Most durable wood stock finish/treatment

[HushHog]

A ton of awesome suggestions! Thank you!

 

[Aixenmemphis]

I have had really good success with Waterlox. I began using it on my stocks about 15 years ago when I saw how it performed at one of my restaurants. I used it on a couple of our nice bars. It holds up to repeated spills/standing water marks and ever surface burns from cigarettes falling out of ashtrays. About every 3 years we cut the finish back with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool and reapply.
It has worked just as good on my stocks.

 

[ChrisG]

I use an oil finish on all my wood stocks. I refresh them periodically, and they simply gain depth over time. Nicks and scratches easily buff out.

Were I hunting truly wet, rainy conditions, then I use a rifle equipped with a synthetic stock.

+1. A good oil rubbed finish with 2 coats of carnauba wax over it will produce a good weather tight seal. as far as "Durability" goes... There are two schools of though.

1. One finish coat and then never add anything to it ever again (polyurethane). This tends to last as long as any one finish could. The downside is, if it ever gets dinged, thats the end of it.
2. Multiple coats of oil with wax over it, reapplied once a year. This is what almost all bespoke rifles are. It produces a deep rich wood tone that gets better with age. A ding is easily work out and not really unsightly. Another application of oil keeps it looking nice and wax seals it against weather

For Alaska, I would use the second option, but with the caveat that I would also treat the barrel channel and interior wood parts as well to make sure they are sealed.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I have McLaughlin's finish and sealer here, but have not used it yet. If I know John (and I do) it will be a first class product.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Gotta watch out for this type of stuff. If you put epoxy sealer on a wood stock, you might as well have gotten yourself a synthetic or carbon fiber to save yourself the trouble. A lot of times this finish will get small chips of cracks in it, with no ability to match the repair to the original finish. Best to keep it to something that soaks in and needs reapplication as necessary.

Loggers in the PNW use a variety of compounds on the handles of their wood handled axes, but will universally swear against using a poly or lacquer coat to protect the wood. Find something that allows the wood to breathe.

CPES does not 'sit' on the surface. It is very thin and soaks right into the wood. As I said, use your choice of finishes on top of the sealer. It stabilizes the wood and has 'bite' to hold the finish to the surface. No flaking.

CPES is often used on exposed or painted wood in marine environments.

 

[BeeMaa]

CPES does not 'sit' on the surface. It is very thin and soaks right into the wood. As I said, use your choice of finishes on top of the sealer. It stabilizes the wood and has 'bite' to hold the finish to the surface. No flaking.

CPES is often used on exposed or painted wood in marine environments.

I get it @Nevada Mike - I wasn't saying NOT to use it, I said "Gotta watch out for this type of stuff". Meaning that the wood is no longer allowed to breathe.

Also, exposed wood in a marine environment are typically pressure treated. Not something you normally see on a rifle. I'd also question the life expectancy of wood in a marine environment vs a wood rifle stock. I'm not saying it's a bad solution, but it's certainly not apples to apples.

IMO - a rifle that is going to see that kind of weather and will be subject to saltwater and harsh treatment should have a stainless barrel and action with a synthetic stock. Either way the rifle will need to be taken apart and cleaned on a regular basis.

 

[mdwest]

That's about the consistency of mine as well. Maybe my ratios are off. I was doing it from memory but I thought it was 2:1. I better figure it out soon, I'm getting low.

shoot me an address in a PM and I'll send you a can... I literally made about a 1/2 gallon of the stuff about 6 months ago.. I was making some cutting boards to give as gifts to family and friends and wanted to give them some "board butter" along with the board.. I've got A LOT left over.. plenty to last me the next several years (and then some).. Im happy to share (they even come with a fancy label in a cool little tin that the wife made all pretty to go along with the cutting board gift

 

[425SCHADE]

Wood Butter for use on any wood kitchen utensils or cutting board...
Melt 8 ounces of beeswax in a mason jar sitting in a pot of boiling water. Once melted, add 4 ounces of food grade linseed oil and stir until combined. Take off the heat and out of the pot of water. Allow to cool for 20 minutes or so and give a final stir to make sure it didn't separate. Let it cool overnight before screwing the lid down tight. Use as necessary.

