I have a several Browning rifles with the high gloss factory finish and I want to subdue the shine. A local smith suggested using fine steel wool with linseed oil as a luberciant. I don't want to remove the finish just cut the shine .
Any suggestions ?

4/0 steel wool will not remove the finish. You can also use the plastic scrub pads available at grocery stores.Rick.

I got this tip from a serious custom stock guy named (fnu)
Atkinson and it worked great on my high gloss Rem 700s, now
replaced by Rugers. No Booos!

Get some rotten stone from the hardware store and a fine
plastic sanding pad. Mix the rotten stone into a slurry/paste
with lynseed oil and use the pad to lightly rub it over the stock.
It comes out with a subdued satin finish and no scratches. If
you handle the rifle a lot, the burnishing will bring up the shne
again but it is simple to knock the glare back down with
the same preparation. It also lets the wood character come
through.

Good luck,
1B

What exactly is "rotten stone"?

What about real fine jewelers rouge, you know the polishing paste machinists use?

Rottenstone is diatomaceous earth, a calcium based polish, much finer than the lapping compounds and metal polishing pastes. It also cleans off far easier than the sharp cutting pastes that embed readily and will not be rubbed off.
art

I hope you have better luck finding rottenstone or pumice than I did. I live in a town of 50,000 pop., and the clerks in the hardware stores, paint stores, and lumber yards looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for it. They had never heard of hand rubbing a finish. One older guy did know what it was, but said they didn't carry it. I ended up driving 50 miles and getting it from a Woodsmith store. You can also order it from Brownell's, but it is pricey that way.

Paul

Cannot remember what I paid for my container from Brownell's, but it is over twenty years old and I do a lot of finish rubbing with the stuff... you need just a touch of the stuff to do an entire stock...
art

Here's a little tip on the rottenstone/lindseed oil rub out. It's not the rottenstone that is dulling the finish, it's the lindseed oil. Rottenstone is the finest natural polishing powder available to the woodworker. It is for putting a high gloss on your finish. That's why when you handle the stock it takes on the high gloss look. You have merely rubbed through the lindseed oil.

For an eggshell/low sheen over an existing finish, I level the finish with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper in the direction of the bore. I then apply my new finish and let dry to a tack, then wipe it all off with a lint free rag. It will take a minumum of 6 coats to have a durable finish.