Refinished my first shotgun! Pics!

[BlackEagle]

Originally Posted by 76Highboy

Brad, I finally am able to see your pics. It was important to me because I am going to do a stock sometime this year. The wood turned out beautiful on that shotgun. Very nice and thanks for the pics.

Jim

Glad to see you got the picture problem sorted. Look forward to seeing your pictures in due time.

[GunNut89]

very nice! i am considering re-doing my 878 stock this summer. thats what i hope mine turns out to look like!

[Helix_FR]

Nicely done.

[Brad - Stevens 311]

Originally Posted by GunNut89

very nice! i am considering re-doing my 878 stock this summer. thats what i hope mine turns out to look like!

Yeah its a lot of fun to do. And it was so easy. The only thing you really need is patience. I let each coat dry over night. The most important step to get the wood to really show its beauty is sanding. lightly sanding down in between every coat with 400 grit is crutial if you want that glossy finish. I used one coat of walnut stain straight from the bottle. - Brad

[jyantkilr]

Almost forgot, got busy with da Mosins.

Barrel came out lighter, guess the nature of these beasts.

1957-311e 12ga....7x & 13x choke

[gun-nut]

nice

[BlackEagle]

Beautiful work.

[ka64]

Awesome. Looks Great.

[Zane71464]

That is Sharp! Nice work.

[MSGT-R]

It must be the season for refinishing guns. I'm doing the same to a Stevens .22 youth rifle and a Kessler shotgun. Both were bad enough to take the finish all the way down to bare wood, and re-blue the steel parts. I know they aren't collectors items, but they have sentimental value to my husband.

Nice job, great pictures!

[thunderchild223]

excelent work...that looks great.

[Zane71464]

Originally Posted by MSGT-R

It must be the season for refinishing guns. I'm doing the same to a Stevens .22 youth rifle and a Kessler shotgun. Both were bad enough to take the finish all the way down to bare wood, and re-blue the steel parts. I know they aren't collectors items, but they have sentimental value to my husband.

Nice job, great pictures!

MUST be! I've got 2 and maybe three to get done, if I can ever
"take" the time.

[GunNut89]

Originally Posted by Brad - Stevens 311

Yeah its a lot of fun to do. And it was so easy. The only thing you really need is patience. I let each coat dry over night. The most important step to get the wood to really show its beauty is sanding. lightly sanding down in between every coat with 400 grit is crutial if you want that glossy finish. I used one coat of walnut stain straight from the bottle. - Brad

i've never attempted to do it but i would like to give it a shot. whats the trick to getting it down to bare wood?

[Brad - Stevens 311]

jyantkilr, Your 311 looks awsome!! Yours come out pretty near like mine! How do you like your 311? I love mine. I'm thinking about picking up another one. I found another 311 at cabelas made in 1955 for $280. I'm not sure what year mine is, Its post 1968 on a count of it having a serial no.

[Brad - Stevens 311]

Originally Posted by GunNut89

i've never attempted to do it but i would like to give it a shot. whats the trick to getting it down to bare wood?

I used Paint & Stain remover for mine. I prefer the Zip-Strip brand. Its in a black and yellow can and it works super good. All you do is apply it with a brush and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Once the remover has lifted the old stain, Just rub it off with fine steel wool. You can use sand paper, But steel wool works best for buffing the old stain off, Where if you use sand paper you could remove to much wood and cause an unlevel surface that will show up when you apply the tru oil. After removing the stain, Rough the surface up with 120 grit, And then smooth it out with 180. You can even use steel wool to polish the surface to give your stock that glass like finish. - Brad

[Zane71464]

Job well Done Brad!!! Looks really good!

[MSGT-R]

Originally Posted by Brad - Stevens 311

I used Paint & Stain remover for mine. I prefer the Zip-Strip brand. Its in a black and yellow can and it works super good. All you do is apply it with a brush and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Once the remover has lifted the old stain, Just rub it off with fine steel wool. You can use sand paper, But steel wool works best for buffing the old stain off, Where if you use sand paper you could remove to much wood and cause an unlevel surface that will show up when you apply the tru oil. After removing the stain, Rough the surface up with 120 grit, And then smooth it out with 180. You can even use steel wool to polish the surface to give your stock that glass like finish. - Brad

You're too good at this Brad, and it shows!
I had to start with the 80 grit and didn't stop until 400 (I had lots of dings and scratches). Too many curves to use a jitterbug; my hands were sore afterward.

