if the cut end soaks up too much water.

John
Click to expand...
Not quite a balloon but very noticeable swelling.

I should post a picture some day of what happened to mine. Everyday that I hunt or shoot with it, I look at it and am reminded of the downpours I put it through on a caribou hunt. :(
 
Holy cow...how did we use guns for a hundred years before "wonder stainless" and "Super synthetic"........Hmm....lets see....the military uses blued rifles, and up until the C7 they were all wood (Sniders, Endields, FN's), they were used everywhere from alaska to africa....they arent rusty......I wonder how?

OIL. Plain and simple, 4 bucks a bottle, apply it with a rag, light swab to the bore, and hunt with the gun! Alaska? No problem. Seriously, dont spend a cent on the gun. Just oil it.

I hunt with a guy....he has a stainless synthetic, and figured it was weather proof. Sure, the barrel and action are stainless, but he sure learned the hard way that the internals arent :)
 
Much depends of where in Alaska you plan to hunt. The interior can be wet, but rain and mist are elements which blueing can handle if you take care of the rifle.

If on the other hand, you intend to hunt coastal areas in the fall, there is not only rain and fog, but also wind driven salt spray from the ocean which will turn your barrel and action brown even if you are being careful. We even end up with salt residue on our vehicles here in the fall. If time permits I would have the rifle refinished in Gun Kote or Dura Coat. Both offer great corrosion resistance, and are available in a variety of colors, some of which are as nice as factory blue.

If the wood stock is a good quality walnut with straight grain it should be fine, but if you notice changes in POI influenced by humidity I'd restock it with synthetic.
 
Wrong Way said:
Holy cow...how did we use guns for a hundred years before "wonder stainless" and "Super synthetic"........Hmm....lets see....the military uses blued rifles, and up until the C7 they were all wood (Sniders, Endields, FN's), they were used everywhere from alaska to africa....they arent rusty......I wonder how?

OIL. Plain and simple, 4 bucks a bottle, apply it with a rag, light swab to the bore, and hunt with the gun! Alaska? No problem. Seriously, dont spend a cent on the gun. Just oil it.

I hunt with a guy....he has a stainless synthetic, and figured it was weather proof. Sure, the barrel and action are stainless, but he sure learned the hard way that the internals arent :)
Click to expand...

Haha! +!, blued/walnut have been perfectly adequate for the past century. Don't sweat it, just make sure you clean/maintain your gun properly
 
Cool, tx guys--I'm going to go the 'wax' route for the metal, and take a look at a) a synthetic stock, or b) urethane for the wood. BTW, we'll be hunting the interior, so rain is a big problem but salt spray is not.
 
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