I use this at about the same intervals as @mdwest. Not sure how it would work on a rifle stock, but my cutting boards look amazing. Cheap and easy.

I make similar however use olive oil with the beeswax.

 

[Woodcarver]

I make similar however use olive oil with the beeswax.

Be aware, olive oil will go rancid. It should never be used on a food prep surface or a bowl or utensil used with food.
Use on a gun stock or on an ornamental piece would not be a problem.

 

[RLL]

For what it's worth, I have been using polymerized Tung oil from Lee Valley on all my wood stocks with great success.

CT

I second the tung oil. A bunch of coats and warm dying time between each, polymerizes and hardens the wood/pore structure to make impervious to moisture. And it doesn’t turn red over time like boiled linseed will.

 

[mdwest]

Tung oil is very nice… I sometimes use a blend of tung oil and boiled linseed oil to finish knife handles… I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on a rifle stock

 

[Woodcarver]

I've used a variety of tung oil/linseed oil blends on a lot of different woods over the years. Minwax Antique Oil Finish is still one of my favorites. Another is Formsby. I'm starting to experiment with blending my own to get the finished appearance desired. Avoid pure tung oil however, it literally never dries; resulting in a kind of gummy, sticky surface. The commercial products on the market all add a drying agent of some kind (and it does vary).
Most commercial oil finishes will give good results if applied correctly. Few advocate a true hand-rubbed method, but I still prefer to after the initial sealing coats. It is important to know the ingredients as some people may have an adverse reaction to some of the additives. Some, like TruOil, I avoid because I do not like what they add and the effect it has on the finish, not because my hide doesn't like it. I will say, it does work for a lazy, quick, simple finish; but it isn't durable, imo.
The most important component to having a rather durable, easily restored finish, capable of handling adverse weather and use, is time. Investing enough time to rub in enough coats to actually seal the wood and allowing those coats the time to actually cure, is why most people don't achieve a durable oil finish. Weeks to months, not days, are needed; local humidity can really effect the time needed. Part of the reason those old school guns had that famous luster and have stood to years of use, is the time put in applying and drying the oils used. Most of the stocks I've done, and a lot of other oil finished pieces, had somewhere north of 15-20 coats before I called them "finished".
Too many also ignore the wood not seen on an assembled firearm. It's also the most susceptible to moisture. The inletting is seldom sanded to as fine a grit as the exterior wood. The finer the sanding grit used, the more naturally repellant to moisture the wood will be. The inletting should be given as much attention to complete coverage with the oil as the exterior. Obviously, any bedding provides that portion of wood complete protection.
Waxing completes the oil finish. It's been used to protect the finest furniture for centuries. But waxing too soon after the last coat of oil prevents the oil from curing completely. Time. Allow a few weeks minimum.
Now that I've finished this dissertation and put everyone to sleep, think I'll go grab a

 

[fourfive8]

Plan and prep accordingly. There is nothing wetter than a wet AK hunt. Not only every surface of a wood stock can be contnually soaked in water for the duration but every inletted surface and screw hole. The same holds for scopes, binocs and all such equipment. And then there is the moose float hunt where it may be even wetter, including sitting in a few inches of water in the bottom of a raft, boat or subject to a full baptismal dunking in a slough or river

 

[BeeMaa]

I admire those like @Woodcarver (and others who's feelings I don't wish to hurt by not mentioning them) who have obtained the skill necessary to craft wood products to such a high degree. It's a trade that is under appreciated in this day and age. Call it old-school knowledge. My hat is off to all of you who can truly call yourself a craftsman in this arena. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.