Beautiful wood/works of art -- Do you hunt with them?

[mark-hunter]

I guess my Tokarev pistol wouldnt fit in this thread...

Congratulations, on wonderful guns you have, gents!

 

[Pondoro]

I hunt with all my vintage firearms..pre WW1 double rifles, bolt rifles and shotgun....this is my 1896 vintage Purdey 12, still tight as a bank vault and the ejectors throw perfectly..

 

[Cam Moon]

I can understand being worried about taking a beautiful firearm out and dinging or scratching it, but if it's gawd-awful ugly you're not going to want to take it out either.
Hmmmmmm....... kinda like my brother's ex wife.

 

[Donnstar]

My first build in many years. I have gone back to wood after opening my safe and comparing my ultralight plastic guns to my grandfathers wood stocked rifles. This is what my grandchildren can look forward to, although this one is built for costal bear so it will have some beauty marks for certain!

 

[Woodcarver]

Even those rifles made for adverse conditions don't need to be ugly. Laminate and stainless can be quite attractive if treated right. And no concerns if a little snow or rain is in the forecast.

The little piece of ear missing on this Springfield happened when I was 10 and carrying Dad's 30-06 on my first deer hunt. This rifle was made and carved by my Grandpa for my Dad sometime in the 50s. It now resides with me and went elk hunting last year. Didn't get a shot, but it was good to carry it in the woods again.

 

[RockSlinger404]

A good friend told me: "If you don't use that gun, your wife's next husband will..." Since then, all of the my shotguns and rifles are used as much as possible!

I've copied a letter below which he wrote as chairman of a local association:
"Use it – you only live once… Most of us (at least I hope so) are brought up with a well-rounded sense of responsibility, values, honesty, behaviour and all the other qualities that make for a civilised person. One of these traits is the keen adherence to respect and treasure one’s own property and even more so, that of others. This character trait, however proper it might be, is more often than not to the detriment of oneself. Not at all detrimental when considering someone else’s property though – that is always the right thing to do! I’m writing about our tendency (some of us at least) to not use something special often, such as (but not limited to) that special Krieghoff, Beretta EELL, Purdey or Holland & Holland shotgun you might have spoilt yourself with or received as an heirloom or gift, as you feel you might damage it whilst using it. The fact of the matter is – irrespective of how you came to own a beautiful and special firearm – you should use it. What is the point of having something special and not using it? What are you saving it for? Personally, I used a specific shotgun on very limited occasions during the last 10 years. I was scared to use it as I thought I needed to keep it stored in the safe and only use it for special shoots. One day an old friend asked me why I don’t use that shotgun. I told him that I want to keep it in perfect condition due to both its sentimental and actual value. He then said that I was foolish not to use it and plainly told me that if I don’t use the gun, my wife’s next husband will use it. Needless to say I now shoot with it every single opportunity I get! It was indeed a dreadful idea of mine not to use that shotgun for whatever reason. Life is way too short! Use what you have. Should you have something special then use it even more. It’s like putting canvas covers on your car’s seats – for what? So you can keep the seats nice and new for the next person that buys your car? Dreadful idea, trust me. Have the pleasure of sitting on comfortable leather seats in your own car! Using something often does not mean you are ruining it, or ‘using it up’. You are merely enjoying something or an object that you are lucky enough to own. I wish you all a wonderful hunting season and year. Keep your powder and your Martinis dry."

 

[Ryan]

My Thompson/Center Encore is back in action after a cracked stock sidelined it a few years back. This rifle was my main rifle of choice for a long time.

By choice I ordered this stock unfinished so I could have some connection to the process. Two months of work complete doing the final sanding through finishing on a keyhole stock from High Plains Gunstocks out of Nebraska. 27 light layers of Waterlox Original tung oil finish with a day or more to dry between each along with several light sandings. Then a month to fully cure (per manufacturers suggestions) and a buffing with rottenstone to cut the shine a little.

 

[MS 9x56]

My Thompson/Center Encore is back in action after a cracked stock sidelined it a few years back. This rifle was my main rifle of choice for a long time.

By choice I ordered this stock unfinished so I could have some connection to the process. Two months of work complete doing the final sanding through finishing on a keyhole stock from High Plains Gunstocks out of Nebraska. 27 light layers of Waterlox Original tung oil finish with a day or more to dry between each along with several light sandings. Then a month to fully cure (per manufacturers suggestions) and a buffing with rottenstone to cut the shine a little.

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Gorgeous except for the SS.

 

[browningbbr]

Excellent finish!

 

[Rare Breed]

Ok another thing I am curious about, for those of you with really fine exhibition grade guns who hunt with them, how do you keep the wood nice?
Do you worry about it?
Do you have a different stock for your hunts like a fiberglass stock you use or do you just not worry about it?
I currently dont own any super fine wood on my rifles, but I do salivate over it. I did take 2 of my rifles and restock them then put a London oil finish on them. Was a fun, long process I enjoyed. I do find it somewhat regretful when I come in from a hunt and see a new battle scar, and to be honest If one of my sons "dings" one of these guns I put all this time in, it bothers me to a much greater extent than when I do it.

Lol. I had to make a decision early on when I bought my expensive DRs… I wanted fancy engravings and upgraded wood and got both. But I do not hesitate or care when after an African hunt they have scars on them. To me it just adds character. If you don’t feel this way just buy a no frills gun and then buy expensive oil paintings. Just do not confuse the two

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

My Thompson/Center Encore is back in action after a cracked stock sidelined it a few years back. This rifle was my main rifle of choice for a long time.

