Choosing a finish for an old .22

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michaeldarnold

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The furniture above is off an old Winchester 190. I've completely refinished it and am waiting for the gloss coat to cure so I can sand and buff to a glasslike luster. The wood is going to be awesome.

However, it's the metal parts on this little auto loader that I'm conflicted about. It has no character to it anymore. All the blueing is gone and the gloss black paint on the aluminum receiver is chipped off and needs to be stripped and repainted.

So, this leads me to my question. Repaint the whole thing in gloss black, or flat black to showcase the furniture???

It's not an expensive gun and having the metal parts ceramic coated or some other baked on finish is going to cost more than the value of the rifle.

I'm leaning towards flat black under the gloss wood. What does the forum think?


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I personally feel that a matte black finish makes the firearm look incomplete, or shortcuts taken. If it isn't "tactically" necessary to have the firearm matte, why not go with a glossy finish? Shiny things have always been prettier than dull. I think a glossy finish would compliment rather than contrast the woods finish.

Another idea is to gloss the majority and to matte the controls. Really, though, its up to you what looks best. Google image searches of similar firearm finishes to get a better idea of what the outcome would be.

What paint do you plan to use? Alumahyde seems to be popular and relatively inexpensive. They offer both matte and gloss, come in a rattle can, and are easy to apply.

Either way, great job so far on the stock! I believe you'll be pleased with the outcome, it'll look better than what you started with! In the end, if you don't like it, you can always just paint it again.

Best of luck, and please post a picture of the outcome!
 
Flat paint shows scuffs as burnishing much more prominently than satin or gloss finishes show scratches or scuffs. It looks pretty crappy, in my opinion.
It can also be very difficult to keep an even appearance, since areas that are handled will slowly wear to a smoother finish, lubricants will contaminate and change the appearance of various areas, and flat/matte finishes love to pick up dirt, dust, dry skin, and other contaminants that change the color.

I'd go for more of a 'satin' finish, if higher gloss is unwanted.
 
I've been working with wood far longer than refinishing metal so I know that part is going to be great. I build furniture in my free time as well as tinker with firearms.

Usually picking a finish for me isn't a problem, but this one has me really perplexed.

Flat black would feature the wood and draw your eyes away from the metal parts, pure gloss black would look pretentious. Maybe a satin or semi gloss on the metal parts will be an even trade.

Having experience with painting cars will certainly assist me in my application strategy too. That being said, brand of paint have been chosen yet. There's always the offerings from the hardware store, and if one primes and takes their time you can get a great result. I've also thought about automotive finishes. More involved, but much more durable.

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Factory finish was pretty shiny, I'd go with semi-gloss.

How about a rust blue on the barrel and magazine tube - or semi-gloss black spray - and leave the non-ferrous receiver and trigger guard in the white?
 
If I were to leave the receiver in the white, I'd have to polish the thing until you could see yourself in it because I'm so obsessive. It might look like a bizarre Henry variation at that point.

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My finishing has changed as I went from teenie bopper to grandpa
In 1965 I did Linseed oil on Walnut stocks
In 2016 I do mineral oil and beeswax over that on wood stocks
In 2016 I do ALUMA-HYDE® II in a 90 degree oven on barrels and laminated stocks and composite stocks.
 
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