I have the above rifle, out of the stock. The damage is minimal. Someone has parkerized all the metal. I have been told that the stocks for the Interarms Mark X will work with this rifle. Is this true, and how much trouble is it to fit them to the stock. I will probably get a composite stock.

Mike,

The MarkX and the FN's share the same configurations so yes they will work. Fitting may or may not be a problem. The biggest problem if you could call it that, would likely be with the barrel channel.

Malm

mikethebear,
You can also take the stock, relieve some of the wood in the inletting and fully glass bed the action in it. It will seal the salt.

Most of the factory salt stocks will eventually blister the finish at the end grain, especially around the butt plate.

Thanks for the info. I was fooling with the stock and the rear sling lug came out of the stock. I don't think I can use the stock anymore. I will try one of the Mark X stocks, if I don't sell the action.

mikethebear

McMillan and High tech stocks are fitted for the mauser action from start. No problems at all, just glass bed and shoot

/ JOHAN

None of the FN's had salt wood....

Only Browning had salt wood and that was only for about two years, then they caught it...I cannot remember which years that was, but it was early on....

It may well be that your gun just met with some abuse and the wood is fine...

Ray, they did have some of the FN's with salt wood stocks. Let me clarify, this is the Browning with the FN action. I am restocking one right now. This one was discovered some years ago and there is some rusting and pitting in the barrel channel and it has been stabiized. They glassed the inletting back then and it had been used ever since. The owner (son in law of the original owner) wants a new stock on it.

[ 02-24-2003, 05:29: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Chic,
That is a Browning not an FN, Browning had the salt, Browning used the actions for awhile, but that is a Browning manufactured rifle, not an FN rifle...

There was no salt wood on the original Fabrique Nationale Commercial Mausers rifle stocks...

Ray,that is what the title of the thread said. Saltwood Browning - FN mauser. Think you got sidetracked. Still on the same page

[ 02-27-2003, 01:07: Message edited by: Customstox ]

Ray---

To clarify for those that may be confused....including you.

FN *made* all Brownings from 1905 until the late 70s.

Specifically to bolt action rifles--- If the action has a big, ornate "FN" logo on the front receiver ring it means the FN action was barrelled in the FN plant and the rifle was sold under the FN name. These guns never had anything but French walnut on them and there was no salt wood.

FN rifles built for Browning in the FN factory were *sometimes* marked Browning Arms Co.....sometimes only with FN proofs and an oval FN stamp below the wood line.

Browning started using cheaper Claro walnut in 1968 and the first salt wood guns showed up in 1970. Most of the ones found in the SE US was glassed and sealed by me as a factory repair job. Many weren't salvageable.

Bottom line-- Beware ANY FN actioned rifle with a Claro walnut stock and marked Browning Arms Co.

I'm not familiar with this. What is meant by a salt wood stock? Brian

bogio,

Browning found a large source of good Claro walnut in Sacramento owned by a man in the business of clearing right-of-ways. Claro however has a special tendency to crack when air-dried.

"...Another search by management discovered a better, more efficient process and faster method of curing these wood blanks.

The new method involved salt, and promised to speed up the process and eliminate the cracking problem This process was sold to Browning by the Morton Salt Company in 1965 and had been in use by furniture manufacturers for many years with good results. Browning even tested the process independently with no indication of any problems....stock blanks were covered with salt. The salt was supposed to leach out the moisture and dry the wood quickly...but the moisture (resulted)...in a brine solution that soaked the lower wood blanks...." (The Browning Superposed, Schwing, p.246)

The article goes on to state salt affected at least 90% of Brownings '67-'69. The blanks were dunked into the River Meuse to try to wash the salt out of them but to no avail.

Here's the funny part of the article-

"What set the Browning Company above and apart in this episode is the company's willingness to honor its lifetime warranty...at the same time earned it a special place in the hearts of its customers. Even today the company is continuing to replace salt cured stocks on Superposed guns owned by the ORIGINAL OWNER WITH A REGISTERED WARRANTY CARD." (emphasis mine)

I presume this means all the T-Bolts, BL-22s, etc original owners are out of luck. Even if one is the fourth owner the company should fix what is indisputably a manufacturing defect.

I'd like to add my experience in this matter. I have a beautiful Safari Grade in 270 that had the salt problem real bad. I called Browning and they referred me to a guy who USED to work for Browning and now dedicated his life to restoring "Salted" Brownings ( for 400 bucks).
When I asked "what about the lifetime warranty?" they replied, sorry. SO,I promptly wrote a letter ( via email) to the editors of GUN magazine telling them how Browning was "welching" on their warranty. I kid you not guys, about a week later I got a call from the Browning General Manager politely telling me that they would take care of the problem for a "nominal" handling fee of 30 bucks...provided of course that I retract the letter to GUNS magazine. I agreed and three months later a got my rifle back and it looked like it was a BRAND-NEW-IN-THE-BOX beauty! The power of the pen still works! jorge

steve y

Thank you for the explanation. Ever notice how when management finds a "better more efficient" method of doing most anything,it results in some sort of durability and customer satisfaction concern? I am a tech in a GM dealership and see this with almost every new model year. Salt plus steel equals rust? Who would have ever thought that? Brian