The first thing I do when I buy a new firearm with a wood stock or grips is to do my best to seal all exposed wood. I pull buttplates, grip caps off of long gun stocks and varnish under them, as well as handgun grip panels. I use Thompsons water seal in cut checkering, this keeps water from soaking into exposed raw wood in checkering pattern. If you carry a gun in the rain without weatherproofing the unfinished wood, the moisture will soak under the finish, causing it to flake off.