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Any tried and true methods to water proofing a wood stalk rifle? planning on using a wood stalked rifle this fall in Alaska for Moose and Grizzly. | ||
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I only run one rifle in a woody. Focus on the barrel channel and cutout areas for the trigger assembly and magazine/floor plate. I used a couple coats of Varathane. | |||
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Bedding the action and skim bedding the barrel channel will go a long way in preventing a stock from any warping. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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I wonder whether using a 1st coat of varathane/thinner 1:1 ratio might not help diffuse the varathane INTO the wood, since the resultant solution would be less viscous and therefore penetrate deeper. After allowing an appropriate drying period, a second coat of straight varathane would complete the job. Ideas??? | |||
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If it Rains and Rains and Rains You'll Regret it.. Look around on the Web in all the usual spots.. Syn Stocks can be had for Cheap... Bed it an go... Don't Gamble... Good Luck... AK | |||
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Thanks for all the suggestions, they have all been helpful | |||
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multiple coats of Johnson wax, including the channel Jim fur, feathers, & meat in the freezer  "Pass it on to your kids" | |||
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X-2  | |||
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X3 NRA Life ASSRA Life DRSS Today's Quote: Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a free cell phone with free monthly minutes, food stamps, section 8 housing, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime. | |||
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X4 velocity is like a new car, always losing value. BC is like diamonds, holding value forever. | |||
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There is absolutely no way you can seal a solid wood stock to prevent it from warping. A lamininated wood stock would tend to be more stable but still could move from hunidity changes. You don't say where you expect to be hunting but if it's the Interior, you should be better off than near the coast. BTW, our highest humidity levels are in Aug. here in the Interior. You could try some of the suggestions above and perhaps movement could be minimized, but... If it were me, I'd try one of the above suggestions above and then take it hunting and not worry much. As a former woodworker, I know too well the problems working in solid hardwoods here in the Interior. BTDT. In short, all you can expect is to minimize movement. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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Buy a Otis gun cleaning kit, oil your stock well, and if your not there for a couple months thats all you'll need. | |||
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RW, Bear hit it on the head. A woodstock is just the wrong tool for most of Alaska's hunting. It's like showing up at a baseball game with an 18" bat. You might hit the ball but it certainly is not win the game for you. Synthetic stocks are a cheap investment against the cost of even a DIY hunt in the "Great Land". Get one! Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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To each his own, I live in Alaska and have been hunting here since 1980, I've hunted from Kodiak Island to the Brooks Range and never felt the need for a plastic stock I understand why guides need them, but not a requirement for hunters, you'll be fine with a wood stock unless you are coming up for a bench shooting match I'd be more concerned about being in good shape so you are not huffing & puffing when it is time to make the shot Jim fur, feathers, & meat in the freezer "Pass it on to your kids" | |||
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Johnson's paste wax on wood and metal.... Antlers Double Rifle Shooters Society Heym 450/400 3" | |||
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I did the paste wax thing and I also did accuracy testing with a lightly oiled bore and found that I good shoot 1.5 inch groups. I paste waxed my gun and every night I ran a patch of or two of break free thru my bore and in the morning I ran 1 patch thru to make sure there was not excess break free in the bore. Came back with no problems. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Anyone use Corrosion-X on the metal including the bore, then wax? Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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I'm with Abob. I too live in Alaska, Southeast Alaska, where it rains sometimes. I use my wood stocked rifles all the time and have never had a problem. From muzzle loader (actually rained so hard it took the oil out of the stock and the barrel started rusting) It always went off and I never had a problem with accuracy, through Marlin's and Garands to the Sharps. All have worked very well. Do I also use plastic stocked rifles? Of course. I use a bee's wax/Linseed oil mixture and rub it in. Start with one coat a day for a week, once a week for a month and then once a month for a year. This is what the old timer's used and it will make the wood glisten and keep it waterproof. Do the same treatment to the barrel channel too. Good luck, use the rifle you want and don't look back. Jim Jim | |||
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Never been as wet as I was on a Dall Sheep hunt in August. That said, my wood stocked rifle held up okay, not great. Do not trust the factory finish even with Johnson's Paste Wax! By the second day, mine was sucking in the water! An extra coat or two of something (TruOil?) would have been very helpful. As others have said, make sure to get the bedding area and under the barrel. The key place for me has always been the forend tip and butt, under the pad. These are the end-grain areas and they will soak up water/moisture the fastest. You cannot believe how many rifles I have (checked after coming back from AK) that have no finish at all under the recoil pad from the factory. They all do now! I carried a wood/blue rifle, my Dad carried a stainless/synthetic (both Kimber 84's), no real in the field difference for us, mine just needed a little more cleaning and a couple of coats of TruOil when I got back! If I had it to do again, I'd still take the blue/wood rifle. ______________________ Ken A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. --- Greek Proverb | |||
