Staining a stock

[Mike]

Oiled stocks are very nice to look at and quite easy to look after, but when they get soaked after shooting in the rain they are a bit of a pain. I've stripped and oiled a few stocks and forends in my time and I prefer something other than an oil finish and I mean a "proper" oil finish not true oil and the like, for a gun that's going to be used in all weathers.

Or have I been doing something wrong?

 

[philpot]

Oiled stocks are very nice to look at and quite easy to look after, but when they get soaked after shooting in the rain they are a bit of a pain. I've stripped and oiled a few stocks and forends in my time and I prefer something other than an oil finish and I mean a "proper" oil finish not true oil and the like, for a gun that's going to be used in all weathers.

Or have I been doing something wrong?

Mike I am not qualified to comment on the work you have done but I will state without any doubt that oil finished stocks that I have owned have never been an issue in the wet weather. I believe it is more to do with how the stock is finished once the oil is applied in order to create and maintain the sealed finish.

Phil

 

[Westward]

Or have I been doing something wrong?

Almost certainly. The most likely explanations are not enough applications of the oil to completely seal the wood or wrong choice of oil. I've never ever had a problem with water staining or marking from use in the rain but I am exceedingly anal about using the right oil. Most of the branded products on the shelf at the DIY superstore or the hardware shop should be left there.

 

[Mike]

I normally use boiled linseed oil, I tried some from an art shop and the wood just kept soaking it up so I went back to the ordinary boiled oil. That dried OK so I carried on applying oil and rubbing the excess off when it had dried, until it was as smooth as glass, but I found it too slippery to grip, that's why I like the finish on a grade one Mk 38.

I could have bought a grade 5 but I did not want an oiled stock.

 

[Westward]

Vive la difference. It would be a boring world if we all liked the same things.