30-30

The engraving has already hurt the collector value, so I wouldn't be afraid to re- finish the bluing or stock.

I've considered buying another old 94 or Marlin 30-30 and ceracoting it just to have something different.

I say do it. Those post 64s are still great guns but there will only be marginal value hurt by making it your own and giving yourself something you will enjoy more.

xring3 said:

View attachment 984208 Thinking this might be my next stock refinishing project. 30-30 Winchester I bought years ago at an auction from a gun and pawnshop that was going out of business. It has an engraving on one side of the receiver that has initials and Xmas 1967. Question.....should I or should I not?

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What you've stated.... I would.

I might even go so far as to use it for checkering sustainment-training.

I've also sort of had a hankering to look into converting a non-collectible 94 into an *Angle-Eject*.

Todd.

It looks like a birch (type) stock with astain on it. I've refinished a few of those over the years, and they don't turn out that great. Very little grain, they take stain unevenly, they're just not that great. Strong and functional though.

greyling22 said:

It looks like a birch (type) stock with astain on it. I've refinished a few of those over the years, and they don't turn out that great. Very little grain, they take stain unevenly, they're just not that great. Strong and functional though.

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Too true.

Chasing a relatively uniform staining of those ash/like and birch/esque stocks will make a fella crazy if he isn't aware before-hand.

Tough to close the grain on sometimes too. Seems like simple - un tinted - oils or hard finishes end up best.

For my part - I like to do all I can and then close it up with spar-varnish and then later a final coat with just a touch of tint to it.

Often pays to think of those woods as vintage canoe paddles or wood-canoe yokes & gunwales.

Todd.

I had decent luck staining a couple ruger 10/22 stocks olive green and cherry red. The olive didn't fully take and left a vaguely brown/green laminate look.
I've also used a spray paint can of bed liner on a bubba'd "sporterized" mauser. That actually turned out very well and has held up for years. I'm pretty sure it's the same finish marlin is using in their "dark" series of guns.

If it is birch, as stated above, they can be a bugger to stain. I did a birch stock on a Springfield 325 bolt action 30-30 using Feibings dark brown leather die instead of wood stain. It came out pretty decent. When I get home, I will post a pic.

Looks pretty good. I don,t think your going to get much better with the wood on it. Might make it darker. I,d leave it. jmho.

Birch doesn’t like stain.

Wood dye can work better.

You have nothing to lose by experimenting with the stocks. If it's a project, fine. If I wanted to upgrade the wood, I might look for replacements in walnut. As others have noted, I've had difficulty matching birch buttstocks and foreends that looked about the same before I started with refinishing.