Temporary protection from outdoor conditions

[Wapiti]

I've long had to suck up conditions on the land that get you if you let your guard down.
And protecting your rifle's finish from rain, sweaty hands can be difficult when hunting or when camping too. Stainless steel grades on firearms are not stainless, only less stainless and different makers use different grades and suppliers. If I compare the SS on a Howa for example, to the grade used in Rugers, it's like chalk and cheese - the Howa will stain and even pit overnight from sweaty hands whereas the Rugers will not even after weeks. But still will.
Your beautiful walnut stocks too are not completely waterproof with a real oil finish in the rain, or from soaking in overuse of gun oils.

Anyway, I've been trying these wax finishes for awhile now, and they work incredibly well. Rub them into an oil-free firearm with an open-weave cloth and allow to air dry. It will make a dull matt finish and keep the oxygen and salts from the steel.
It also dulls shiny stainless, for those who think SS scares game.
Don't worry, you can polish it off later.
For timber stocks, I found it best to also remove the stock and coat the internal areas with a good coat and reassemble as normal. Don't worry about getting it into bedding areas, it does not affect the bedding system or change the characteristics. It will stop water from entering the wood for a long time.
On blued steel, it lasts for days in the field.
When stalking and working in the rain, fog etc, as I do routinely, you will see the water just run off in beads.
A cheap kiddies balloon, by the way, will stop water entering the barrel and unlike tape, will stay on if applied in the wet. Worth having a bag of these things in your bumbag. And the sprays that are marketed for motorcycle visors and windscreens that make water run straight off are awesome for your scope glass. The water will never obscure your view.

With blued steel, you will be amazed at how long this wax will also keep the steel from oxidising.
And rubbed into walnut, you will not believe the way this stuff brings out the grain too.

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The stuff on the left was from a local hardware, and the right was from ebay but both are Aussie made.

[GQshayne]

There is one method of stock re-finishing that uses wax to finish the stock. I did it on one of mine, and it works out differently to a normal oil finish as you would expect, but a nice finish.

[Die Judicii]

Awesome Mate,, Thanks heaps for all of that.
When I'm sitting out overnight, the dew invariably saturates everything including the rifles.
I have also coated the inner walls of the stocks with either Tru Oil or laquer,, but another coat of what your advocating wouldn't go astray.

[Wapiti]

Yeah, the wax finish completely waterproofs the bluing and also dulls off shiny stainless. And stops the liklihood of flash-rust on hunting trips.
It's no drama to have a tin in your hunting gear kit to reapply for longer trips?
And how it seals wood and brings out the grain, wow.


For stock finish to waterproof first:
Tru-oil, or Danish Oil. Recently I've discovered the Cabots brand at the hardware. Just the same as Tru-oil, but I could get a 500ml or one litre tin for the price of the tiny bottle that the Tru-oil comes in. It's no secret recipe. Just more marketing in action.
Just like their thin, awful bluing gel that looks like crap.

I thinned the stuff probably 50-50 with enamel thinners, because it just soaks in deep into the bedding areas where most timber stocks are not sealed properly and that's where all the water and oil from maintenance soaks in and wrecks the wood. Thinned right down, it soaks in deep like wood stain and when the thinners flashes off, the oil dries deep into the wood pores, sealing it off.
I keep doing it until no more of my mix soaks in anymore.

Recently I did an ex-mil rifle stock that was basically unobtainium and priceless, after I got the black oil stains out with Acrylic thinners (strips everything out, NOT enamel thinners) saturation and a heat gun, I saturated it inside and out with the 50-50 mix (use enamel thinners now, not acrylic or turps) until the wood was filled and it polymerised and basically becomes a 3-5mm deep sealed section of wood, inside and out.
Then I waxed it, twice. The stock started out as a plain, basic streak-grained walnut piece, and after this finish method, and then waxing, the "fiddleback" that appeared from tip to butt is just absolutely amazing. It was hidden by the linseed oil mess and grime before.
And the most important thing was the stampings on the wood and the eagle and stars in the inspection stamp were clear and crisp.

