I'm building a new custom rifle on a Boyd's laminate thumbhole stock. One of the modifications will be to locate the swivel on the end of the stock - so that it will ride lower (it will have a 26 inch barrel) while I'm packing it. As an aside, I've always wondered why swivels are put so far from the end on most factory rifles. I want to make a few minor modifications to it - and so I've have ordered on of their "VIP" (unfinished) stocks. In the past (waaay back) I did a few stocks in an oil finish but I was disappointed with the way the wood didn't resist small "dings" and with the way the wood fibres swelled up after long hunts in the rain. My question is this. What is the hardest, most weather durable, attractive finish that I can put on a wood laminate stock?
Secondly, could anyone answering please tell me the best manner to apply such a finish to an unfinished stock. I understand that the stock I'm getting will be finished to about a 100 grit sanding - and that I'll be finishing it beyond that - and then applying the finish. I do a lot of hunting in the rain (some of them extended trips) and I'd like to give my gun the "ultimate" durable hard finish - if such a thing exists. Brand names, and intructions, would be great - if you can provide them. Thank you.
Brian
