Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Finish for walnut stock - oil or poly?

I am going to order a new walnut stock for my 99. I am planning on staining it to a "classic" red/brown and then a satin polyurethane finish.
This gun is going hunting with me and I want a tough finish that can take some punishment so that's why the poly finish. I also have lots of experience with the stain and poly way of finishing wood. Any reason I should consider an oil rub finish?
Any advice on a stain color that would look good?
Thanks.

New stock...finish to what works best for you.

I like the oil because I can steam out any dents, scratches and rub on more oil. I have an old '94 Brazilian Mauser in 250Ackley that I'm fixing to do that to that is 15 years old. Just steam out those dings and re-apply the oil. Plus oil is prettier. powdr

Nope. Oil finish leaks. Poly don't.

I have several of my 99's refinished by Dennis Pritchard, who resides in Western VA. Dennis is a master, especially with the 99. He uses a hand rubbed oil finish. I have no idea what this is but I do know that he rubs oil of some sort into these stocks, over and over. 50 times? Not sure but this may be possible from the stories he tells me. The end result is a stock so beautiful it is amazing. I shoot a Savage 1895, 75th anniversary model and was never happy with the stock. Like many of the later Savage 99's they were less refined, thicker, etc. The schnabel forend was "clunky", not delicate like the older models. I sent it to Dennis and now it is one amazing gun. Will try to open an account on photo bucket today and post a few pics. Hard core "traditionalists" on this site may object to this sort of "upgrade" but in my mind, Dennis takes a Savage 99 stock and puts it into a condition that Arthur Savage would have wanted his guns to look like when they left the factory.

Skidrow I don't where you got the idea that oil leaks...but when done properly it is by far the best and most long lasting versatile finish. Several of my guns bear this out over many years of service and it is by far the most beautiful. powdr

Both of you, oil penetrates the wood but it doesn't seal it. Poly does. For that matter the old Marine Spar Varnish does too. Believe what you want. Been there and done that. Got tired of warped stocks from hunting in the Washington rain.

Holy mackerel, Is there still somebody out there who thinks oil is a better sealant than varnish?! Ixnay!! An oil finish may be beautiful but it sucks as an effective water barrier. For a gun that is going to be used regularly in the woods, a good barrier finish can not be beat by oil. If venturing out with oil finished Old Betsy, at least besure to wax the heck out of it with a good paste wax. Then at least you'll have some protection if you get caught in a rain storm.

I have slowly come to realize that over the last generation or two, poly has become synonymous with varnish. 'Tain't so, Joe. Probably due to the fact that poly is all one sees on the shelves in the big box stores. Poly isn't bad, but there are better varnishes for gun stocks, such as good old spar varnish. Poly is harder and as such won't move with the wood as it goes through seasonal changes as well as spar varnish which is softer in nature (and it will move). Eventual crazing/checking may be the result if poly is used. Both can be rubbed out to mimic an 'oil' finish.

Savage, and most other gun makers, went to simple oil finishes after initially using varnish because it's cheaper, period. Not because it's better. The gov't used oil finishes on their combat rifle stocks for generations you say? Sure, because again it's cheap and quick- and what does the gov't care if they have to replace stocks on army rifles as they go through service? Buy a high end gun with a beautiful 'oil' finish, and you can bet your Bippy that it isn't straight oil but rather some form of wiping varnish that was finessed to look like an oil finish.

TruOil for example is actually a wiping varnish, but a cheap diluted one. One can do much better by mixing one's own at home.

As for the old rhubarb re: oil finishes being easier to repair? Not at all if you stop and think about it. Scratched/dented stocks require as much labor to to repair no matter the finish. Scratch through an oil finish and you better sand away all traces of the scratch or a dark line will result from simply smearing oil on it. That doesn't allow for having to feather the sanded injured area into the surrounding wood or a noticeable divot will be seen. Either way, there's a lot of work involved in stock repairs no matter the finish (unless Bubba is one's middle name).

Gnoahhh, evidently Richard Pritchard does and sounds like he makes his living at it. I live in Texas and to be honest just don't worry about rain. I have guns that are made for those kind of days. I use a sealer and oil finish that comes from a man that has made an enormous amount of money through his life using said sealer and finish. I know how to seal, finish, and repair a stock. I new to Savages and their intricacies but not to guns. Been doing this junk for 40 odd years. I might even know something that the guys here on the board don't know. powdr

Powdr, I'm glad you live in Texas where you don't have to worry about rain, really I am, and your 40 years of experience with guns is admirable, even to those of us who have 50 or 60 years of such experience. But few people in the whole country know more about wood finishing and water than our friend Gnoahhh. In addition to many years as a certified gun-crank, he spent a good chunk of his life building and finishing woodwork on boats (which, as you may know, float on water). Take the time to look at some old discussion threads on subjects relating to wood finishes, adhesives, and such matters, and you'll quickly see that you're arguing with a genuine expert.

No Phil, I've found a way to finish stocks that's beautiful and long lasting. I could tell from the start that Gnoahhh was a knowledgeable person concerning wood but I just don't have the time to search for all the different stuff he uses or has experience with. Some of his posts sound more like a science experiment. He knows his stuff and I wish I knew what he knows but at my age it's just too difficult to apply things I know nothing about on a trial basis. powdr

Bear with me as this is my first attempt at using photo bucket on this site. Here is my 75th anniversary, after I had the stock "higraded" and improved over what the factory provided, by Dennis Pritchard. Surely some of the hard-core purists here will not like this but I think it turned out nicely. This is an example of a hand rubbed finish. Not sure how many coats but I think it is something like 50, and takes months.

Here is one of my 250's with a stock that he put a hand rubbed oil finish on.


He also re-shapes the wood to be a bit more refined.
The 99 shown in one of these pics with the cheek-piece on it was actually done by Savage in the factory in about 1985 or 86. My uncle was a lefty and he wanted this. I was surprised to see the forend not fit quite smoothly at the bottom area, in regard to matching up with the receiver. Possibly I got them on a bad day.

Clearly I don't know how to do this. My pics are in photobucket but I don't know how to get them here. Some of my 99's

Looks like I finally did it but I am not sure how. Hope you like them.

Nice collection of 99's!

Ah, so Gnoahhh knows his stuff but I don't given we both said the same thing? His was a longer more involved answer but given that.... Take one of your oil finished rifle stocks and come up here to hunt. I'll bet you a dollar to a dog turd it will swell and warp within 48 hours. Better yet, just lay it down in the shower for a few hours with the shower giving it a light sprinkle. Try it and get back to me. If you've never hunted in the rain you don't know squat about water resistant stock finishes.

Skidrow I don't know what makes you so mean and controversial but I'm not going to get in a pissing match w/you. You've attacked and treated me like [bleep] ever since the first time I posted. I said I don't like poly and I don't. I said I couldn't and wouldn't use Gnoahhh's method/s and I won't. Find someone else to start a fight with...I'm not your man. Really I just wish you wouldn't comment on any of my posts. It's just not worth the head ache dealing w/you. powdr

Permit me to borrow the tag line of a late friend on another forum: "You can lead a man to reason, but you cannot make him think."

I'll be sealing this one up to hunt in the rain soon. Is there a sanding finish I should be using to fill the pores? I have the checkering tools to clean out the checkering, but am assuming I'll want to tape it off or just carefully rub the finish up to the lines?? Then seal the checkering last?