Suggestions on how to care for an old wood stock?

[Joe Mamma]

I have a double barrel/side by side shotgun that is about 30 years old. It is just an inexpensive plain Jane generic gun that never gets used anymore. But, it has sentimental value so, I'd like to keep it in good shape if it's not too much trouble.

The wood stock seems to be drying up so it's a little rough. Is there something that I can put on it to make it look and feel close to new again? I'd rather not sand it down, steel wool it or completely refinish it. I am hoping that there is something that I can rub on it that will work. Someone suggested that I just use a little bit of regular gun oil (Hoppe's oil) on it and let it soak in. Would this work or will it damage it? Thanks for you replies.

Joe Mamma

 

[Coltdriver]

If you don't want to strip it then you might try some plain old furniture oil or polish.

I just tried some lemon oil on an old stock and it really looks nice. Of course its not permanent but for preventing further drying and cracking its probably pretty good.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Do NOT use Hoppe's!! Neither the oil nor the old #9 is good for wood.

I strongly suggest you find an old gunsmith or at least an old woodworker to tewll you what the old finish is. It could be linseed oil, variants of same , varnish etc.

A linseed oil stock is easy to spruce up. Rub more linseed oil in. The variants may contain shellac or other stuff, best to get an expert on this case by case.
Varnish is tough, IMO a complete refinish is best.

Some of these can have furniture wax on top as a preservative that adds sheen.
Again, ask an expert.

HTH...

 

[308win]

Linseed oil holds dirt and oxidizes so will gradually darken. If you don't want to seal the stock then you might try Liquid Gold - it will clean and leave a protective coating. It may take several applications to get the stock to the appearance you want so wipe it down vigorously after the last application.

Commercial grade lemon oil is also a good cleaner preservative if you can find it.

As for the roughness the only way to get a smother finish is to steelwool or sand the stock.

 

[Ironbarr]

Take a look at...

http://riflestocks.tripod.com/

Hope this helps some.

-Andy

 

[Duckman]

Well, I am no expert on this, but I have had good results with a product call Tru-oil. I've used it for touching up stocks.
They sell it in gun shops and sporting goods stores.
If it doesn't do the trick you'll only be out 3 or 4 bucks.

 

[Joe Mamma]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and input. As a follow up to my original question:

I tried Duckman's suggestion of using Tru-Oil. That stuff is great. I can't believe how good the stock looks now. The Tru-Oil made me a litle nervous at first because it initially dried to a very sticky substance. But, I just followed the directions and let it dry even more ("at least two hours") and now, it looks and feels great. It's a little darker, and a lot smoother. It dried to form a hard clear coat. The stock looks like it was done by a professional.

Joe Mamma