Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors maintaining vs redoing a finish

Fellas, In your opinion:
fhat is considered a refinish that could affect the value of a 99?
Is applying a light coat of boiled linseed oil to a stock considered a refinish?
How about rebluing?

There's about a billion Savages already socked away being collected by other people that can carry the torch, make yours, yours.

Rebluing will lower the value of a nice 99. Might raise the price of a trashed 99 by a bit, but unlikely to raise it by as much as the bluing costs to get done.

Applying some tung or boiled linseed to the stock doesn't have to hurt the value of a shooter quality rifle, tho will on a collector grade. Goal is to keep the end result as similar to the original finishes as possible, and not go for a glossy end result.

Just my opinion..

I would just give the wood a good waxing unless it's in hopelessly crappy condition. Renaissance Wax comes to mind - extremely durable, much better for protection than BLO or tung oil would ever be, gives the stock a pleasant luster, and since it's the wax of choice for historical artifacts in museums around the world it's good enough for me. Put it on the metal too and not worry about oiling that for a long time.

Renaissance Wax here. Very nice although I suspect it will have to be applied often with use?

Another vote for Renaissance Wax - both the wood and the metal.

We use Howard’s fed n wax. It has beeswax and orange oil. Used it to condition an unfinished stock and looked like factory. Also use it on all our other. It also doesn’t hurt the metal.

The stuff is awesome.

Old West Snake Oil, Formula No. 2 on the wood
BreakFree CLP on the metal

Haven't used that on my guns but it's great stuff. I use it on the kitchen knife scales.

This pretty much sums up my perspective when considering any work on a firearm in the realm of "restoration." And it applies to wood and metal both. And I would add that if I did do something like refinishing the stock I would try to keep it largely looking "age and wear" appropriate to the condition of the metal. Otherwise, the work will stick out like a sore thumb.

Much prefer a ‘tomato stake’ to a refinished gun

Most Savages just aren't valuable enough to warrant a reblue, financially. Sell it and buy a better one, they're plentiful.

Totally agree Ted !! A matter stake is nicer than a rifle that has been redone It’s like putting lipstick on a pig lol