[fleetwood1976]

I decided to get busy on my stock refinishing project since the world is going to end tomorow (according to the Mayans).

Project one:

the Father-in-law's Belgium Browning Light 12. The stock was broken into 4 pieces and cracked toward the butt. so I completely broke the crack and acra-glassed the parts back together and filled in the part that was totally gone.
the forearm was fine so I just refinished to match.

Used a Birchwood Casey Tru-oil Stock refinishing kit I got at a yardsale to refinish after sanding. the Brownell's acra-glass is suposed to be so strong that if it ever breaks again it will break in a different place. I was goin for A nice look but still usable in the field. the father in law couldn't believe it was the same stock, his solution was tightly wound electrical tape.

Project Two:

A 91/28? carcano that I picked up for a little of nothing that the stock was completely cut in two at the reciever. Why it was done I will never know. But I used the acra-glass to make it one stock again and refinished with the Tru-oil. I left the wood a little rougher to try and keep the military look, but it still looks like I "pimped my Carcano".

 

[fleetwood1976]

two more of browning

 

[fleetwood1976]

pix of carcano. made a nice little carbine out of it.

 

[Finster]

Nice job they look professional

 

[WHSmithIV]

I have a similar project coming up though I don't need to put pieces of the stock back together with Acra-glass

If you'd be kind enough to send me a PM with how to work with this acra-glass I'm definitely interested - never heard of it. How strong is it? How long will it last?

For the refinishing of a stock that basically just needs some sanding, what is the best way to do it?

I just bought a J.C. Higgins bolt action 12 gauge that needs the stock re-finished. The metal needs simple finishing work that I can deal with easily and the shotgun is in firing condition.

You advice is much appreciated!

 

[fleetwood1976]

Here are pix of the product. It is an epoxy mix and comes with dies and fiber filler for black synthetic stocks. the empty hole was for the cups they provide to mix with. It usually runs $20 to $25 for the kit. you mix the resin to hardener 4 to 1 for 2 minutes and then add die and mix another 2 minutes. you then have about 15 to 20 minutes to work with it before it catalyses and starts to harden. I let it set over night and you can sand just like your wood. gaurenteed your stock will break in a new place, it is so strong.

Refinishing can vary, on the browning there was a thick laquer finish that was peeling so i chemically stripped it and then sanded. i used a little rougher to get the areas of acraglass down then used medium, them fine. I had a true-oil refinishing kit I found at a yard sale that worked out great for the finish. but whatever you use will involve applying a coat, letting it dry, going back over with steel wool, and reapplying coats untill you get the desired look. took about 7 coats on the browning and 4 on the carcano. The kit had a bottle of what amounted to a polyurethane coat I could have used but did not.

On the carcano I used the release agent that is provided in the acraglass kit. You paint it on the metal surfaces that the epoxy might touch if you are appling while the stock is on the gun. that way the stock does not adhere to the gun. after it dried I removed the stock, sanded down and refinished.


the browning was trickier, I had to put all the pieces back with accraglass while the stock was off. the wide filet crack was a split. I was told you should always go ahead and break it off and then re-epoxy it. Once I had a stock minus the missing hunk, I fit it on the gun with the release agent and filled in the hole with the accraglass. when it dried i checkered it to kind of blend it in better. like I said, I new it wasn't going to be like new. but when they where wanting $100 for a beat up used browning stock. I figured I would make do with the original. Poor people gots poor ways.

 

[Ithaca-dbl12]

I've done three or four gun re-habs recently. The first project was a WesternArms (by Ithaca) double twelve that was missing a stock. Bought a rough machine stock, inlet it, sanded it down and refinished it using tung oil. Beautiful walnut.
Project two, a Marlin .22. Completely stripped the stock, restained with a mix of "gunstock" and "walnut" Minwax stains followed by tung oil.
The next one was a Ranger .22 (made by Marlin for Sears). It had been well used/abused. The stock had been previously varnished poorly with sags and dirt in the finish and the barrel had been painted black to cover the rust. Sanded out the stock and refinished using tung oil. The metal bits I stripped the paint, removed the rust and reblued using some Birchwood Casey cold blueing. Looks good, but only likes to shoot CCI Quite 710 fps rounds. Anything more and they tumble or the brass gets stuck in the chamber.
Last project was a model 81 Mauser Argentine for brother-in-law that had a cracked and sporterized stock and rusted metal bits. He glass bead blasted all the metal and I reblued using Vans bluing. He bought a very rough machined new stock which required inletting and major sanding. Again I used my, wait for it, trusty tung oil. My cabinet maker brother suggested it.

The trick to sanding was to use belt sanding belts mounted onto a block of wood. If you have several different grits set up it goes pretty quickly. If you are brave a hand belt sander or stationary belt sand works, but be VERY careful 'cuz it can take too much off very quickly.

With each coat of tung oil I follow with a rub down using 0000 steel wool.

For cleaning up an old dirty stock I use a mixture (equal parts) of cider vinegar, gum turpentine and boiled linseed oil rubbed on with 0 or 00 steel wool. The wipe down with a soft rag (t-shirts are great, the classic tighty whities work well too.) This was a trick given to me by an old cabinet maker friend.

Problem now is I've run out of project guns to refurbish. Never want to touch the rare stuff, only the stuff that has little value to begin with. It is fun making it look good and if I can make it shoot reasonably well that is a plus.

The gun cabinet smells great each time I open it up.

 

[WHSmithIV]

I'm looking forward to my shotgun getting here. Sadly they don't seem to have got it shipped the Saturday before Christmas.

 

[langenc]

Someone must have really wacked that Browning stock?? Baseball, hockey??

I once broke a Mossberg shotgun-bolt stock. It seems we were rabbit hunting and I looked down and the bunnie was between my toes, just setting there.

I carefully unloaded the mag and the one in the chamber, put em in my pocket. Took the barrel and wack. Rabbit ran like hexx away and I stood there w/ busted stock.

 

[fleetwood1976]

the break was were the chunk is missing the big V was a crack that I went ahead and broke to have a better suface to uniformaly epoxy.

My father-in-law bought it busted and taped up. I am guessing it was either dropped out of a blind or the guy tripped over a fence or something.