I've got a McMillan Winchester featherweight stock and I have a couple of questions. There is a spot on the forend where it has rubbed down to the fiberglass and I want to refinish it. Can I just sand the whole stock down to the glass and spray it with Aluma-Hyde or what do you reccommend? Also, I will eventually need to rebarrel. If I go with a little larger contour, can I enlarge the barrel channel without damaging the stock. It is a featherweight barrel contour and I thought I might go with a standard sporter contour.

If memory serves, McMillan says you can go to a #3 contour in these stocks. I know it will accomodate the Win Mag barrel, as I have one in 300 Win Mag (stock barrel). Not sure if the Winlite mag barrels were smaller then the regular ones tho'. These are good stocks, I have a couple of them still for future projects, just have to find the right actions now. As for refinishing, a little sanding and then a good paint (Krylon makes the webbing stuff so popular on stocks now), then a clear satin coat over top to protect it, and away you go. - dan

I certainly wouldn't sand it down to the glass! Sanding is done to achieve a mechanical bond, you really only need to rough the surface enough to give the new coating something to bite into.............if you intend to spray it with something fairly thick, then 180 grit should work fine.......if you are planning on giving it a smooth glossy finish, I'd start with 220 and finish with nothing rougher than 320 grit wet before I sprayed it.

I recommend not sanding it or painting it with anything! The "shell on these stocks are super thin and if you go through it, You're gonna have to bondo or fill the area. Before you know it, this simple little task is going to turn into a job.

I recommend putting it in a box with $44+ return shipping and sending it to McMillan and let them re-paint it. They use better paint than you will find in any rattle can. I would bed the stock smooth out any rough spots with the bedding and let them handle it from there. You'll get a very nice paint job for $44

Terry