Wood stock in wet weather and extreme elements

[Backwoods towny]

Would a couple of layers or so of Polyurethane be a good wood sealant?

I apply boiled linseed oil on my wood stocks. Just follow directions on can.

 

[ofbandg]

Some of the old Sakos had very porous wood on them. I shortened and put a butt pad on a few of them and had to use epoxy because the screws wouldn't tighten. Glass bedding them required removing a lot of material. They were still first class rifles when it came to function and accuracy. When I hunt moose in northern British Columbia it can get wet and stay wet for many days so I take rifles that are usually stainless and synthetic. We usually stay up there for two or three weeks, sometime more. Most other places I use wood stocked rifles because I prefer carrying them. Well finished wood that has been treated with a deep penetrating sealer, inside and out, and that includes under the butt pad and grip cap, can withstand just about any weather for the duration of most trips. If you are shooting at extreme ranges everything matters. If you are shooting at a moose inside 500 yards with a floated barrel and a well sealed stock I wouldn't worry about impact shift.

 

[Philward]

I live in one of the wetest places on earth, lots of folks around me use a wood stocked rifle, lots.

I live in one of those places too and only have 1 rifle with a synthetic stock.

What do they use to protect the wood finish?

On stocks I refinished I use spar varnish, inside and out, barrel channel, mag well, under butt pad. A full 3 coats or so keeps water away from the wood.

 

[Tac-O]

I live in one of those places too and only have 1 rifle with a synthetic stock.

On stocks I refinished I use spar varnish, inside and out, barrel channel, mag well, under butt pad. A full 3 coats or so keeps water away from the wood.

What are a couple of brands of spar varnish? I've not used it before

 

[Old Rooster]

Tac-O there are 3 that come to mind of spar varnish.
Rust-Oleum
Man O War
Minwax

 

[rwille]

I would suggest you look into the wook stocks. Try a Google search for www. wooxstore.com
Price is within your budget.

 

[Bruce Treloar]

I have a really nice sako 338 that I want to use moose hunting. But it's a wood stock. A new McMillan is going to run me $1400 by the time it's totally done. Is there anything I can do to be able to just use the wood stock? Can I get it pillared and bedded and be good to go?

I'm a retired composite product manufacturer and being a shooter I have been making carbon stocks since the early 1970''s. Here are a few tips.
Find a custom stock maker with a mold for your Sako. Have him make an all carbon stock with carbon pillars. No wood, aluminium or other materials included. The stock has to be made 100% at the same time, reason being new epoxy does not bond well to cured epoxy.
There will be about 3 square meters plus of carbon in an all carbon stock but it's worth it as carbon has a strength to weight ratio better than steel. I never had to adjust the scope during the 20 years field shooting in all kinds of weather. That's what a well made carbon stock will do.

 

[Tac-O]

I'm a retired composite product manufacturer and being a shooter I have been making carbon stocks since the early 1970''s. Here are a few tips.
Find a custom stock maker with a mold for your Sako. Have him make an all carbon stock with carbon pillars. No wood, aluminium or other materials included. The stock has to be made 100% at the same time, reason being new epoxy does not bond well to cured epoxy.
There will be about 3 square meters plus of carbon in an all carbon stock but it's worth it as carbon has a strength to weight ratio better than steel. I never had to adjust the scope during the 20 years field shooting in all kinds of weather. That's what a well made carbon stock will do.

Wow. Do you want to make me one?

 

[piper18]

I have a really nice sako 338 that I want to use moose hunting. But it's a wood stock. A new McMillan is going to run me $1400 by the time it's totally done. Is there anything I can do to be able to just use the wood stock? Can I get it pillared and bedded and be good to go?

Multitudes more moose have been taken with wood stocked rifles than with plastic,composit,fiberglass etc. stocked guns. It helps to linseed oil the raw wood parts of your stock ,if it's not already,glass bed the barreled action, I like to see a generous gap between barrel and forend,just in case there is some warpage. Then oil stock,don't forget under the recoil pad.I was a guide here in Alaska for 35 yrs.(retired now).Most of the moose I've seen taken were with wood stocked guns.

 

[jbo829]

I have used my wooden stock 280 Remington 700 in rain and snow in Tennessee and haven't had trouble out of it always clean after hunt and add alittle gun oil

 

[Bruce Treloar]

I was a timber stock maker shooting benchrest before finding my way into composites. I found the straight grained stocks held better point of impact than the fancy burl looking timber. When shooting benchrest all my timber stocked rifles usually needed a slight adjustment of one to five clicks each week to put them back on target. I'm talking rifles that shoot 1/4" MOA or better so point of impact variation can be seen. This was common amongst my fox shooting customers , one mentioned since changing to a composite stock ,it's the first time he had shot the whole season without ever adjusting the scope. We used to shoot all night every day for three months during the fox skin season. A very good friend went to a lot of trouble to have a foundry make aluminium stocks which held their zero very well. but in very cold weather hands and face tended to stick to the stock. Timber stocked rifles are a work of art when carved and polished but I like not to be hindered by worrying about scratches and dings when hunting. I pull a stock from the mold, trim, bed and go hunting knowing it's almost bullet proof and won't lose point of impact.
When they go back to making timber planes again I'll have a look at what timber they are using.