Great Garand, redux

[72Rover]

You may recall from a thread from a couple of months ago, I had the option to buy a really great Garand. So I bought it. I had some questions about is 'provenance' and Gewehr98 was spot-on: rearsenaled by USMC armorers at the Crane Arsenal, circa 1966, it is a Secretary of the Navy trophy rifle, won at a national match at Camp Perry.

The receiver dates from October of 1944, but the barrel is stamped "10-51". It has an IHC bolt. So it is not completely "original." However, it appears to be essentially unfired. The trigger group housing and all other internal bits appear to be virginal. The barrel spec'd out with zero muzzle wear and zero throat errosion. Never saw service, currently resplendent in its dull, Cosmoline finish.

Anyway, I'm trying to decide how to finish the stock. My brother insists I keep it original, with nothing more done to it than the natural 'finish' that comes from lovingly handling the weapon for years. The stock is indeed original 1944, with no dings or other signs of abuse. Friend down the street thinks his secret, proprietary oil finish is just the ticket. (Both have multiple M-1s)

Now I have refinished a few stocks before, as I have only ever bought one long gun new and in the box. I think I used Casey's "Tru Oil" on the last one. Came out great, but the look might be a bit to, ummmm, "hard" for an M-1 from '44.

So, what is the consensus of the board? The wood is gorgeous, but it isn't something that's gonna be hung on the wall for its looks. It'll be a shooter.

Cheers

 

[Clemson]

The original finish was likely raw (not boiled) linseed oil. That takes a long time to dry, but applied by the palm of your hand and rubbed into the wood, you can obtain a great finish. I like TruOil and I like tung oil, but neither is the original G.I. finish.

Good luck, and post pics!

Clemson

 

[joegerardi]

By 1944 the armories had switched to Tung Oil for the stocks. Linseed oil, they found out, smoked after getting hot, and dried out the wood.

I'd just use some pure tung: make sure there's no polymers or polyurethane in it. Avoid those brands that call it Tung Oil Finish, not Tun Oil.

..Joe

 

[Trebor]

That's a very collectable rifle. I'd leave it "as is." Maybe buff the stock with a silicone cloth, but that's about it.

 

[30Cal]

The arsenals went to tung oil as stated above.

The field manual (FM 23-5) instructs the individual soldier to use raw linseed oil on the wood. I can't stand the stuff (takes forever to dry and always ends up tacky for me), so I use BLO. Make sure you wipe off the excess after a couple of minutes (or you end up with a sticky stock).

Ty

 

[Houndawg]

They used tung oil for most of the war. Raw linseed oil pretty much never dries.

If you want to give it a rubdown, get some pure tung oil from a place like www.realmilkpaint.com, put a little on a lint-free cloth, and rub the wood to your heart's content. You'll only be preserving the finish, not damaging it. Stay away from any hardware store tung oil finishes like Formby's. Use only the pure stuff on this baby. If it were a refinish job, I'd have some different advice. If the wood looks nice as is, leave it alone.

Try-oil, in my opinion, should never be put on a military stock. Use it all you want on your shiny hunting rifle. My military wood gets tung, BLO, or Behr TOF only.

 

[jefnvk]

Somethign wrong with the stock? If not, I'd leave as-is.

If there is, I might just consider getting a new stock and leaving the original as-is.