Sitting around watching the first snowstorm of the year got me thinking about projects. I have a couple stocks that I need to put finish on.

When did Savage change from varnish to oil?

Might be easier if you tell us the serial range and we can see what other rifles around it look like.

FYI... low 70's here. Mowed the yard yesterday.

Ok. I'm pretty sure both of these had varnish finishes but I'll dig up the serial numbers later today.

I hope the weather means there will be snow on the ground for deer season. Growing up in NE KS, finding deer was easy. Not so easy in the north woods of MN, especially since I refuse to plant food plots or feed them. At least with snow on the ground I can track them. I wonder how many years of getting skunk it's going to take for me to change my mind on plots or feeding stations

Holy cow, the difference of one state to another. We can take one buck, then you have to take a doe, before you can take your second buck. But, in the zone I do most of my hunting it's unlimited doe, and they just switched to straight walled cartridge's in shot gun counties. Who has that 450 Bushmaster project going?

We get only one buck and no does.

Actually I think I'm wrong. There is an early antlerless season I just read about, just not in my area. Minnesota has the most confusing hunting regulations I've dealt with.

According to Murray it varies by model.

R and RS (1932) and EG and T (1935) were introduced with oil finish.

F (1938). G (1935). H (1935). K (1936).

I've been wondering of late about the varnish on the older models. Reading about Winchester 54's and pre-64 70's of late, both Rule and Bichrest convey that what I thought was varnish on them was in fact lacquer, which makes a lot of sense from a manufacturing standpoint. Lacquer dries very quickly and they were finishing those stocks in a couple days. Would that Savage was doing the same thing? I don't think they had conversion varnishes back then which speed finishing time dramatically, or did they? Gotta do some research.

From my experience with pre-war Heddons, Horrocks Ibbotson, Granger, Montague, and South Bend fly rods is that varnish pretty much ruled the day. It was that or maybe shellac on a lesser basis. Outside of lacquer, I suspect the fireams industry wasn't too different.