Reington 514 project rifle.

[GunnyUSMC]

Here's the little 514 I picked up for $30. The stock looked like crap and the barrel wes bent.








While I was on the look for a replacement barrel, I started working on the stock.
At first I thought that I would find some nice Walnut under the old finish, but it was Beech with a bad spot on the left side of the forearm. I think that just a little too much bug spray got on it.






It cleaned up pertty good after a light sanding, but had a few stains that went pertty deep into the wood.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

To help hide the stains in the wood and to make it look more like Walnut, I went with Chestnut Ridge Military Stock Stain. It's an alcohol base stain and works great on hard wood stock when you want to get some color.



Here it is after I stained it and applied a few coats of BLO.





Then a wax top coat was applied.





I found a barrel at Lee's Gun Parts in TX. for $35.
So for just under $80 and a little work, I am pertty happy with this little rifle.





I did have to make a repair to the butt plate. It was chipped and dirty.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I cleaned it up.





I used masking tape to make a dam to hold the Acraglas in place.






I then dressed it up with hand files and my belt sander.






I would have to say that it turned out nice.

 

[Mac Attack]

Awesome job. I can't wait to hear how she shoots.

 

[VenisonGitr]

Love the color of that stain. So just a coat of stain and wax? Looks nice, satisfying project.

 

[VenisonGitr]

oh-went back through and saw i missed the BLO. Nevermind.

 

[VenisonGitr]

Hey Gunny- I have been looking through some of your threads, looking at all of the pretty pictures. I have 3 conclusive statements/questions....

Great work-No one ever sees pictures of you sanding for hours, Always a nice job preping the wood(which as you know is where your finish quality is decided)

Man! You stay busy! Between the amount of posts, the pics, and the frequency of new incoming projects, what's not to be jealous of? Do you work with guns for your 'job' or is this all after you punch the clock?

Last is more about being jealous. You may have noticed I live in NY, not the stupid city, but western NY...where 30-40% of us actually are Republicans, stuck in a Democrats fantasy world. It is very frustrating to live in a rural area, as far from Buffalo as you can get without leaving the county, and be subject to the same BS as if i where living in the east side of buffalo-shootin up the block. (did you know- Buffalo does an annual 'gun buy back' program where ANYONE can turn in any gun for $50....to help clean up the city....I shudder to think how many valuable great weapons are (stolen and) siezed and destroyed--all for $50 a pop! I wonder what the city would say about standing out front of the drop off with a sandwhich board that says "I pay $60".)
My point is more geared toward the gun market. Lately I have been so jealous of people's posts about stopping into local pawn shops or gun shops and finding deals...IT seems here every gun is work $130 minimum, regardless of its condition. And none of the pawn shops seem to deal with guns. Some day I am going to take a pawn shop vacation, and just drive south and stop into pawn shops and buy up guns...(Sure beats a resort!) If you could take anything from this it is 'enjoy your sweet saturated gun market- 'cause it's not so sweet up the blue states.'

 

[GunnyUSMC]

VenisonGitr
Yes I do work with gun in my regular job. I work in the Crime Scene Div. for my Dept.
I process all the guns my Dept. picks up, for Latent prints and DNA.
I process 50 to 80 guns a month. The sad part of my job is that 90 % of the guns I process are destroied after the case is finished in court.

I have been doing stock work for over 20 years and did it for a living at one time. Now days it's just a hobby and sometines it's more like a hobby that is out of controll.
I was doing up to 100 repairs a year, but stopped taking in work about a year ago. But I do take in some work from time to time.
I do very little to no sanding on stocks.
I have over 20 project guns, of my own, that I am trying to finish up.

I do go on a road trip every summer with my boys and I buy guns on every trip. Last year I came home with 38 rifles, mos of which I got in PA.
I also buy guns from members on other gun forums.

I am lucky that there are 3 good pawn shops in my area, but there are even more that think their guns are made of gold. One hat a run of the mill Mosin 91/30 for $399.99.

If you ever hit the road and come down south, looking for guns, let me know and I will let you stay at the house for a few days and take you to all the shops in the area. And I will have my friend cook up some good old surthern food for you. She's a great cook.

