Walnut vs. Composite

[WINGMAN]

I don't know about you guys but when I was in the gun store a while back all I could see was the composite stocks and the matte finsh barrels. What has happened to all of the Walnut stocks and blued barrels? Is everyone going too the composites now? I know this is just my opinion but is this what everyone wants? I guess people don't want to scratch their wood up when they go out. Well to me that in itself tells the story of your rifle or shotgun. When I get one I use it not for a show and tell piece. They have no sheen or shine just dull and ugly, I guess the gun manufacturers sell more of these then the walnuts. :confused:

[FG]

I think their is a cost consideration for the manufacturer. The Walnut is more expensive than plastic. From a preference standpoint, I find myself making a shift. I really like the laminate, but they are heavy. I have 2-3 and do not take them out much b/c I do not want to scratch. I just bought a Model 70 Ultimate Shadow so that I could have an all weather gun. As I looked at my collection, I found that I had very little wood on my shotguns (primaritly due to purpose) and only 1-2 rifles. I am starting to lean back to the wood as it has much more character. My collection is to the point that I will be keeping th e guns and can buy what I like.

[trader rob]

i much prefer the wood, everytime i look at one of the syn. and i have a 700 rem. in black, i think of the fake hunting shows on tv.

[aceoky]

AS FG said, walnut is much more expensive

IMHO Walnut for looks; "tupperware", for "duarability" for any weather conditions(and who cares it they get a scratch or two)...

[trust me]

Give me scratched-up walnut any day. After you bang around the grouse woods for a few years, scratches are like badges of honor. Who sits around and stares into a plastic stock? Pretty walnut is like looking at a flowing stream.

My old warhorse got sanded and refinished last spring. Some of the deeper scratches and the marred checkering are still there, but hey, after 50 years of hard use, it's earned every imperfection.

[rick243]

I much prefer a good Walnut stock. The weight difference between Walnut and plastic is not that much and with proper bedding and sealing a Walnut stock can be just as weatherproof as anything else. Trouble is there is a shortage of good Walnut trees! Rick

[KYHUNTER14]

Trust me, what kind of gun do you use?


If we are talking just looks, there is no comparison, the walnut is head and shoulders above the plastic.

[rick243]

Trust me, what kind of gun do you use?.

From his description, (50 year old grouse gun) I'm betting it's a humpback Browning. Rick

[trust me]

From his description, (50 year old grouse gun) I'm betting it's a humpback Browning. Rick

Yep.

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/254/254371/pages/660335/grousegun1.JPG

[KYHUNTER14]

I was just curious. I use a Model 11 Remington myself both are good guns.

[C.L.Button]

ALL of my hunting rifles are Composite/ Stainless. All of my Shotguns are Walnut. All my 22's are Walnut. I used to have only wooden hunting rifles and one year while hunting Elk I had a stock crack on me. I had it fixed and sold every wooden hunting rifle that I had. I LOVE the wood, but would never buy another one, in a hunting rifle anyway.

[rick243]

That would be enough to make anybody switch. Although it is uncommon, one of the problems with wood is the fact that you can't see below the surface any hidden defects. I have been making some walnut stocks over the past couple years. When machining a blank you never really know what you might find inside, even if the blank appears perfectly sound. I've found hidden checks, .38 cal. bullets, nails, knots that were not apparent from the outside, worm holes, etc. Even if it machines out good some of these things can still be in there and if they are in an area of high stress can come back to bite you, especially on a high-recoiling rifle. Rick

[C.L.Button]

RICK,

I used to cut timber and understand well the meaning of hidden items and messed up checked grains. More than once I have cut a tree that had a metal fence post inside it. :eek: I hated it. THANKS :D

[Born to Hunt]

I have started buying wood stocks again. The stainless / composite offerings just look crappy. I will keep one shotgun and one rifle around for all weather purposes...

[WINGMAN]

I am in the process of re-doing my old Wingmaster. I just finished sanding the butt stock and I have to say it looks pretty good right now and I can't wait to get home to apply the oils. Then comes the blueing part which I don't have much experience at but I have some good step by step instructions to go by. Hopefully I can get back the luster this gun once had. Any of you guys have any good tips to go by when re-blueing?

[trust me]

I've never blued anything, but I will add this to the stock finishing part. On the first one i ever did, I took the buttpad off and sanded, but when I reinstalled the butt pad, it didn't fit because i'd taken the wood down on the edges. After that, I always mask off the buttpad and leave it on while i do the sanding. Keeps your fit nice and sharp.

Good luck with the blueing. Are you set up to do the hot blue?

[WINGMAN]

Actually I am not real sure what I am set up to do? I just bought the kit last night and I really have not looked at the blueing part. I will find out this evening and let you know something. I did take the butt plate off though while I was sanding, but I used a stripper first and removed the clear coat and most of the stain so I had minimal sanding. The barrel is actually in pretty good shape it's the receiver that is worn pretty bad. I guess I am just to take it one step at a time and not get ahead of myself. For the stock it says to apply 2-3 coats of the oil and let dry 24 hrs. in between coats. Then apply 2-3 coats of the sheen and conditioner. I just hope the blue does not look to black but you won't learn anything until you get in and do it. I guess this is my trial and error phase, if I had a camera I would post before and after pics.