By choice I ordered this stock unfinished so I could have some connection to the process. Two months of work complete doing the final sanding through finishing on a keyhole stock from High Plains Gunstocks out of Nebraska. 27 light layers of Waterlox Original tung oil finish with a day or more to dry between each along with several light sandings. Then a month to fully cure (per manufacturers suggestions) and a buffing with rottenstone to cut the shine a little.

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@Ryan
Excuse my ignorance, I've heard of rotten fish and other produce BUT
what is rottenstone????
Bob

 

[Ryan]

@Ryan
Excuse my ignorance, I've heard of rotten fish and other produce BUT
what is rottenstone????
Bob

Thankfully, no relation to rotten fish.

Wikipedia can explain it better than I can.

 

[rookhawk]

Lol. I had to make a decision early on when I bought my expensive DRs… I wanted fancy engravings and upgraded wood and got both. But I do not hesitate or care when after an African hunt they have scars on them. To me it just adds character. If you don’t feel this way just buy a no frills gun and then buy expensive oil paintings. Just do not confuse the two

Good wood with a proper finish is never a bad investment. Good wood with a polyurethane finish is a terrible waste of money.

I own several guns with exhibition or XXX grade wood and they go right through the jess bush like any other gun. Since they all have an oil finish (a real oil, not truoil or poly) I buff out the scratches and scars and lay up another 1-2 layers of oil on top. With this level of upkeep, about twice per century you’ll have to have your heirs send them back to get the finish stripped down to the wood (again, With oil this is done with mineral spirits rather than 40 grit sandpaper) and a full new finish with slacum, oil, and rottenstone is applied. When the finish is full stripped, those bigger dents and scratches get steamed out and the checkering may get re-pointed.

With this level of care, about every 200 years you’ll need a new stock.

Here’s an 1868 Boss with its original wood. How’s a 20 year old weatherby look by comparison?

Buy once, buy right (oil finished wood), maintain your weapons, (drop of oil on the palm rubbed in twice per season) they’ll last several centuries.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Why not ? Otherwise, it’s just a big shiny stick.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Yes. Not in inclement weather (not usually a problem in African winter.) Furniture polish (wax.) You may opt to carry your own rifle and place it in the vehicle case. (Ruark is seen handling his own double rifle himself, giving strange looks to the gun bearer when it was unsteadily placed against the animal for photos. It was either borrowed and/or of high dollar value.) LOL Any rifle I own is for specific hunting use in the field where it belongs!!! And very few dings as I treasure them so much, protecting them in the field is just second nature but no call for anxieties. Nearly everything can be replaced (for a price) if absolutely necessary. Where I live (and most in the N. US,) stainless/sythetic is the way to go (weatherwise and occasional thickly wooded/vegetated areas), but out comes the fancy wooded fine shooters when the clouds part in more open areas. I chuckle, because many of us hunted with blued/walnut guns as kids in any weather. They can actually handle precipitation on occasion, if properly handled immediately after the hunt. 'Agreed on the Alaskan hunting comments above. Not ideal for that climate. One wood gun is full length bedded with what appears to be (red) spot putty (excellent shooter, too!) No water is getting into that wood stock! The furniture polish can help on that front too.

 

[browningbbr]

My Thompson/Center Encore is back in action after a cracked stock sidelined it a few years back. This rifle was my main rifle of choice for a long time.

By choice I ordered this stock unfinished so I could have some connection to the process. Two months of work complete doing the final sanding through finishing on a keyhole stock from High Plains Gunstocks out of Nebraska. 27 light layers of Waterlox Original tung oil finish with a day or more to dry between each along with several light sandings. Then a month to fully cure (per manufacturers suggestions) and a buffing with rottenstone to cut the shine a little.

I probably included this a while ago when I posted pictures of the Mauser 98 that I built, but at the risk of being repetitive, here's the article and procedure on finishing with oil that I've used many times. (Now always with Waterlox.)

Firearms Forum Article - A Classic Oil Finish - From: Mark Freburg

A Classic Oil Finish By Frank Whiton The following is my gun stock finishing method using the wet sanding technique. I must give credit to Phil Pilkington for teaching this procedure to me. I attended a week long school presented by Phil that covered stock layout, checkering, his finishing...

www.firearmsforum.com

 

[Red Leg]

My Rigby and I spent a wonderful ten days in Zambia banging around @spike.t Mike's lovely place in August. As @rookhawk suggests a drop of oil restored any nicks easily and quickly. While not a bespoke rifle, it is a Rigby.

My last two whitetail have been taken with one of Bailey Bradshaw masterpieces.

And over the last two decades this H. A. Lindner has taken an enormous count of wildfowl in all sorts of conditions.

Use them - take care of them - and avoid varnish or polyurethane like the plague.

 

[rookhawk]

Use them - take care of them - and avoid varnish or polyurethane like the plague.

And regardless of the stated ingredients, Truoil is like Poly, not oil. It’s ruined millions of guns. It belongs only on $100,000 trap guns.

If I was paid $1 a year for people that came to my door showing me their first finish attempt after picking up some truoil I’d be rich.

BLO properly applied can even be decent, especially if rubbed off after first few coats with seafoam and rotten stone.

 

[baxterb]

Honest wear on a well-taken-care-of shotgun or rifle is akin to lines on an ageing face. And just like those lines on your face, the older you get, the more you get, but at the same time they change from something representing the simple passage of time to the acquisition of experience, and I dare say, wisdom.

Doesn’t mean you abuse either; you take the best care you can in the process of living an inevitability.

 

[Woodcarver]

Visited with family this week and was able to take some pics of the Husqvarna 270Win that I refinished and carved for my nephew many moons ago. He hunts with it as that was my mandate when it was done, lol
it was in pretty rough shape before-

after-