 

[VenisonGitr]

That is a very kind offer, Thank you. I surely doubt i will find myself that far south ever, but i guess i dont know that for sure. But again-very kind.

Doesnt it make you sick to know the guns are destroyed..It reminds me of a picture from England where a magnetic crane head was picking up guns by the hundred to be compacted....

So my wife was kind enough to go on Midway and have my Duracoat and scope delivered today! Great surprise! My son is down for his nap, so I am going down to prep my stock for stain. I will post pics when i get it wet.

 

[mcfadden222]

thats awesome work

 

[Howard Roark]

Looks good. Thanks for posting.

 

[Rshooter]

Nice job restoring that old gal.

 

[mdThanatos]

That looks like my very first rifle that I got from an uncle. My problem is that a "buddy" of mine snapped off the bolt handle.

 

[Archaic]

Beauty. Very nice work, nice to see somebody put time into a something that will be a shooter instead of a looker.

 

[rondog]

Wow! How did I miss this thread until now??? My very first real gun was a 514 that my oldest brother handed down to me for Xmas when I was probably 10, I'm almost 56 now. I have no idea how old it really is, but it looks just like this one. Dad had it fitted with Weaver scope mounts for me back in the 60's sometime. It currently wears a Simmons Whitetail scope.

I still have that rifle, and it still shoots awesome! But it could certainly use some restoration. I generally frown on total restorations, but this one I'd love to do the whole shebang to. Not just the wood, but have the metal all re-blued as well. I have over 40 guns now, but that little 514 is still one of my favorites as far as accuracy and fun-factor.

 

[jim243]

Very nice job on retoring that rifle.

Jim

 

[DammitBoy]

Great looking work on that remmy gunny!

I just noticed you live in Denham Springs, I'm staying there at the KOA while I work on a movie in Baton Rouge.

I'm enjoying the area (minus the traffic jams on I-12) and have been to several of the local gun shops. What spots do you suggest I hit in your area?

 

[GunnyUSMC]

DammitBoy
There are three pawn shops that all carry new and used guns. BJ Pawn and Gun, Pelican Pawn and Bayou Pawn. All are on Florida Blv. (Hwy 190) BJ and Pelican are in Denham just west of Range Ave, and Bayou is in Walker, just about 5 miles east of Range Ave on the right.
If you don't mind a mess, you could come over for coffee and shoot the bull about guns.

 

[triggerman770]

514

great save..I'm doing a 514 for one of my customers, getting ready to do the wood now. Might use that stain, I have it but never used it,but that looks close to the original color..

 

[Old Dog Man]

514 Restoration

Nice looking job, I have a 581 that shoots great. Bought it in 1979 it will be handed down to grandson. I put another action screw in front of the trigger guard and glassed the action, and floated the barrel. I've shot PD's with it at unbelievable distances. Have a 6x24 scope mounted, fun to shoot. Al

 

[CharlieBT]

Gunny, great work. 41 years ago I started a 514 project like this. It was my first rifle. Got her down to her natural blonde beech just like your photos, but as a 10 year old I got side tracked on something else. She's gone through a lot of shells and pick up miles since those days. Her stock shows every mile. A gunsmith in Great Falls, Montana offered me $6 for it once. I was in 8th grade. As my dad gave it to me, I declined. It's sitting on my bench now to complete a restore. It will go to a grandchild some day. But I am partial to her honest dirty blonde looks. Thanks again for the inspiring thread.

 

[LANDMAN4389]

Excellent work!

I really enjoy seeing these threads about restoring old .22 rifles, could read them all day.

What is BLO?

We are blessed with an abundance of pawn shops here in NC/SC (I live right at the stateline) but most of them want new prices for their old beat up relics. I'd love to go on a gun buying road trip to find deals like this.

 

[JagerMachine]

Great job!

I'm also wondering what BLO is.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

BLO is Boiled Linseed Oil.

 

[zdc1775]

Hey Gunny over on SRF you also recomend Brown Leather Dye. I just finished using it to do your three step stain on a Marlin 15YN that will be going to my brother-in-law for his fifth birthday. But anyway how does it compare to the Chestnut Ridge when you just use it and no Rit beforehand? Have a lot left over from that little project.