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Oiling a stock?

CRMOREAU
Hello everyone,
Is there anything I can do to apply maybe an oil or something of the like to my 03a3 or m1 garand stock to keep the wood preserved without disrupting the originality or integrity of my rifles? Ive used lemon oil in the past to preserve rosewood fretboards on my guitars, is that a no-no on rifle stocks? I ask because Im about to go on deployment and I want to make sure that I come back to the same rifles Im leaving. Any advice on preserving my rifles through a 6- 10 month storage period (in dry, southern california) would be appreciated as well.

Also, what is the best way to put a finish on a new unfinished wood stock that I may put on my 03? Tung oil?

thanks for the help guys.
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Comments

6 comments

Date Votes
  • GuvamintCheese
    Boiled linseed oil. It will preserve it without disturbing it....although it might darken a bit over timme.
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  • stevecrea
    I touched up a stock on a nice 03 that I had with either boiled linseed oil or tung oil. I cannot remember which it was now, but my impression is that they will both work. I have refinished stocks in the past with both of these products. I cannot comment about lemon oil, but my impression is that it is lighter oil and does not protect the wood as much as Tung or linseed, but it should provide some reasonable protection.

    Make sure that you store it in a way that it will not get condensation on it, or it will rust, of course. Gun cases that do not breathe well should be avoided. I would spray it thoroughly with something like Rem-oil, which has worked well for me.

    Good luck with your deployment. I wish you all the best. Be safe!
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  • jonk
    I would do a few hand rubbed coats of boiled lindseed oil, perhaps slightly thinned to aid in drying, followed by a coat of good gunstock wax.
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  • He Dog
    I prefer wax, a hard carnuba like Trewax.
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  • Blairweescot
    CRMOREAU

    First, thanks for your service

    In WWII, the finish if I recall was originally a 100% tung oil dip, which is different than the tung oil you buy today. The import of the oil was a problem due to the war, so they went to raw (not boiled) linseed oil as a dip

    No waxes or anything were applied. Boiled linseed oil is good but does not do much for water proofing

    I'd recommend a hand rub of boiled linseed oil for the wood on each rifle, then rub dry after a few hours, then a full cleaning of the rifles, and then a thorough wipe of the metal with a silicon impregnated cloth (Hoppes sells one), then I'd put each into a gun sock that's designed for long term storage...or send them to me, I will take care of them [:D]

    I would stay away from lemon oil...acids may affect the color of your wood

    I have made and used "gunny paste" the past but I haven't liked it much...1/3 each by volume beeswax, mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil.

    here is a rifle stock (m1 carbine) I did last week. The only finish used is boiled linseed oil, and the walnut was very, very light colored after my cleaning:

    http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54220

    I'm only an amateur but if you want to keep the red/brown tint of the wood, I would shy away from any oil but boiled linseed oil as your situation stands right now if I were you. The wood is pretty tough

    Have a good deployment and stay safe
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  • nmyers
    FWIW, the curators at the Springfield Armory National Museum say that gun wood doesn't require any oil, wax, or other preservative.

    I have USGI stocks 40-60 years old that have never had a drop of oil, & they are fine. As long as your gun safe has constant temperature, & humidity control, you don't need to worry.

    Neal
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