[rick243]

If you have an old junker gun you might want to do a practice run on it first. Cold blueing can look ok if it's done right but some attempts I've seen came out blotchy and uneven. I think it was due to the metal not being de-greased properly. A fingerprint can cause it. Rick

[trust me]

Are you using the Birchwood-Casey kit? That's called cold blueing. You brush it on with a cotton swab. It does OK. And if you flub it up, it isn't hard to do over.

Hot blueing involves heated tanks of acids and chemicals.

[WINGMAN]

Yeah I am using the Birchwood and Casey kit. I am going to study up on it some before I do anything. This gun works fine and I love shooting it, all I am doing is looking for a little indoor project and I thought what the heck I will give it a shot and see what happens. It can't look any worse then what it is, but then again?:rolleyes:

[trust me]

Go for it. You may get it right, or you may get to do it again. Regardless, it won't hurt the functioning of the gun.

[WINGMAN]

My thoughts exactly...have you ever heard of anyone mixing two different brands of blueing together? I read somewhere this guy took his gun to a gun smith and the gunsmith told him he could not replicate the original blueing from the factory, anyway the guy started experimenting with different types of blueing and from what he said had an almost exact match. Even the gunsmith could not believe it, I either heard that or read it somewhere but I can not remember. I am afraid this blueing will be to black but what the hey I am gonna give it a shot. If anything I can go back to square one.:D

[quackrstackr]

Good luck with the blueing.

I've yet to see a cold blue job that looked anywhere near original or was very durable. I guess most people that try them are like ourselves and just hope for the best though.

I saw a kit last year at an outdoor show where you applied it and then heated the metal (low temp). Can't remember the name of it but it looked fantastic after he was done. Really easy to use too.

[WINGMAN]

Well the stock looks really well, but I am having some problems with the blue. I have put around 10 coats of blueing on the receiver and you can still see through it. I am hoping that if I let that cure overnight and then reapply some more then it will cover better. I did all of the prepping the way they said to in the instructions, I had the metal gleaming when I started the bluing. I am thinking about calling the manufacturer and asking them how many coats do they recommend using.:confused:

[trust me]

Wingman,
If you can't get it the way you want, go to the Brownell's website and look at their products. They have a spray on finish that you apply and then bake in the oven. It is supposed to end up like Parkerizing, which is fine for a beat-around gun.

I want to locate an old 870 riot gun and refinish it and make a canoe gun out of it. Something that would be suitable to ride around in the bottom of a canoe and if it goes to the bottom of the river, it won't make me cry.

[WINGMAN]

Trust me,
Thanks

[WINGMAN]

Trust me,
Thanks for the information I will take a look and check it out. If I here of any old 870's around I will give you a shout.

Thanks,
Wingman

[WINGMAN]

Well guys the wood turned beautiful and the receiver turned out good but their is one little problem...my barrel came out brown!:eek: I didn't do anything different and put the same amount of blueing on the barrel as I did the rest of the gun. Does anyone have any insight on what I can do to fix this? I de-greased and removed the blueing right down to the shining metal and when I put on the first coat of blueing it didn't even change colors. I was told to degrease it again and go over it with steel wool and keep applying the blue and then put a heavy coat of oil on it and put it in a sock for a couple of days. I am gonna give it a shot and see what happens, but like I said I am tickled to death with the rest of the gun.

Wingman

[mwezell]

i can furnish wood stocks for most rifles with a full length aluminum bedding block(like h-s precision uses) in different styles and different grades and types of wood.these stocks are some of the best stocks i have ever seen in both form and function. i have always liked the look and feel of wood on my guns but will put accuracy over looks most every time.
these stocks offer both.:rolleyes:

[eddiejohn4]

wood is beautiful,but composite stocks do not absorb moisture and expand and contract the same as wood.For rifles I prefer either composite or laminate stocks.Of course you can always bed your walnut stock.

[rick243]

wood is beautiful,but composite stocks do not absorb moisture and expand and contract the same as wood.For rifles I prefer either composite or laminate stocks.Of course you can always bed your walnut stock.

Wood stocks can be made to be waterproof. I learned this technique from a rifle builder in Alaska. His rifles prepared this way have survived dunkings in rivers and years of Alaskan rain forest weather with no swelling, warping, clouding or other problems.

The problem is that oil/poly finishes are not really water proof. This is overcome by using a clear 2 part epoxy (which is totally waterproof) for the first coat and grain filling. The sanded stock is placed in an oven around 110 deg. and warmed for 30 minutes while the epoxy is mixed. I use Crystal Sheen a pourable epoxy for coating table tops, etc. The warm wood really soaks it up like a sponge. Keep rubbing it in as long as the wood keeps sucking it up and make sure to coat under the butt pad and all crevices, bolt holes. When the epoxy starts to "kick" take a lint free rag and wipe off the excess. After the epoxy has fully hardened use steel wool to rub the epoxy smooth. Now finish in a normal manner with your favorite finish. The best I've found is Pro Custom Oil from Brownells.

This step adds to the time it takes to finish a stock and epoxy ain't cheap but it works if you want a really weatherproof wood stock.

[RocketRider]

After years hunting with composite stocked guns I've started going back to wood. I gave my son my model 70 composite .270 and took my favorite model 700 custom out of the safe and started hunting with it. Goregeous rifle! If it gets a scratch or two, so be it. That baby is an absolute tack-driver!

R.R.~