Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Question about refinishing an older 700 stock with the black forend piece and pressed checkering.

I have an older 700 for sale here in the classifieds that is not moving so I figured I would use it to learn a thing or two regarding stock refinishing. It has the pressed swirly checkering and a black forend cap.
I plan to use a chemical stripper (citrus strip or the like)...should I keep the stripper off the black forend or not?
I am going to use tru oil to refinish. Should I keep it out of the checkering (pressed checkering) ???
Should I keep the tru oil off the black forend cap? In don't expect it to be perfect, but even a novice job will look better than the old, worn out look it has now.
I also read about polishing paste stuff and buffing rags. Where is the best place to get such items, and what are they called?

Thanks for any feedback.

I would not let the citristrip (my choice for the job) touch the black plastic end cap. I made that mistake w/ a Fajen and it still isn't quite right.

I've done checkering both ways (taped off for finish & not) but now for pressed stuff I rub the finish over the entire stock, paying close attention to going extra light and smooth thru the checkering. Occasionally I'll run a soft-bristled tooth brush soaked in thinner of choice over checkering and then wipe w/ lint-free cloth to keep finish from building up there.

Basically if you take your time it shouldn't be an issue. Good choice on the project; you'll find it deeply satisfying!

I've never been successful refinishing a Rem stock without ruining the black grip cap and fore end. I've always just removed them and put on walnut end and cap. It's a look I like and consider it classy.

RJC58 - having had two M700's from the early 70's with the 'bowling pin' finish and impressed checkering all I can say is it's TUFF! I don't believe you could find something to strip it off w/o destroying the black plastic foe-end and grip cap. Despite dings, deep dents etc. it really held up and did not peel. DuPont made it bullet-proof. That being said...I refinished a M600 w/o any problems what so ever BUT I don't recall it having that specific finish. It was also quite a bit less (in '70's $$) expensive than both those 700 BDL's.
Homesteader

I have done several of the Remington stocks of that era. 1.st I always use AIRCRAFT stripper. I find it to be the only one that will remove the RKW finish. 2nd, I never use any finish, other than spray finish on the stock and checkering last cote. 3. I only use Helman's (green can) spar urethane spray. Satin, semi gloss, or gloss, whatever you like. 4. I always use a wood stain and filler, like the stuff you can get from Art's gunshop. (BROWNELLS)There are tapes, that you can use to preserve the plastic black forend cap. Strip the whole stock, including the checkering, and use a brush to get the old finish out. Once you have accomplished this,mask the checkering until you get the color of the stock the way you want it. If you don't use a stain, it'll be pretty light. When you get to this point, put a little stain in the checkering to color it. Let it dry, and mask the checkering again, Then spray the stock steel wool or sand in between cotes. Once the stock is how you like it, pull the tape and spray the last cote on everything. I know this is a little long winded, and I hope it helps you.

Jerry

I've had a Remington 700 BDL that I bought NIB at J.C. Penney when they decided to go for the yuppie trade and dis[psed of their sporting goods and other non-yuppie approved stuff. Nice little 30-06 for $110. It was heavily discounted plus as my wife worked there I got another 10 percent off that price. I also picked up a Winchester M94 for $85 and a Marlin 336 for $95 as I recall. Sold the Marlin to a friend for $50 more than I paid. Could have gone even higher but no use screwing a friend. Still was less than what they were going for at gun shows and his was NIB unfired.
I never used that Remington much and just never got around to either fixing it up or just selling it off mostly because I hated that shiny finish. One day I decided to do something. I'd stripped that finish off a Remington 660 many years ago and didn't want that hassle so went in another direction. I took a big ball of 0000 steel wool and just flat out rubbered that gross shine off the stock. When that was done I rubbed it down with some lemon Pledge and damned if it doesn't look like a fine oil finish off a more expensive rifle. I also have a Remington 700 Classic in 30-06 and one in .35 Whelen and frankly, I think my steel wool job on the BDL looksd a hell of a lot better. I've been trying to think of a way to make the finish on the classics to look more like the one on the BDL. One thing I noticed on the Classics is there are quite a few runs in the finish. Damned sloppy work if you ask me. Only changes I've made on the BDL and 06 Classic are trigger jobs and proper recoil pads. The .35 already had a decent trigger when I bought it and a decent pad from the factory.
I'm thinking of using some wet or dry black sandpaper to see of I can clean up those poorly sprayed Classic stocks.
Paul B.

