I lived two summers in Misty Fiords National Monument in a tent with a wood stove in it. My Marlin 1895 survived just fine. Frequent treatments with Break Free kept it in fine condition. Jim

P dog,
Spot on, I changed it to closed the lever..

I saw a fellow melt his Kimber, set it by the stove in a Idaho blizzard, someone said "whats that smell" another said smells like melting plastic, someone else said who's gun is that..

I lent him my rifle to hunt with..

I recall a wood stock saved PHils life, got caught out in the Alaskan night so he burned his wood stock to keep warm..

I like wood and blue, but I realize a SS and plastic stock is best any way you cut it in the far North..Thats not a confession, I still like wood..I do have a boat paddle fac Ruger stock in my keeper junk pile in case the snow in Idaho get 3 ft. deep and risen, and it does! It fits my .338 African real well..I probably will never use it as Ive reached the age that like a bull elk when a snowflake lands on my shoulders I head for greener pastures or a stove and a cup of coffee, a good magazine and a hot toddy.

P-Dog,
"I had a 25-35 that went off every time you closed the lever, not "pulled the trigger", when the lever close the hammer fell and fired the gun, when the gun went off the lever went down and the case ejected!!all you had to do was close it and it fired again, tricky little bugger..Dad shot it one day and tossed it over a bluff..next time to town he came home with a new 30-30 for me before I got hurt...I sneaked down and got that 25-35 unbeknowns to him and traded it for a bowie knife and a monopoly set...It was pretty worn out when I got it..
Forgot to mention, it blew the primers of of the factory ammo and I had to shake them out of the action or use an ice pick every time it jammed. I got a good deal on it however,traded my bike for it. Not sure, so many trades, so man guns, a mass of confusion.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I saw a fellow melt his Kimber, set it by the stove in a Idaho blizzard, someone said "whats that smell" another said smells like melting plastic, someone else said who's gun is that..

I lent him my rifle to hunt with..

I recall a wood stock saved PHils life, got caught out in the Alaskan night so he burned his wood stock to keep warm..

I like wood and blue, but I realize a SS and plastic stock is best any way you cut it in the far North..Thats not a confession, I still like wood..I do have a boat paddle fac Ruger stock in my keeper junk pile in case the snow in Idaho get 3 ft. deep and risen, and it does! It fits my .338 African real well..I probably will never use it as Ive reached the age that like a bull elk when a snowflake lands on my shoulders I head for greener pastures or a stove and a cup of coffee, a good magazine and a hot toddy.

Ray,

hope you did not believe the stock in the woodstove to keep someone warm for the whole night ...

I believe whatever PHil sez my friend, I know him that well..I read that in one of his magazine articles, That said, Im sure he didn't have privy to a wood stove, more likely and ice cave or hole under a tree, they got caught out hunting in the bush..

Slivers of black rubber sliced off of Hogue stocks make great firestarters, even if wet !
Maybe that is why Ruger built their Alaskan models with those stocks

I keep thinking about a stainless, plastic-stocked rifle, but I cannot bring myself to do it. They are just so soulless and ugly, and for me the beauty of a fine rifle or classic shotgun is an important part of hunting.

But ugly rifles are all the rage these days.

Alec,
Both Phil and I have some real nice custom rifles, wood and old world rust blue...but every hunter should have a boat paddle Ruger to back up those guns,not just in Alaska, but Idaho,Montana, Utah to name a few..No real need to abuse a fine rifle, that,s just Wrong..there are plenty of places to hunt the fine custom rifles..I dont' carry my fine rifles in a saddle scabbard for instance or take them out in the inclimate weather when the snow is three foot deep or the rain is coming down in sheets, besides that I might be inclined stay in camp and drink coffee and eat do nuts..

The bottom line is just use good common since is the best advise you can get.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Alec,
Both Phil and I have some real nice custom rifles, wood and old world rust blue...but every hunter should have a boat paddle Ruger to back up those guns,not just in Alaska, but Idaho,Montana, Utah to name a few..No real need to abuse a fine rifle, that,s just Wrong..there are plenty of places to hunt the fine custom rifles..I dont' carry my fine rifles in a saddle scabbard for instance or take them out in the inclimate weather when the snow is three foot deep or the rain is coming down in sheets, besides that I might be inclined stay in camp and drink coffee and eat do nuts..

The bottom line is just use good common since is the best advise you can get.

Alec I sympathize with you but also heed the advice of Phil and Ray. I've hunted a lot in the North East (Adirondack Mountains) in the snow, also in Montana and Colrado with a BDL in 270. No issues, ever. Alaska is different
I took a Remington XCR II TriNyte coated, and the bolt striker (the only thing that wasn't coated) rusted (just cosmetically). I am thinking of having my 500 Jeffery CeraKoted and dropping it in a synthetic stock for Alaska, then putting it back it's pretty walnut stock for hunting in Colorado and hopefully Africa when I get home. I just have to find a CeraKote that looks as much like blued.

