Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Finishing Walnut stocks

Thunderstick, Sitka can probably answer this better than me but I'll give it a try.<P>Considering that the finish on Remington stocks is geared to production and a nice shiny finish as more of a sales tool than weather protection, they work fairly well if taken care of. However, I have owned several Remingtons that the finish has been damaged or otherwise been worn off in spots and the water damage is almost immediate. In other words, the wood has only a surface protection and no protection IN the wood. I would give these finishes about a 5 on your scale.<P>Straight Tung oil and Boiled Linseed oil are about the same, but in a different manner. They are completely dependent on being totally absorbed into the surfaces of the wood for the protection from water, so this portion of the finish must be carefully attended to. If absorption isn't complete, these finishes are not much better than bare wood. Also,if you are using straight Tung oil or Boiled linseed oil without the newer additives, plasticizers, and other carrier solvents, you will probably end up with a beautiful finish that doesn't necessarily protect well by itself. Use of Tru-oil and other newer finishes with additives will enhance the protection qualities of the finish and can still be thinned properly to permeate the wood in the initial applications. However, even with the best application, these finishes will not come even close to the epoxy finishes in water proofing your wood. I would give them a 6 or 7 on your scale.<BR> If you want a really weatherproof finish, you really need to apply the epoxy finishes over several coats of thinned oil in the wood. If you like the rubbed oil look, it can be achieved with a little work by using the methods mentioned by Sitka in the post above. It is a lot of work but if you hunt in monsoon conditions it is definitely worth it.<BR>Keep in mind that most of my advice above is geared to JJ's question and the use of the gun in question- which will see no real moisture exposure.- Sheister

Gentlmen, <BR> I recently bought a beautifully stocked early Kimber 82 Hornet "S" series 1 of 500. From what I've been told and read it was Kimber's first attempt at making a "fancy" rifle. In any event it really made me question my past insistance on stainless steel barreled actions and McMillan fiberglass stocks. I thought I was "growing" to appreciate wood...<P> That is until I started reading about what it takes to "properly" finish a walnut stock, to say nothing of procuring a suitable blank, having it made into a stock, and then fitting it to the barreled action. After all of this I am slowing moving back to just how much I appreciate the simplicity of stainless steel barreled actions and McMillan stocks PAINTED with epoxy paint. Too much money and headache for my use. Intended as a good natured comment and not as criticizm of the blessed walnut;-).<BR>Best, Matt.

Matt<BR>Having trouble deciding whether you should be burned at the stake or simply stoned, or are you? [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img] <BR>art

Thunderstick<BR>My answer is pretty close to Sheister's. The lacquered stocks lose terribly in aesthetics, but can be improved dramaticly with rottenstone and mineral oil. As you were not asking about aesthetics, though, I would call them a 4, mostly because they are so tough to repair and look right when done.<P>They are quite weather tight until damaged, then they are useless, and actually wick under the finish.<P>There is no real difference between straight tung oil and straight linseed oil. Either or both are commonly used in various finishes. If the container says "finish" rather than identifying the oil directly, it is a blend of oil and varnish, usually with waxes thrown in, too.<P>I would always reverse the oil and epoxy, from Sheister's suggestion. The epoxy does not look as good as the oil and is harder to repair. As the oil will sit on the epoxy just fine, I always do it that way. Most of the work involved is in getting the epoxy just right. What could be better than a finish which will keep the wood stable, repair easily and look just like an eggshell luster oil finish?<P>Varathane 66 is a fair finish, and would be my first choice if I was taking a short cut. It is significantly more water-proof than plain linseed or tung. Tru-oil is close to as good.<BR>art

Art, <BR> There was no psychopharmacology involved with my previous statement. That is to say none that I recall, and that's all I really care to recall;-).<P> I actually thought I was turning the corner and then I began to reach that super saturated state and it all just went to hell. Too much information on too simple a subject. Either become an apprentice to a master stock maker or simply order a blessed McMillan. <P> Who knows, a few years, and a bit more refinement and I might be back in the walnut camp. For now the Kimbers will rest in the safe until I return from Cambridge. <P>Best, Matt.

Matt<BR>OK, so it wasn't something you were on. Could it have been something you were off? [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img] <P>Proper wood, properly prepared, serves just fine under almost all conditions. Add such a huge edge for the aesthetics involved and there is nothing like it.<P>When I was young my father made us hunt with lesser guns than his, because he didn't want us beating them up and told us so. Later he told me that was right up near the top of the big mistakes list.<P>Telling a kid you don't care if a particular gun gets beat up is tantamount to a license to vandalize. If he didn't care, why should we?<P>Had we really enjoyed looking at the pretty guns, and gotten to hunt with them, we would never have dared ding one and that would have increased our awareness many-fold.<P>I don't think you are over-working a kid's brain to have them think about the gun, too. He also saw it as an increased awareness about everything to do with the gun, such as which way the muzzle is pointed.<P>Guess I got off track... now, where did I leave my medication?<BR>art