I did an older ADL with impressed checkering, no forend cap. Personally I just do not like any of the impressed checkering so I simply filed it off before refinishing. To my eye the plain wood looks better. It also trimmed up the gun in the grip which I liked too. Just a thought.

JerryEden - is it the thick yellow kind? Used it when on wash rack duty mid 60's. Leave it on your hands and it'll eat right into you. It took the white anti flash paint off the belly of B52's so it'll probably work...if it don't there's always the flame thrower approach. Note to kids...don't try that at home! LOL. Homesteader

Just joined this forum - mainly due to the great coverage of so many related outdoor topics - but also because this forum gave the most information on my latest problem.

I have an "old" Remington 700BDL 30-06 that I bought with my own grocery store earnings back in the mid-late 60s while I was in high school. I keep it at a rural cabin (in a lined carrying case) that we let temps swing from quite cold to mid 80's during the summer. I recently checked on it and it appears "impressions" have been made into the finish. To make matters worse, I gave it a thorough cleaning using a bore cleaner that got on the stock and "melted" the stock finish and even melted some fibers into the finish.

Is there any way to recover without a total refinish? There are some minor scratches, but not enough to justify a rather difficult stripping/refinishing job for what appears to be the "RTW" finish. I'm wondering if the existing finish can be redistributed somewhat evenly, it would be worth a try - at least it seems so to me.

"Is there any way to recover without a total refinish?"

Not to my knowledge. Paint? (I'm joking. I think.)

Curiously enough, I am currently reworking a 700 stock I built (my first!) from a nicely figured blank in the late 70's to replace the original press-checkered stock. Good project right now when it's 30 below outside.... and it had some "not quite right's to it... as well as nearly 40 years of acquired field-use "character"... It is due. Along with some others.

All kinds of routes you can go with here.

Cheapest (not necessarily easiest!) would be to chemically strip the stock (that press checkering is a PITA!), and refinish. After stripping (using a stiff toothbrush to "dig out" the finish in the dimples - you probably won't get it all anyway -be careful not to damage the "raised" portions), tape off the "checkering" and finish that separately with just a few coats lightly applied - which I would do on any checkering. Those dimples/grooves tend to fill up easily , cut or press checkering.

If plenty of wood, perhaps you can rasp/sand that abortionist press-checkering right out. I prefer plain stock to that crap anyway. After you chemically remove the old checkering steam the crap out of the press checkering to raise it as much as possible before starting to remove material if you go this route. May (probably) not come out well anyway...

I have guns with press checkering, plain wood, and real checkering....they all shoot (and pretty much carry) the same- it's a fricken HANDLE after all. You may just want to go with a "character" stock (yeah, I've got one or more of them too!!!!), that is protected from weather and the hell with looks. You can be the "ugliest gun in camp" guy.... Go totally counter to all those other doofuses. with their closet queens.

Or replace the stock with your choice of "aftermarket". You can probably pick up a factory take-off (with real checkering!) pretty cheap on amazon or from campfire ads. It might be a straight drop-in giving good accuracy, but I'd do a glass bed on it anyway. (All my guns are so bedded, factory or not). If it needs refinishing, a cut checker stock is way easier than press-checker, anyway.

Go with a synthetic, from Ramline (cheap!) to McMillian. Again, epoxy/glass-bed it. No matter what they say about "drop-in", glass bedding will improve it's accuracy.

Sounds like you probably don't want to build one from blank-scratch or a "90% inletted" piece.

The latter really means 90% of the extra wood is gone, but 90% of the fitting work is yet to be done.

Good luck - and you shouldn't be keeping a firearm in any kind of lined case unless it is quite breathable. I don't anyway. Also don't store it cocked- striker springs can weaken over time.