CZ stock repair

[doublehaul]

Found a good deal on a CZ 452 American, mainly because the previous owner had dropped the rifle on the toe of the stock with the expected loss of a 2-inch long wedge from the stock. The home repair was not done well and I will cut the repair out and splice in a new piece of walnut selected to match the grain as best I can. I have repaired other stocks the same way, but on older guns with more wear where I am doing a complete strip and refinish. I would like to avoid stripping an otherwise pristine stock and was hoping to blend the repair into the existing finish. Just wondering if anyone has suggestions for matching the stain and finish coat that CZ uses on their late model 452 Americans?

 

[viking499]

Look under the section called Stocks and see if you can find anything there that helps.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234957

Good luck. Would like to see a pic when you are finished.

 

[doublehaul]

Excellent suggestion

Thanks. I often forget how much good info there is over on RFC. I will definitely check it out. I suspect the issue will be trying to get the stain to match without the existing finish preventing penetration and then finding whatever repair finish is compatible with the old. Not the end of the world however if I have to strip and start over with a good oil finish.

 

[velocette]

It may be worth your time to strip and refinish the entire CZ stock.
It's been my experience that CZ finishes their wood stocks with mud that covers up the grain and color of the wood.
My personal CZ 452 full stock wood was dull and lifeless, I stripped it, stained it very lightly, then refinished it with high quality materials. Final product was a very nice stock with good color & figure.

Roger

 

[doublehaul]

Roger, I think some of the posters on RFC agree with you. On inspection I can see that the finish doesn't have the depth that others do, including some of my amateur refinish jobs. Also probably easier to hide the repair and not risk going to a lot of work and still not have it look right. Thanks.

 

[Dave Bulla]

Yup, I'd do the whole thing.

 

[doublehaul]

A complete re-do seems to be the consensus. Thanks for the guidance. Now if I can just find some .22 mag ammo .....

 

[greyling22]

I've been eyeballing refinishing my 452 stock, but I keep getting scared off by the checkering. is that difficult to handle?

 

[doublehaul]

Re: checkering

Not really. The biggest problem may be getting the old finish off. I have never dealt with a CZ stock so I may have to experiment with strippers for whatever finish CZ uses. Can't be harder than a Browning glossy finish (I hope!). The sticky on oil finishes started by Dfariswheel is a great reference and there is much good advise over on Rimfire Central, much of it specific to CZs.

I usually try to remove the finish in the checkering with a stiff tooth brush so as not to knock down any edges. As advised by others I cover the checkering with blue Scotch masking tape and burnish it into the outline to seal it. Then finish the stock however you wish. I usually remove the tape before the last coat of finish has set up completely. I then work finish into the checkering and use a soft toothbrush to remove any excess before it sets up. Since you are not trying to build the finish up as you are elsewhere, I have found that 2 or 3 coats of a finish such as Minwax Antique Oil are enough. I am sure there are other methods that work as well. Good luck.