Alec: In follow-up to my original post I've got a couple other thoughts to share. In another 6 weeks I'm headed back up to Alaska to hunt with my son again. Taking the same rifle I used on Kodiak last spring: the old wood stocked M70. It does have a few dings in the stock but the metal has survived just fine. If I were to show a picture of it, most would say its a pretty nice looking rifle. This trip will be its 5th to Alaska and 2nd to Kodiak. The Kodiak goat hunt weather was nice and the spring bear hunt it rained most every day. I've found that the proper sealing INSIDE the stock is very important: multiple coats of a good wood sealer and tape along barrel channel and muzzle. One of my thoughts was this: IF the rifle has been properly sealed to the elements, how much change can occur that could effect performance in a 10 day hunt? Others may have found different, but in 10 days on Kodiak, I didn't notice anything that would have effected performance in that period of time. Also, remember, that each night last spring on the Kodiak hunt, I carefully cleaned and dried everything on the metal in a dry tent and rain a dry bore snake thru the bore. Is stainless/synthetic better for those elements? Yes. BUT, wood and blued CAN work with the right attention to detail.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
Nothing wrong giving loving care to your trusted friend (classic rifle). For me, it is a nice way to relax and unwind before lights out.

That is nice when it happens but I have experienced way too many trips when you arrive back in camp a few hours past zero dark thirty, throughly soaked, sweating and too tired even to eat, much less clean a rifle caked in mud.

Agreed.

I don't remember ever cleaning a rifle on a hunting trip during my years in Alaska. Camping in a two man tent in the rain is not conducive to meticulous rifle maintenance. I used a lot of stainless steel and synthetic stocks in those days and am very glad I did. The first nice rifle I had was Sauer 90 in 375. It was a thing of beauty or in my mind it was. 5 days on a rainy trip and it literally was shooting 12 inches right. I shot a bull caribou by aiming at the air off his shoulder with a frontal presentation. That was after 3 complete misses and finally seeing the bullet hit the tundra far to the right. I went straight to SS and synthetic after that experience.

Mark

If you don't like plastic (or other synthetic materials) why not use laminates? There is so much epoxy binding the layers together is practically no longer wood. Doesn't look as nice as a custom rifle, but you know what? Accuracy is beautiful.

I’m a fine rifle nut, and not that it’s fine, guided all my Grizzly hunts but two with a Merkel “working double”. The last two were with a stainless / synthetic Model 70 .375, and a Glock 10mm. I didn’t move to soulless guns for the love of them, there’s just no other way in the rainforest and on the salt water. While I miss the double, I never miss tending to blued steel in a coastal rainforest. Even Glock suffers.

Anyone used WD 40 Specialist on blued steel to prevent rust?



There are some controlled test results showing that it is very good. I was wondering if anyone had used it in Alaska?

So you chance making a pretty girl ugly or just go with the ugly one ‘cause she can cook just as good as the pretty one. Me, I’ll take the pretty one every time.

Yes Every time

Its a finish that worked through a couple of world wars and a few shirmishes quite well..My uncle ranches and has an old 1903 Springfield with Parkerizing, that's lived in the floor board of his pick ups for at least 40 or 50 years every day..its almost like the day he bought it I except the wood has worn to the shape of this pickup floor and its about seen its day! Id say Parkerizing is a pretty darn tough finish, doesn't seem to wear at all just gets shiny..

I have a Ruger Guide Gun in .375 Ruger.

Anyone know what type of finish they come with?

It is a kind of ugly brown, but kind of goes with the weird colored laminated stock. LOL

I figure a gun that homely has to be functional.



BH63

I looked it up. It is a "matte finish, stainless steel".

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
I have a Ruger Guide Gun in .375 Ruger.

Anyone know what type of finish they come with?

It is a kind of ugly brown, but kind of goes with the weird colored laminated stock. LOL

I figure a gun that homely has to be functional.



BH63

I looked it up. It is a "matte finish, stainless steel".

BH63

If it is a laminate, I would not worry. I wouldn't abuse it (wipe off excess water when done hunting for the day) but I wouldn't worry about it.

^
Thanks. I did run a coat of auto wax on it, just to cover the two cross bolts.

BH63

Well on the other side, the warpage doesn't show up until you get home as a rule!! hopefully anyway..

Maybe this doesn't count, but I spent 13 days or so in the Yukon Delta moosing with an original and well worn Ballard Pacific. It did not have fancy polyurethane finish or epoxy anything, nor was the 130 yr original rust blue in real good shape. Even though it rained every day, almost all day, the rifle did just fine. Patina happens. You just have to get out of the way... Right now, I'm looking for a return trip for it as matter of fact (see my next post).

Brent

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Alec,
Both Phil and I have some real nice custom rifles, wood and old world rust blue...but every hunter should have a boat paddle Ruger to back up those guns,not just in Alaska, but Idaho,Montana, Utah to name a few..No real need to abuse a fine rifle, that,s just Wrong..there are plenty of places to hunt the fine custom rifles..I dont' carry my fine rifles in a saddle scabbard for instance or take them out in the inclimate weather when the snow is three foot deep or the rain is coming down in sheets, besides that I might be inclined stay in camp and drink coffee and eat do nuts..

