i am going to be buying a unfinished stock for an old 300weatherby. i want advice on what type of walnut to pick-claro, black, english, or bastonge. i like the looks of a stock with black streaks, figure and such. i want it to be hard to handle the 300's recoil, not really worried about weight. i just want some opions from real people and not internet articles and want to get it right as this rifle will be around a long time.
i will probley use tru-oil to finish the stock unless there is something better out there. thanks for the help
Location: S.W. Pa.-- Heart in North Central Pa. mountains-
Posts: 2,508
RE: walnut stock finishing
I just tried to upload a picture of a rifle I restocked with English walnut recently, but my computer said the file was too large. It has a beautiful reddish-brown backround with lots of dark black streaks and figure in the butt. It certainly was ahard piece of wood. As far as finish, Tru-Oil, when appled right and given enough coats with sanding between each coat, does a nice job. My personal preference is a urethane, which can be left glossy, or given a satin sheen finish. I've been using Minwax Helmsman Spar urethane and really like the results. The key with either method is to go slowly, and don't get in a hurry to rush the job.
Whatever you choice, have a good time with it, and good luck.....
My personal 1st choice of all is Turkish Circissian walnut, but recent prices have driven excellent finely figured examples right through the roof. Claro walnut is the best walnut for the buck, offering exhibition grade figure for around 200$-450$. PM me and I'll be delighted to help any way I can as I've been making stocks for 27+ years now. Neil
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Both these guys have hit the nail on the head. I'm kinda partial to Turkish also, but Carlo can be just as nice with the right figuire. As Pawildman has said, slow and take your time is the key to a good finish job, along with a clean area. No dust or blowing air will help as well. Good luck to you, sounds like a fun project.
I would suggest seeing as many samples as possible, personally for my finishes I use a blend of Tung oil, Linseed oil and ***an drier in the following proportions 1/2 part tung, 1 part linseed and 1 part ***an drier. mix well. The key to the finished product is preparation and patience. Like has been said, make sure your working in a clean dust free environment. Some people say to use steel wool to scuff the finish inbetween coats, I prefer to wet sand, no metal fibers being left on the stock.
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i think just for the price factor i am going to get an unfinished laminatestock for now. maybe someday down the road when the kids are grown i will be able to afford the perfect piece of walnut. is there any differance to finishing a laminate stock? or can i still use tru-oil?
No it won't darken the wood. That's why you need stain if darker wood is desired. It's very easy to repair finish by using the can-not the spray, and take a brush to apply it evenly in area to be repaired. You can use the spray and lightly sand down surrounding area down even with the repaired spots. It LIKELY won't be necessary to repair it however as it's MUCH more durable and protects the wood better than Tru-Oil.
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walnut stock finishing
