Anybody ever restore an old rifle/gun?

[Cam]

So during my trip to south Texas my father in law gave my 14 year two old 22 bolt action rifles. One's an old Stevenson (now Savage). Anyway, both were pretty nicked up & beat up. My kid is into learning how to restore so grandpa told him to have at it with these two rifles. The stocks weren't too bad. After stripping the varnish and lots of sanding followed by staining and tru-oil applications, they look brand new! The tough part for me has always been stripping the barrels then bluing the dang things. Anybody ever done this or have any pointers? We're using Birchwood Casey products for the most part.

[Old Green]

I restored an old 1973 year Remington Model 580 singleshot .22. Last year using the same products you did. Stock I did perfect and looks very good. I didn't do too bad on the barrel except for the crown of it. I didn't put enough bluing agent on that spot and now have a little rust spot to fix. Gun is quite accurate with the new Nikon 4xpower scope I installed.

[slpybear the bullfan]

Yes, I have done this on almost the same scenario you are describing. I had a 1981 Marlin .22 bolt action rifle. I stripped and sanded the stock and refinished. I can tell you that I WILL NOT use Tru-Oil again. I was not impressed. I am a woodworker and had some doubts on that one going in. IMHO, next time after sanding, I would stain it with a color if desired, (and with a cheap factory stock I would probably do so), and then hand rub it with linseed oil to finish it off. I know a lot of people are uncomfortable using linseed oil, so Tung Oil is a good substitute. Oil, then oil, then oil, and then if you think you are almost there, oil again.

For the metal works, I used birchwood casey stripping and rebluing. (The cold blueing kit). After taking off all the old bluing, I used 000 steel wool and some maroon scotch-brite to remove rust. Any rust. Any pit or rust I saw I made sure to take off. Once I was satisfied it was bright, I wiped it down with alcohol and started the bluing process. Wipe on the bluing solution, let it sit for the required amount of time, (a few minutes), then wipe down with water and repeat. The trick to cold bluing is to use many coats. I put 10 coats on my .22. Once it dried out and the blue deepened I was super happy with the results. Reassembled and everything on the entire rifle was wiped down heavily with Rem Oil and left out over night. The next day I repeated the rem oil and then wiped it off the next am. Added a cheap Bushnell 3x9 - 40 and I was tickled with it. I'll see if I can add a pic.

True story on the .22, when I was 10 I got some money for my birthday. I wanted to buy a .22 so dad took me to Sears at the shopping mall in Denton. We browsed through the catalog and there were three .22s you could buy. He made me get a bolt action or lever action, (he wouldn't let me get the semi-auto as he thought I needed to master a bolt first) and I slapped my money on the counter, about $65 cash if I remember correctly. The sales clerk slid the short form to my dad and he said, "No, he's buying it so he needs to fill it out." So I did. I completed the form, gave it to the clerk and my cash, he rang it up and gave me my receipt, we went to the catalog sales counter, I handed my receipt over and then the package came down from the warehouse and I walked out... the proud owner of a new .22. All at the ripe old age of 10 (accompanied by my dad :) )

I miss the good ol days.

[slpybear the bullfan]

738
This should be a pic of that .22 (If I did that right)

[Rabid Cougar]

738
This should be a pic of that .22 (If I did that right)

Very nice. Good story behind it too.

[ronwx5x]

738
This should be a pic of that .22 (If I did that right)

That piece looks great. It was probably not that nice when new!

[panfan]

So during my trip to south Texas my father in law gave my 14 year two old 22 bolt action rifles. One's an old Stevenson (now Savage). Anyway, both were pretty nicked up & beat up. My kid is into learning how to restore so grandpa told him to have at it with these two rifles. The stocks weren't too bad. After stripping the varnish and lots of sanding followed by staining and tru-oil applications, they look brand new! The tough part for me has always been stripping the barrels then bluing the dang things. Anybody ever done this or have any pointers? We're using Birchwood Casey products for the most part.

I was given an old 12 gauge. Its so old the manufacturer info has worn off. Its a single shot, still fires. Stock was cracked. I refinished and glued up the stock some years ago, but because I didn't really intend to use it, I left most of the beat up marks on it, just oiled it up. It looks pretty cool. Thing kicks like a mule. These are great projects for kids who appreciate guns. Good luck to him on his project.

[slpybear the bullfan]

Very nice. Good story behind it too.

Thanks!

[slpybear the bullfan]

That piece looks great. It was probably not that nice when new!

It definitely wasn't. That stock was about a cheap as a piece a wood as you could find I think. I sanded forever to get rid of the very rough milling and sanding marks on it from the factory. The wood is a cheap Beech if I remember, but I think it has a lot more value to me staying in its original factory configuration. When i was finished, it was much improved. Then I put Tru oil on it and it just looked a little too "tacky" on it. I need to sand it off and refinish again, but am thinking i will wait until one of my sons is interested in doing that with me.

[Cam]

I restored an old 1973 year Remington Model 580 singleshot .22. Last year using the same products you did. Stock I did perfect and looks very good. I didn't do too bad on the barrel except for the crown of it. I didn't put enough bluing agent on that spot and now have a little rust spot to fix. Gun is quite accurate with the new Nikon 4xpower scope I installed.

How did ya'll get the bluing to "even out"? I found that after bluing and running through cold water, I take some steel wool to it and hit it lightly to even out the bluing. I've done 5 to 6 coats on the barrel but I'm thinking I'm going to do more. Just doesn't seem as dark as I want it. Man, my boy and I have found out this is a lot of work....but enjoyable....

[Cam]

738
This should be a pic of that .22 (If I did that right)

Looks very nice Slpybear!!..

