Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska "Weatherproofing" a wooden stocked big bore for Alaska

Hi, I've got a wood stocked CZ in 500 Jeffery I'm going to take to Africa. I'd also like to take it to Alaska for brown bear on Kodiak. I'm most concerned about it changing Point of Impact due to the rain. Any suggestions besides buy a synthetic/stainless for Alaska? I'm seriously considering that as well. An Alaska trip is probably 3 years out so I have time.

Regards,

Chuck

take a look here:

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I have done this sucessfully 3 times. And all three times, the gun spent a week soaked in rain. Seal all the ends and barrel channels with polyurethane spray. Hand rub at least a half dozen coats of 50/50 linspeed/paint thinner into the stock. Brush a small amount of epoxy into the checkering. Then, just before leaving wipe everything down (wood and metal) with a heavy coat of Johnson's paste wax. You should also ask Sitka Deer his opinion too.

Thanks, I'd really like to take the 500 Jeffery, my other option is to pick up another rifle in stainless/synthetic in a much lighter caliber (300 Weatherby Mag in a sub moa Vanguard) ..

Chuck

So stocks from the factory, CZ - Win - Rem, are either not sealed or poorly sealed?

Taking the barreled action, buttpad, and grip cap, off of basically any factory rifle, will show that they are either not sealed at all, or half heartedly. But then, the need for "proper sealing" is unique to everyones locality.

Jeff

If the wood is stable to begin with, you've got the best solution as wood is concerned. If not, about the only thing you can do is slow trouble, aside from coating the entire stock with a minimum of 0.010" coating of quality epoxy resin. That said, I'm not especially troubled by the thought of using wood stocked rifles. Then again, I don't travel far and wide with them much either; that's probably where the rub comes. Stable wood is a good starting point though.

You would pass up an opportunity to buy ANOTHER rifle?

A point of concern:
Over and over you see the suffestion to seal the barrel channel extra carefully. And it is true the fore end is the most likely place to have instability issues because of the long, unsupported run.

The rub is the wood needs to be sealed equally on all sides. With a barrel channel sealed better than the balance of the stock the water will, over time, "grow" the fore end from the bottom side, causing it to shift toward the barrel.

If the stock is poorly sealed, such as any oil-finished stock, making one side absolutely impervious is asking for trouble.
art

Is the epoxy-impregnation technique the only legitimate way to seal the wood then? Do the other methods do anything except set one up for a worse time later on?

The Johnson's paste wax on the stock and the metal parts is a good plan. Also, if you want to protect the inside of the barrel as well, use an old military trick: attach a condom to the muzzle. Can shoot right through it.

There may be a joke there.

He could also consider using Ultra Bore Coat for the bore.

No, there are a number of different ways to approach the problem. If you are an absolute zealot, epoxy and superglue are the two best choices. Either will take a top coat of your choice to allow a stock to look like whatever you want.

If you do not need the Temperate Rainforest Treatment there are a number of ways to apply good poly varnish and work oil into the blend until you finish with an oil coat on top. For most things it will be more than adequate.

If it is all about looks an oil finish is hard to beat, applied well.

But the underlying wood is the real issue. Stockmakers in the old days used outstanding wood. Very fine pores do not require buckets of mud to fill... and they remain straight. Oil mixed with the mud will shrink over time and telegraph as dimples unless those pores are tiny.

That fine-grained wood is far less inclined to move in the first place...

And of course I ignored your basic question... Sorry about that...

On a sealing job over finish there are few options... Johnsons Paste Wax will help a great deal... It will do more to "seal the wood" than any oil. It is not very durable in use however. I put it everywhere on guns exposed to weather. Do not use waxes with silicone, like all car waxes I know of.

Refinishing is not easy nor quick. Balanced sealing of the barrel channel, under butt plate and grip cap and inside the bare inletting is about all you can do.
art

And I suppose you think stable wood is found in barns... Triple entendre' intended...

Try to say that later after a few toddies!

I can't say it before a few toddies!

Wax your wood all you like. I'm not letting Polly anywhere near my wood; the same goes for Urethrathane.

I agree. You can seal until you're blue in the face. In the absence of some type of phenolic stabilization, if the wood is unstable, there'll probably be just enough moisture still penetrate to the wood fibers to cause some degree of warpage.

I have taken 3 different Sako wood stocked rifles to Alaska. There is nothing stiking about their figure nor appearance except for the very small grain structure. This is one reason why its worked for me.

Is that an STD?

Or a song by Urethra Franklin?