Never sand wood stocks, never. Never! Boy, did I listen to some bad advice when I was younger and shudder now at my bastardry.
Especially the ones with inlets and steel inserts set under-flush, and especially ones with priceless DoD stampings, crests, stars and numbers, it absolutely ruins the originality and any rounded edges is obvious from a mile away to me now as Bubba work.
Because it's what I did once, I kicked myself I didn't know this and listened to the other bubbas.
And shiny stock finishes, what abomination.

I actually found that by rubbing in the oil with the finest steel wool I could buy, 0000 grade, it filled the pores and the wood was flat and sealed and looked just like the finish on those incredible British stalking rifles you buy now for $20K plus.

Then, wax the stock. Coat it and let it "dry", then if you want, use an open cloth to polish it but I don't.

Oh and a tip, this is the stuff to use as a release agent for your bedding compounds, JB Weld or Devcon. Nothing sticks to it. So a double useability bonus for firearms, any steel tools and metal stuff.

[Fester]

I like the Carnauba wax on wood stocks, and they all seem to come up a treat, shiny or flat finish, it just works well.
I let it dry and do the buff, as they look so good.

My mountain hunting rifle is a light staino, plastic Tikka, and it once got that faint patch of rust on the barrel, as blokes complain about, but the grades of staino most suited for machining barrels are not 100% rust proof like staino boat fittings and stuff, far from it.
I hadn't had rust before on wet day hunts, but this time it was bagged, and the bag had an obvious wet patch from the ute's hard top leaking over several days.

I got onto that stuff the museums use on all surfaces, including metals, wood, and leather. Renaissance Wax.
I just use it on the steel bits, and tried not oiling the Tikka for safe storage as a longer-term test.

It seemed fine, but sooner or later, I forgot and just used the oily rag.
It's amazing how so fine a layer of oil or Inox protects so well.

My intension now is to do a quick Renaissance wax job pre-hunt as it should protect fine.
I do nothing in field maint, just clean them when I get back home.
Doing the metal waxing is very quick and easy, so it's the way for me to go.
Harder is the stocks, as I seem to only get them done about every 2 years.

[Wapiti]

Here's an example of a stock I tried the wax on.
It's nothing special wood wise, just a piece of plain walnut. At least these makers used this wood though, so a bonus.
It was virtually black when I saw it, and the linseed oil it was pressure treated with from the maker was not designed to look good at all. Actually, I believe this oil on wood will protect it, but you have to stay on top of it and as soldiers found, in constant wet, it just fails, simple. Unless you sit under your poncho every night rubbing linseed oil into your wood, and praying the lube oil on the steel parts doesn't mix with it.
I believe it's use today is purely nostalgia, and lovely for the firearm that is polished and protected as a showpiece, but not for hard use.

Anyhoo, I soaked all the black out of this stock in thinners, used a heat gun carefully to bring out more oil ad-nauseum until it stopped. The wood was pretty dry then, and I started with the Danish oil thinned 50/50 with enamel thinners, rubbed in with fine steel wool. NO sandpaper.
As it dried to probably the 95% point during say, 6-8hrs, I would put a few drops of the mix again onto the stock to dissolve any drying drips and remix with the steel wool. And do it again and again, maybe 4-5 times until all finish stopped penetrating. Then I did it twice more with un-thinnned Danish Oil, but each time taking it down to the original wood surface.
Yes, there were tiny scratches visible in the sun from the steel wool, but I reckon the first 3mm of the wood is soaked in this polymerised, set oil, forming a shell.
This is inside and out. Inside is very important, especially on new guns you buy and bring home because I bet that the sealing in the inletting is either done poorly or not done at all. This is where all the oil collects and soaks in, and where the wood holds the moisture in it from your hunting that then rusts your metalwork and you never even know it.
Plus, cause your wood stock to shift POI in different temperatures and air pressures.

Then, a coat of wax and a polish with a piece of old denim.

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This wood never showed any fiddleback was present at all with the dull old linseed oil finish, in fact it looked unworthy of anything.
There is no stain used here either, this is how the Danish Oil comes out, with the wax to take the surface to completely flat.
If you saw what I looked like before, you'd be pretty happy too.