[Cam]

Yes, I have done this on almost the same scenario you are describing. I had a 1981 Marlin .22 bolt action rifle. I stripped and sanded the stock and refinished. I can tell you that I WILL NOT use Tru-Oil again. I was not impressed. I am a woodworker and had some doubts on that one going in. IMHO, next time after sanding, I would stain it with a color if desired, (and with a cheap factory stock I would probably do so), and then hand rub it with linseed oil to finish it off. I know a lot of people are uncomfortable using linseed oil, so Tung Oil is a good substitute. Oil, then oil, then oil, and then if you think you are almost there, oil again.

For the metal works, I used birchwood casey stripping and rebluing. (The cold blueing kit). After taking off all the old bluing, I used 000 steel wool and some maroon scotch-brite to remove rust. Any rust. Any pit or rust I saw I made sure to take off. Once I was satisfied it was bright, I wiped it down with alcohol and started the bluing process. Wipe on the bluing solution, let it sit for the required amount of time, (a few minutes), then wipe down with water and repeat. The trick to cold bluing is to use many coats. I put 10 coats on my .22. Once it dried out and the blue deepened I was super happy with the results. Reassembled and everything on the entire rifle was wiped down heavily with Rem Oil and left out over night. The next day I repeated the rem oil and then wiped it off the next am. Added a cheap Bushnell 3x9 - 40 and I was tickled with it. I'll see if I can add a pic.

True story on the .22, when I was 10 I got some money for my birthday. I wanted to buy a .22 so dad took me to Sears at the shopping mall in Denton. We browsed through the catalog and there were three .22s you could buy. He made me get a bolt action or lever action, (he wouldn't let me get the semi-auto as he thought I needed to master a bolt first) and I slapped my money on the counter, about $65 cash if I remember correctly. The sales clerk slid the short form to my dad and he said, "No, he's buying it so he needs to fill it out." So I did. I completed the form, gave it to the clerk and my cash, he rang it up and gave me my receipt, we went to the catalog sales counter, I handed my receipt over and then the package came down from the warehouse and I walked out... the proud owner of a new .22. All at the ripe old age of 10 (accompanied by my dad :) )

I miss the good ol days.

Why don't you like the Tru-Oil?....our stock looks really good using that stuff....What's interesting is the original stain showed hardly any of the woodgrain....we removed it and sanded, and sanded, and sanded.....we were able to stain it to a lighter color and now the woodgrain is showing through really nice!......I feel like a true Picasso!!....I'll get a pic of it sometime soon I hope....the barrel is still in progress....

[Cam]

I was given an old 12 gauge. Its so old the manufacturer info has worn off. Its a single shot, still fires. Stock was cracked. I refinished and glued up the stock some years ago, but because I didn't really intend to use it, I left most of the beat up marks on it, just oiled it up. It looks pretty cool. Thing kicks like a mule. These are great projects for kids who appreciate guns. Good luck to him on his project.

panfan you sumbitch!....is that the gun you took a potshot at me with the night before our game in Liberty Hill?.......you messed up the purple paint on my scooter forcing me to paint it kelly green!!:D

[Old Green]

How did ya'll get the bluing to "even out"? I found that after bluing and running through cold water, I take some steel wool to it and hit it lightly to even out the bluing. I've done 5 to 6 coats on the barrel but I'm thinking I'm going to do more. Just doesn't seem as dark as I want it. Man, my boy and I have found out this is a lot of work....but enjoyable....That's basicly what I did. Used very fine steel wool to even out the bluing and applying more bluing. I ended up applying around 10 coats to it maybe more.

[Old Green]

738
This should be a pic of that .22 (If I did that right)Good job Slpybear.

[slpybear the bullfan]

Looks very nice Slpybear!!..

Thanks, a fun project!

[slpybear the bullfan]

How did ya'll get the bluing to "even out"? I found that after bluing and running through cold water, I take some steel wool to it and hit it lightly to even out the bluing. I've done 5 to 6 coats on the barrel but I'm thinking I'm going to do more. Just doesn't seem as dark as I want it. Man, my boy and I have found out this is a lot of work....but enjoyable....

Keep applying the coats. I really like cold bluing because you can put many coats on the barrel in a short while. I think 10 coats went into that .22. And I am sure you know this, but the bluing deepens a bit over a few days.

On that particular rifle, the barrel had several spots with some pretty good rust on it. When I polished them off, I had a very uneven finish, some areas were highly polished, others weren't. So I went back and polished the whole barrel bright so that it was consistent. That helped make sure that the bluing was even.

[slpybear the bullfan]

Why don't you like the Tru-Oil?....our stock looks really good using that stuff....What's interesting is the original stain showed hardly any of the woodgrain....we removed it and sanded, and sanded, and sanded.....we were able to stain it to a lighter color and now the woodgrain is showing through really nice!......I feel like a true Picasso!!....I'll get a pic of it sometime soon I hope....the barrel is still in progress....

Mainly because of the "finsh" in it. It is stain and a "varnish" all in one. Very similar to a product like Minwax Wood finish with Stain and Poly all in one. It produces a nice finish for an end table, its very pretty. But I do not like a poly or varnish clear coat on a rifle. It is very "tacky", especially in warm weather or humidity. I much prefer oil-rubbed finshes for rifle stocks made of wood. Stain or no stain, light sand, then rub, rub, rub the oil into it. Walnut stocks look great this way, just plain walnut and no stain. Sanded very smooth with a linseed oil finish.

[slpybear the bullfan]

Good job Slpybear.

Thanks! I wish I could do gun smithing and wood working for a living. But its a fun side project.