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I'm leavin my pretty walnut 500 Jeff home. I bought a Rem XCR II in 375 H&H to bring to Alaska. Good excuse to buy another rifle ...  Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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I've got a sporterized mauser with the military stock that has been cut down and reshaped and I'm going to coat it with Brownells Accraglas. I've heard of it being done for "ulitmate waterproofing" on a wood stock. We'll see. I've also used the Varathane/Exterior Spar varnish on a stock. It worked well on an exterior door's trim. Seems to be working for the gun, although I haven't hunted with it yet. Dave | |||
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As much as I have written about the benefits of synthetic stocks and stainless steel, ABOB and the others are correct, for anyone who is capable of taking care of a rifle in the field, blued steel and walnut have been suitable for the past two hundred years. Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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A few years back, just before heading up, I called the tech guys at Brownells and they suggested three items; one for wood, one to seal the channel and one for the metal. I also like what ABOB and Phil have to say. Alan  | |||
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And a shaving cream application brush in your cleaning kit for quick oil touch up/applications to metal parts. A partial roll of electrical tape for your muzzle/break. | |||
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Well my brand new Remington XCR II in 375 H&H has an issue. It's very hard to close the bolt on Remington factory rounds (and I mean really really hard). It cycles fine when empty, so I'm sending it back to Remington this coming week. So unless it comes back in time, I'm taking my blued steel / walnut CZ 550 in 500 Jeffery to Alaska in September. So I'll be working on making it as weather resistant as I can over the next several weeks so this thread has been real helpful. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Chuck, I had a similar issue with a lh model 700 I own. I gave it to an Anchorage 'smith that did a nice job at a good price of squaring the action and re chambering the barrel which cured the problem. The 'smith job also incrementally improved accuracy. All I'm saying is that sure its Remingtons fault, but rather than surrender the rifle to the unknown mysteries of the factory, you may well solve the problem at a minimum of expense and have a Sako extractor installed while your at it. With months to go until bear season I'd rather not have my rifle out of my sight. | |||
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Thanks, I'll call Kevin Weaver, the only local gunsmith I know and trust in Colorado Springs since Norm Thompson passed away. I'll see if he can get to it quickly. Normally he's way too busy building custom rifles, like most of the top notch gunsmiths. If not, I'll call the Remington Custom Shop and see if they'll take it on and get to it quickly (not under warranty). Meanwhile, I'm going to start weather proofing "Baby" my 500 Jeffery. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Chuck, Don't send that rifle to Remington. Full length size some new cases, fire full power loads in your rifle and only neck size from that point onward. I'll bet you that will fix your problem. I've loaded literally thousands of rounds for several 375s and I'd sooner think the lot of factory ammo was loaded with the should a hair farther forward. Also make sure you clean your chamber throughly. A dirty chamber can make a big difference in how easy it is to chamber a round and a very dirty chamber can cause extraction problems. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Well Mark that was my thought too when I called Remington last week. So I tried that (fire formed full power loads, the neck sized only after that) and no go. I'm going to call Kevin Weaver (the only local Colorado Springs gunsmith I know and trust since Norm Thompson passed away) and see if he'll take a look at it. If not, I'm going to call the Remington Custom Shop and see if they'll do it quickly for me. I definitely won't do it via the normal warranty service. I definitely would like to take it in Sept, it's 4 1/2 lbs lighter than my 500 Jeff and has relatively no recoil. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Chuck, You obviously know everything I know. Good luck! Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Mr. Taylor, What kind of finish does your rifle have on it to begin with??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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Hi Mark, I took my Rem XCR II to Kevin Weaver (gunsmith) this morning. All will be well soon. Chamber was a bit off, and extractor wasn't good either (last Remington I'm buying and I've always been a Remington fan though my last purchase of a Rem 700 was in the early 80s). So he's installing a Sako extractor, having the bolt handle welded on (just a precaution) and rechambering it to 375 Weatherby which is what I wanted anyway. I'll have it back in less than a month and Kevin's work is always flawless. I should be in good shape for the hunt with John Pete in Sept, just booked my plane tickets. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Chuck, That all sounds good. You'll really be able to utilize the 375 WBY's added powder volume with the long Remington magazine. I would not be surprised if you get 2800 FPS with 300 grainers. H4350 seems to be THE poder for the 375 WBY. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Into Life a little Rain will Pour.. Sometimes it don't STOP.. Then it's Twin Humidity Shows Up.. Do you feel Lucky... | |||
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