To age, or not to age

if you leave the varnish on the wood finish, get HUTS polish off of the internet and with a 100 percent cotton cloth start rubbing the varnish finish out to a extremely high gloss. it will almost vanish it will become so clear. then you can see the wood and not the finish. if you strip it and oil finish it rub that oil finish out with HUTS polish also. it will give it a soft furniture glow. i come from hundreds of years of french that were furniture makers, it is in my blood. if i can do it so can you. you just have to have the right way to do it and now you do. i did a gun stock sticky on another site and it has over 50 thousands hits to this day. a lot of gun owners have made their gun stock very very nice from that sticky. i love to share info, why hang on to it?

You could always get a second stock set that is not finished and finish that as you wish. Use that and keep original ones as well. Personally I use my firearms and age them that way. YMMV

Jessesky said:

... I was thinking about aging it, wearing the bluing in some spots, and stripping off the wood varnish to finish with oil and wax. ...

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Are ... you ... inSANE?

Old guns today were new at some point in the past.

Just wear it in. Shoot it more.

My reply. like most I give to "what do I do to my gun?" questions is: It's your gun do what YOU wish.

Imagine you were the proud purchaser of the original 140 years ago, with a nicely polished stock and a beautiful bluing job........

But, as others have said, it's yours to do what you want with it. Anyway you choose, enjoy it!

Here's what my original looks like now, stock has no doubt been refinished at some time.

It might not look correct now but even a 1873 was new once. It will kill the value because everyone will know it was done on purpose. Plus what looks like "honest" wear to you may look crappy to others. jmo.

I offer a service for the very thing you describe. There is a several year turn around time, but I promise to send it back well worn, just like you want

I've never understood this faux-aging thing. It wasn't that long ago when the hip thing was to buy battered but new bluejeans that looked like they were worn by a previous owner who lost a fight with a wildcat-and they cost more than the unused dungarees did! Personally, like others have opined, I'll be the one who ages my pants and my pistols.
One option would be to sell the gun and search the used firearm market to see if you can find an equivalent Uberti that has an appearance reflecting an honest age and wear and tear history.

I believe most of us try to enhance the appearance of our older guns. I can't grasp the logic of going in the other direction.

Look for a youtube channel called Blackie Thomas. He did a video on "antiquing" a percussion revolver.

I'd leave it alone. It is what it is. Artificially "aging it" is just trying to make it something that it's not. Besides, it's a good looking rifle. Why mess with it. Unless you just want an antique display piece, it's not going to change its function.

I'm one that likes the look of a gun with age and use--not neglect and abuse. And fake aging usually looks fake. And that's a great rifle. Aside from maybe that thread protector.
My opinion: Leave the metal as it is, but IMO the wood looks too new. Too modern. That design would do well with an oil or wax finish if you want it clean and 'preserved,' or if you want 'worn' at least some crazing and chipping in shellac or varnish. Not poly. Buy new wood. Used or unfinished if possible. Finish/strip and refinish as desired. Don't try to make it look worn yet, just put the finish you like on it and wear it yourself. Even just carrying it on some long hikes.
If I wanted to age fresh wood, I'd get an old butt plate or make sure it included one, just barely buff the shine off and leave it dry in the trunk for a week, and do something like slightly wetting the very edges at the back of the stock before applying finish so it would wear quicker.
If you must age it, simply strip off the oil, re-oil where needed, and give it a little time and plenty of use before reapplying oil or wax. Let it look old, not neglected.
If you need to go one step further, just a light touch with superfine steel wool to take the gloss off. Then revert to the previous step.

Me, I'd just swap the wood for something more 'vintage.' And definitely find or have machined a thread protector that matches the barrel profile. I've seen some on here where you would need a magnifying glass to find the seam. And if it were mine, I'd be happy to do that myself. Ah, to have my workshop back...

If it were my rifle I would leave the metal as is but redo the finish on the wood. I'm really not a fan of shiny wood on a rifle. My CZ 452 had a shiny stock and it felt tacky so I removed the original finish and applied a Minwax oil finish. The finish really shows off the grain of the walnut and it suits the rifle very nicely, in my opinion.

See before and after pics below and judge for yourself.

Before



After

well it wasn't really made in 1873 so why should it look that way?

Soak it in salt water to corrode it. Beat the snot out of it with a ball peen hammer, drag it through the dirt behind a truck and it should them be well worn and broken in.

Never liked glossy finishes on guns or most any wood. IMHO, oil finish on wood always looks the best. I dont think I have ever seen high gloss used on any high end wood furniture. Whats the concern with resell value? It is not a 1873 Winchester it is a modern Uberti, so it loses at most a hundred dollars in resale value. Threaded barrel, dont get that at all, to me that totally wrecks any resale value at all.

Jessesky said:

Opinions welcome before I ruin my gun. I’ve never been a huge fan of how my Uberti 1873 looks. Dare I say the finish is too pristine for an action designed in 1873.

I was thinking about aging it, wearing the bluing in some spots, and stripping off the wood varnish to finish with oil and wax.

What do you think? Will I kill the resale value?
View attachment 859211
(Yes the muzzle is threaded)

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Don't do it buddy, that's a fine looking rifle as is. Ditching the varnish for a hand rubbed oil finish would work, but I wouldn't do that either. Find an old beater to maul.

WelshShooter said:

If it were my rifle I would leave the metal as is but redo the finish on the wood. I'm really not a fan of shiny wood on a rifle. My CZ 452 had a shiny stock and it felt tacky so I removed the original finish and applied a Minwax oil finish. The finish really shows off the grain of the walnut and it suits the rifle very nicely, in my opinion.

See before and after pics below and judge for yourself.

Before
View attachment 859600
View attachment 859601

After
View attachment 859602
View attachment 859603

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Wow, now that is really nice, great work.

I say keep it as is, to mean "Don't make it look worn and old" artificially. Enjoy it, and it'll wear into that perfect use-level that suits you -- perfectly!

That said, I'll give you plenty of leeway to do what you want with your gun. I'll expect the same courtesy. =)

Also, does anyone make an octagonal thread protector? That might look a little more natural than the knurling. Maybe someone SHOULD?

Jessesky said:

I have thought about this! But haven’t seen one yet. May need to do a custom one, but timing the threads that perfectly won’t be easy

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Nope. Threads are an incredible pain to time up.
If you don't leave the gun there to have it fitted, the trick is to make the protector just a little longer than needed and carefully file the back until it times up.

SwampWolf said:

I've never understood this faux-aging thing.

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That's the beauty of the "leave the metal as is approach" - removing an undesirable finish (varnish) and replacing with an appropriate one (oil) does not constitute faux aging. Don't ding it up - make it right.
Just gaze upon post #39!

I suggest take your rifle hunting a few times and observe the results.

TR