Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General weather resistance and lever guns

Kind of a general question here. I have a 44 mag Marlin 1894 that is in desperate need of a refinish job on the blueing and wood. I'd like to make it more weather resistant for next year's season as it tries to rust with even a bit of handling. It's not a family heirloom, just a "good deal" gun I picked up in late summer that I never got around to fixing up. I hunt in SE TN and it will mainly be a riding in the truck gun/fun gun/short range deer rifle that I'll likely put a set of aperture sights or a low power scope on.

I was thinking of cera-coating the metal, but wanted to elicit opinions on what folks think would be the best type of these all weather finishes and an approximate price. The local Gander Mtn does Ceracoating for ~ $200. I might rattle can the wood, just haven't thought all the details out and asking for advice.

Whatever you do with the wood, be sure to seal the inletting and end of the stock. I had my 444 out in the rain all day and it soaked water in the end grain of the buttstock.How hard would it be for the factories to seal these!!

I decided I NEEDED a wet weather lever gun. Rather than re-finish one I already had, I bought a new Marlin XLR. It's stainless w/lam stock.
Whew! now I can keep my Winchesters origonal. (grin!)
This was my "Gun loonie" way to "fix" the problem!
Virgil B.

Thanks for the input fellas. I have to refinish this old fellow, he's got a lot of character marks from prior owners and I'm just looking for a rugged/weather resistant way to make it more serviceable to me without dropping a lot of dough.

So Ceracoating is pretty good or are there others that I should consider? What about the internals?

Thanks
David

may wanna hit up the hunting rifles forum on here, there is alot of stuff up there and in the gunsmithing about the different coatings

Thanks, you're likely right on the other forums and the opinions on the different coatings.

David

Virgil is correct, that IS the way to reduce the concern.

.

David

I saw a pic of this stock refinish on one of the forums. I've been going to try it, but I don't have any levers with rough enough wood to cover right now. This guy had an old beat up stocked lever and he went to one of the auto shops and bought a spray can of the black pickup bed liner seal and sprayed the stocks. It looked pretty good. A great pickup/boat rifle. I don't remember what he coated the metal with. Maybe you can find the post and pic. Good luck.

Check 10-17-07 post on this forum from Leverboy about 1895??.

George

George-
Thanks, I'll look that one up.

David

Doing something like a $200 cera-coat job would turn a good deal into an expensive rifle. It also doesn't weather proof the bore and internal parts. If it was a project for fun, that's good, but a rifle can look ugly on the outside and still perform the same with proper maintainance. For the wood, an oil finish will take alot of abuse, just thin some linseed with mineral spirits and let it soak in deep and let it fully cure before doing the finishing coats.

If you like the 44mag, why not just buy a new Marlin 44mag Cowboy and keep it for the nice days when you want to carry a nice rifle and just leave the old rifle alone. Just take reasonable care not to let the bore rust and go hunting. A little missing bluing and a few scratches never hurt anything. The old rifle will probably last a lifetime just like it is.

david, Check out my Win 1895 405 WCF on here in the big bore levers forum,I sent my gun to Robar IND. and had it coated with NP3 to weatherproof the metal.They apply it to the outside and internals except the rifle bore.For the bore Fit 4 duty has a do it your self kit called Ultra bore coat I think that should work on your gun.I use to have a old Browning B.A.R. that I sent to Robar and had redone with NP3 on the metal and Roguard on the wood it was the most weather proof gun I ever had.
AMRA

Some years ago when I went shopping for an all weather go anywhere lever gun I found something Winchester called the Model 94 Black Shadow in 30-30. I got the 24" barrel and it has a stock designed for scope use. I put a reconditioned Weaver K3 on it in Leupold mounts. I don't know exactly what the black plastic stock is composed of but whatever it is it is extremely lightweight making the rifle very handy to carry and use. While I have considered having the metal coated with some sort of weather resistent material I just never got around to it. I do keep the metal of the rifle well coated with a good paste wax and have nad no problems at all. The rifle has been used in rain, show, and mud and is the rifle that goes when I don't want one of my "better" rifles exposed to the elements. I've tried reloading for it but it shoots 170gr Winchester Silvertips better than anything I have come up with. These rifles are hard to find now but if you come upon one and want a good rough and tumble lever gun I highly recomment it. I did consider trading mine for a new Marlin stainless 336 but changed my mind when I realized how much heavier it was than my 94.

the 94s do have it all over the marlins as to the weight issue ...

Why not try these guys out:

http://www.mahovskysmetalife.com/

Hard Chrome for less than $200. Can't beat it for wear and weather resistance.