I’m getting ready to restore a wood stock. I prepped the outside with 0000 steel wool to remove anything on the wood to smooth it out. Now I stained it with Behlen solar lux stain. My question is why isn’t the inside of the wood stocks isn’t sealed too? For a wood stock on a hunting rifle shouldn’t the inside of the stock be sealed too? I normally seal the outside with ten coats of tung oil. They say the wood swells when hunting in the rain? Wouldn’t sealing the wood prevent swelling?
I always put on a healthy coat, or two, of whatever finish I am using, on the inside. Barrel channel, action area, as well as the butt stock under the recoil pad. You are correct in that all the wood should be sealed.
Why not follow the trend in using epoxy to "bed the action"? I think Brownell's has a technical "how to" on the web site as well as video and of course they sell the stuff to do it.
Saving money. Manufacturers would spend time making the outside look beautiful but they never bothered to finish or seal the inletted portions where nobody looked anyway. You honestly don't need to put much time into finishing the interior of the stock, but at least put something there just to close up the pores.
Wood needs to breathe. All finished gun stock wood has a certain moisture content. If ya seal it up tight , the stock can move/warp and the finish might lift and bubble in the worst places in climate/temp changes a hunting rifle might expect to go thru. Not much of a problem with natural finishes like linseed or Tung oil , but with synthetics like polyurethane , , , ,
Keep in mind the inside of the stock is invariably not finished as smoothly as the outside, and the rougher finish means more open grain...she will soak that oil up like a sponge. One good reason, esp. the action area, for bedding.
I picked up a unmarked, no stamps, m14 stock that was probably ejected because of its looks. I stained it with Behlens solar lux stain in wheat color. I put on over ten coats of tung oil to seal the moisture out. I figure it’s a good replacing hunting stock for a M1a/m14. I figure I wouldn’t take my perfect M1a/m14 stock in the woods hunting. Switch stocks when hunting.?
I never liked those black plastic gun stocks but for hunting they make sense to me. But a gun isn’t a gun unless it has a real wood stock.
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