The bottom line is just use good common since is the best advise you can get.

Alec I sympathize with you but also heed the advice of Phil and Ray. I've hunted a lot in the North East (Adirondack Mountains) in the snow, also in Montana and Colrado with a BDL in 270. No issues, ever. Alaska is different
I took a Remington XCR II TriNyte coated, and the bolt striker (the only thing that wasn't coated) rusted (just cosmetically). I am thinking of having my 500 Jeffery CeraKoted and dropping it in a synthetic stock for Alaska, then putting it back it's pretty walnut stock for hunting in Colorado and hopefully Africa when I get home. I just have to find a CeraKote that looks as much like blued.

Some synthetic stocks are quite nice on any rifle. I have a Ruger .338WM African. This rifle does not have a muzzle brake, and the finish is sort of satin/dark gray (sort of the finish on an M-16), express sights. Anyway, the wood stock is too nice for me to hunt with, so I ordered a McMillan classic stock and put the walnut one away. The Macmillan stock looks quite good on this action, and its finish matches the action.

I had a gunsmith friend of mine "CeraKote" another .338WM, a stainless Ruger M77 MKII. Long ago I replaced the boat paddle stock with a Hogue Rubber-Overmolded, and it didn't look bad at all. I have killed around 8 moose with this rifle, and have never had rust building up on it. Hunting in Alaska, even in the interior, is rough on rifles

My friend CeraKoted this stainless steel rifle with a "Sniper Gray" color. That was four years ago, and it looks like new. You just have to be careful not to scratch the finish by leaning it on very hard objects such as steel, rocks, and so on. My friend removed any traces of oil, grease, etc., from the entire action and then bead-blasted it before applying the finish. A good or bad job depends on the person who does it, and this guy is second to none. He retired a couple of years ago, however.

quote:

Originally posted by Brent:
Maybe this doesn't count, but I spent 13 days or so in the Yukon Delta moosing with an original and well worn Ballard Pacific. It did not have fancy polyurethane finish or epoxy anything, nor was the 130 yr original rust blue in real good shape. Even though it rained every day, almost all day, the rifle did just fine. Patina happens. You just have to get out of the way... Right now, I'm looking for a return trip for it as matter of fact (see my next post).

Brent

It should not be a problem as long as you keep it clean, lightly oiled, and dry. If raining or snowing, I clean it at night in my tent or the campsite, but a friend of mine does not do anything to it and sometimes I can see some rust building up on the barrel and crown.

Now, if hunting near salt water, then you want to keep it coated with one of numerous anti-rust protectors.

I had an old springfield purchased by mail order from the NRA around 1950 to 55 best I recall..it lived in the ranch pickup was used like most backwoods men use a hamer or post hole digger, Never was cleaned, sometimes it was hard to work the gummy action..lived in snow rain and heat, when it wasn't in the pickup it was in the barn hanging with the saddles or in a saddle scabbard covering many miles, just a $17.50 ranch gun..It shot 1.5" to 3" groups. I say it was never cleaned but it gummed up so bad that dad dunked it in a 55 gallon barrel full of drained oil until it worked again, I wiped it down with a towel for him,and shot a few rounds through it, after that It worked but gathered a lot of grass hay and what not in the floorboard..

Its amazing what works if you just make do with what you got..I wish I still had that old gun..it deserved a cleaning...It never failed and it always shot good with the military sights.

I just use several coats of Johnson’s Paste wax on the inside of the stock and all the external metal surfaces, and a generous shot of CLP on the bolt and trigger, and a wipe through on the bore.
That CLP is good stuff.

This thread must have got my attention, I ran across a SS Hawkeye boat paddle 77 Ruger in .338 Win., cleaned it up as it had been spray painted with black paint, mounted a 4X Leupold, and a muzzle brake and set it in the shop to serve on snow days...It shoots great and its a nice looking rifle. Hopefully it will last around here, but who knows, I picked up a nice Whitworth 375 H&H and its got my full attention.

Not Kodiak, but Scottish Foreshore - the salt marshes below the high tide mark. My AyA Yeoman - blued and wood suffered 20 years of hard abuse wildfowling in all weathers. It got covered in mud and salt regularly. Rinsed with fresh water, cleaned it and dried it and just applied oil rag - rangoon oil or 3 in 1. Its still going strong but given that i have shot it loose its now in retirement.

Chuck275,
Ive heard bad things about WD-40 but I keep a can of it handy and have for many years..Its always work well enough for me..

My primary hunting rifle is an old worn to death Win. mod. 70 fwt, no blue on the metal to speak of, and the wood must be cured its hard as woodpecker lips and looks like drift wood, its a 30-06 that shoots half inch groups with any load and all loads to the same POI, it never changes POI, I bought it on AR a few years ago, Ive worn the checkering off in a saddle scabbard, its been soaked in rain and dried in 120 degrees over the years..I will never sell it, why would I?? Its a one of a kind hunting rifle, besides nobody would want it.I have a boat paddle Ruger .338 SS rifle just in case I get an itch for something of that sort..