I have a 1953 savage 99 eg in 300 savage that is quite nice. It has a WilIiams scope mount and a 3-9 on it. I would like to clean the stock. What would I clean it with, and what would I put on it as a protective finish. I do not want to strip the original finish at all. Just clean and protect. I also have a real nice 1954 99 eg in 300 savage. At least I think they are both eg’s I am refinishing a 99f for my boy as well. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Post a pic. Without a visual it's impossible to know if you have a rifle with its original oil finish or if Bubba re-finished it with something else in the intervening 67 years.

Is the stock dirty?

Just dry and mottled looking. Will have the wife help with pictures tomorrow. Looks like 67 years of sitting.

Here are a couple pictures.

Were it mine I would leave it pretty much alone. It is aging nicely and honestly. At most I would lightly scrub it with a mild solution of warm water and Murphy's Oil Soap, dry thoroughly, and give it a good waxing with a quality paste wax, and then let it continue aging gracefully.

Couple more

The second set of pictures is the 1954, the first set is the 1953.

They both look real good to me. Agree with gnoahhh, wouldn't do much. I especially like that '54.

Thanks fellas. Just looking to clean and protect the wood when I am hunting.

Renaissance wax.

Would boiled linseed oil or tru oil help cut the dirt and protect the wood? I just figured some type of oil would be more like the original look, rather than a wax. These guns will see some bad weather while hunting.

Oil is not a cleaner, especially Tru Oil - that would make a hellacious mess! I don't think I would use anything stronger than a light solution of dish soap with a soft sponge. And then I wouldn't get it very wet. How do you know the wood isn't still sealed from the original finish? Check that out before you do anything else. But be careful because I think you may be getting close to traveling down the road of "if it ain't broke don't fix it.".

Nothing wrong with those stocks.

A little Old West Snake Oil (Winchester Formula) wouldn’t hurt anything and would also give one the satisfaction of doing something for the wood.

By the way, neither of those rifles are "quite nice." To the contrary, they are very nice!

LISTEN to those previous. LEAVE it alone. It has made it all this time. After hunting, just WIPE it down.

But I don't have a wife to rub on a gun!

OP: the thing about wax is it is a fairly decent water barrier at the same time it gives a luster to the wood. How much of a luster depends on the type/state of the finish itself. An oil finish on its own is a notoriously poor barrier to water fenestration- it's the wax that truly gives it a modicum of protection in that regard. Use your judgement as to whether or not any proprietary wood treatments provide that kind of protection in addition to prettiness.

The problem with wax is that it's not original, and it's a pain to try to remove in the future if somebody wants it original.

Just my opinion...

This^^^^

Tongue in cheek, or serious??

I'm serious. I've bought a couple of 99's with wax smeared on and it's been a pain to clean up. Maybe that was car wax or something stupid, but I've steered clear since. Premils came from the factory with just an oil finish, no?

Check out Larry Potterfield's (Midwest USA) video on using wax to protect your gun on You Tube. I have been using wax on all my rifles , I have nine savage 99's, plus many other rifles and have been well pleased with with the results. Wax will clean and improve the appearance of the stocks as well as protecting them. I also use it on the metal as well, but you will need to remove any oil products before you apply the wax. Just know that all waxes are not the same and some contain chemicals that are not good for your gun( car wax etc) I use Renaissance Wax, a special formulated wax, which is used by top museums to wax all their exhibits(wood, metal, pottery,etc). I think I saw somewhere that the NRA gun museum and other gun museums wax their guns to protect them as well. Renaissance is a little expensive for the amount you get but a little goes a long way. You can order it on line, hard to find in a store. I just reordered through Walmart and received my order in less than a week. I do keep a check on my guns and re wax them every so often, which, as I understand is what museum staffs spend a lot of their time doing year around.

Thank you for the recommendations. I just finished my boys 99f tonite. We will most likely shoot it this weekend. We have never shot this rifle. I have heard the f models in 308 have a stiff recoil. Can’t wait!

I am old ,broke down, and have the muscle tone of a slug, and I find my 99F 308 the more pleasant shooter in my collection. even softer then my C in 243. ymmv
x3 for renaissance wax. a little goes a mile.

Have not had a chance to shoot the f yet. Been busy. Hopefully soon!