[jyantkilr]

Originally Posted by Brad - Stevens 311

jyantkilr, Your 311 looks awsome!! Yours come out pretty near like mine! How do you like your 311? I love mine. I'm thinking about picking up another one. I found another 311 at cabelas made in 1955 for $280. I'm not sure what year mine is, Its post 1968 on a count of it having a serial no.

Thanks Brad. I love it. I don't own any other shotgun. I'm a firm believer in knowing your weapon and becoming one with it. I don't hunt but shoot clays with it and I am pretty dang accurate at hip shooting with it. I scoff at the folks who think they need a short barrel "security" weapon for home defense. I reckon my next shotgun would be an O/U, love the whole concept of two barrels. I know if I had two rounds splashing around me and survived, I'm moving in the opposite direction. Nothing says hello like a 12 ga.

[Brad - Stevens 311]

Originally Posted by MSGT-R

You're too good at this Brad, and it shows!
I had to start with the 80 grit and didn't stop until 400 (I had lots of dings and scratches). Too many curves to use a jitterbug; my hands were sore afterward.

Thanks MSGT-R! I've always enjoyed wood working. My grampa used to do wood work when I was younger and he showed me the basics. I don't think any electric sander can match the true craftsman ship of hand sanding. Plus I just like working with my hands. - Brad

[Brad - Stevens 311]

Originally Posted by jyantkilr

Thanks Brad. I love it. I don't own any other shotgun. I'm a firm believer in knowing your weapon and becoming one with it. I don't hunt but shoot clays with it and I am pretty dang accurate at hip shooting with it. I scoff at the folks who think they need a short barrel "security" weapon for home defense. I reckon my next shotgun would be an O/U, love the whole concept of two barrels. I know if I had two rounds splashing around me and survived, I'm moving in the opposite direction. Nothing says hello like a 12 ga.

Yep, I love shotguns! They're fun and cheap to shoot. Double barrels rule in my book. I was never a big fan of the over unders, But if your looking for one and don't know what to get I'd get the stoeger Condor. My buddy has one and it is probably the smoothest firing shotgun I've ever shot. The action is very smooth on them, They're light weight, And they don't pound the hell out of your shoulder. They're chambered in 12ga & 20ga. I wish they made them in 16ga! 16ga is my all time favorite in between shell. I don't like 20ga at all. I have a 20ga shotgun, And you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it unless you were inside the barn. - Brad

[GunNut89]

thanks for the pointers Brad. im hoping to start refinishing mine soon. i took some notes down from your posts and im sure they will be a major help. i just gotta finish my 100 other winter projects first haha

[jyantkilr]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqtC_...eature=related

Here is a cute video of the proper technique performed by an officer of hip shooting a 12 gauge.

When a 26" or 28" shotgun barrel is hip shot, it manuvers around doors just as easy as the "security" models, maybe even easier because you are in shooting position. Tests show in the fight or flight adrenaline rush you will get tunnel vision and have to move your head left and right to scan ahead. I doubt one would have the gun at shoulder height aimed banging into walls as you're trying to see. You will gain approx. 5" in shorter length hip shooting bringing the total length about the same but your head can turn freely while the weapon continues to point and be aimed down the hall/room.

Why spend the extra dough?

[firebird8073]

Awesome job, very good work, now on to the next one right?

[Bushmaster1313]

Originally Posted by Brad - Stevens 311

Hello everyone, Just wanted to share some pics of my first gun stock refinish job. Well it may not look like much to some, But this is one of my prized shotguns, My Stevens 311 12ga. When I first got it the original finish was toast. It was all faded and chipped everywere, So I decided to give it a little makeover. I apologize everyone for no before pics. When I took pics with my camera the peice of junk didn't save them to the card. It is my fault for not checking. But anyways I picked up a Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil refinish kit and got to work. I had no trouble at all removing the old finish with the stripper. I sanded the stock down with 120 and then 180. After wiping with a cloth I applied the walnut stain. I didn't dilute the stain any, I used it straight from the bottle. After letting it dry I buffed the stock and foregrip with 400 grit and moved to Tru-Oil. I ended up using 7 coats in total along with a sanding with 400 in between every coat. So here is the final product. I don't think it looks to bad for my first time. Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy the pics. - Brad

Beautiful
But I am guessing it's not walnut.

[Brad - Stevens 311]

Originally Posted by Bushmaster1313

Beautiful
But I am guessing it's not walnut.

Thanks Bush master! I'm pretty sure its walnut. I belive all 311's had walnut stocks, But I could be wrong. - Brad