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BigNate Offline OP
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I bought my son a LH Belgium made Weatherby as a grad gift a few years ago. It is the "old school" cool he wanted but it quite literally rusts while you watch if it gets wet. I've never seen anything like it. Last week we were out and of course the weather was wetter than predicted. In only a few hours of being out it was rusting enough it actually looks like it was beginning to pit! Is it because of the blueing method?

What can be done to keep this from happening?


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Did those also have the salt wood problems? I don't know, just putting it out there.

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BigNate Offline OP
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I'm not sure about salt wood. It will literally rust while you watch. Frustrating, it's a beautiful rifle, effective, but not good with moisture at all.


“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.”
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�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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I worked in the Browning Arms Company gunsmithing shop, the way we tested for salt wood was to place a drop of silver nitrate in the barrel channel or under the buttplate. Scrape the finish off in a small inconspicuous area and apply a drop or two, if it bubbles and fizzes like an Alka Seltzer it's salt wood. Weatherby bought into the salt wood situation as well as Browning although not to the extent that Browning did. Unfortunately there is no fix for salt wood other than replacement, salt wood is good for nothing more than firewood. Reluctantly that's what Browning did with all salt wood stocks in parts department inventory. Everything was tested and all salt wood went up in smoke in the company's incinerator. I was working in the gunsmithing shop when this occurred and witnessed it first hand.

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I would try washing it.
Remove action/barrel from stock ,remove bolt, remove trigger if possible. Use a reasonable detergent, warm water and wash the rifle. Pay attention to nooks and crannies with a toothbrush Rinse well with warm water. Rinse with very hot or boiling water.
Dry it quickly then oil everything. Remember the bore.
Later clean off all the oil possible by blowing with compressed air. wiping, whatever it takes.
Then wax everything with a quality paste wax.

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Wash it all you want, wax it or whatever you can think of. The salt is permanently embedded in the wood, the steps mentioned are only delaying tactics and the rust will return. There is no "sealant" of any kind that will stop the salt damage from re-occuring no matter what any of our resident "experts" tell you. I've BTDT with this issue, PM me if you have any additional questions.

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Sound salty...

Try removing the screws in the butt plate, if they will come out, if screws are corroded it is salty.

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Is it feasible to seal the wood with epoxy in the barrel and action inlet areas? Under the butt pad/plate?

Wax wont last but epoxy is pretty damn impermeable.


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Originally Posted by gunswizard
...There is no "sealant" of any kind that will stop the salt damage from re-occuring...


Not so fast!

Originally Posted by MadMooner
Is it feasible to seal the wood with epoxy in the barrel and action inlet areas? Under the butt pad/plate?

Wax wont last but epoxy is pretty damn impermeable.


This. WEST epoxy will seal it if you strictly follow the formulator's instructions for creating a sufficient vapor barrier.


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First find out if it is a salt wood problem!. Go from there. GW told you how. Mad Mooner gave you an indicator. Let us know what you find. A different stock may be necessary. Maybe not. Be Well, RZ.


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In the Browning shop salt wood was ALWAYS replaced, never dicked around with a Bubbasmith epoxy sealant fix. Just sayin as someone who has BTDT. At one point salt wood became so big a problem for Browning that Belgium could not keep up with production demand. Fajen & Bishop were recruited to produce replacement stocks, fortunately they were only a short distance from the Browning repair shop in Arnold, MO.

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I’m sure if Big Nate a shelf full of stocks he’d happily replace it.

New walnut stocks can be pricey though.

If it were mine I’d look into spraying an epoxy barrier coat on the wood and maybe refinishing/coating the metal. It would no doubt be far less money than a new finished stock.



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Mooner is right.

There is a big difference in a factory swapping stocks on recent production guns,
at production costs, and a guy replacing a collectable stock 40 years after production
ceased.


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No matter what you use the salt will find its way out of the wood and the situation will repeat itself. Browning never found a way to deal with the salt in salt wood, therefor salt wood was replaced. A new stock though pricey is a permanent fix, attempting to seal the salt in the wood will eventually fail and entail another fix. It's a pay me now or pay me later kind of situation, throwing good money after bad with repeated repairs just simply doesn't make any sense. Do as you please but don't say you weren't warned.

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BigNate Offline OP
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Thanks guys. So the salt wood leeches & causes the rusting issue? If that's the case maybe getting him a "hunting" stock is a decent answer, and he can put the original in the closet.


“You never need fear a man, no matter what his size. When danger threatens, call on me, and I will equalize.”
Samuel Colt.

�Common sense is genius dressed up in work clothes.� - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Put it in the closet or throw it in the fireplace, the last thing you want to do with it is put it on a gun.

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Originally Posted by BigNate
Thanks guys. So the salt wood leeches & causes the rusting issue? If that's the case maybe getting him a "hunting" stock is a decent answer, and he can put the original in the closet.



Yes


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