Stock Refinish LC Smith

AGI has a video on refinishing stocks. They use Gun Sav'r spray or pro-custom oil, which I think is close to Tru-Oil. Anyhow, they show everything from sanding, dent raising, bleaching, and how to apply the finish. I think they had a part on filler, and it may have been French Red, but have a similar in dark brown.

Excerpts of Gun Stock Refinishing: AGI 400:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg9Vbtgx4Bc

Brownell's has stock filler in Walnut or French Red by Herters.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/stock-work-finishing/wood-finishes/stock-filler-prod7605.aspx
 
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Wax may be fine for safe queen rifles and shotguns, but for real world use it offers very little protection from water
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From the piece linked above:

Guns treated with wax fared better than oil-treated pieces in museums recently impacted by Hurricane Katrina
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The article does state, as I mentioned, that wax is not for firearms that receive regular use.
 
I hear ya tobnr, but comparing the two after Katrina is a bit extreme. How ruined is ruined? How worthwhile can the less ruined one be? And then there's the "everyday use" thing again. I gather that the OP will be using the shotgun. I think the most useful choices are oil or varnish/oil for an old shotgun that's going to get some use.
 
I've occasionally used wax on my firearms. It is an "extra" layer of protection that seems to work well.
 
Good ol' paste wax is good to keep a finished firearm up, even the metal. However, it is not for unfinished wood.

Wood has to be sealed, especially for hunters, as a stock can draw dampness, and cause it to split or twist. Also, it will keep any applied oil from softening the wood, especially if you seal the end grain where it meets the receiver, or any metal. It also helps, somewhat, with keeping the wood from marring or scratches, etc, since the gunstock finish hardens the outside of the stock when it dries. I can't see a wax doing this.

LC Smiths, being sidelocks, have a weaker stock in the receiver area than a boxlock. I always did seal the lock area inside, and any end grain, with applying finish on new stocks. If they're not oil soaked, or split, then this can be done when refinishing an old stock too.
 
A person can make the case for their own shot gun for any thing from Rattle Can Brown Rustolium from the local hardware store to a painstakingly done Hand rubbed oil finish…and anything in between.

If I'm not mistaken the OP was specifically asking about an heirloom LC to be kept in the family. It appears from his post that he has not been an avid field shooter and has inherited the piece from a relative.

A well executed oil finish will stand the rigors of the field and look wonderful. Also when you set your cheek weld you'll be blessed with a sensation somewhere between a lover's touch and the cheeks of you firstborn.

It is NOT a finish best used for:
Uncased guns that ride around in the back of a pickup bed.
Or behind the seat of a pickup for that matter.
Would not be the gun finish I would carry into the cattails up to my nuts in cold water on a January duck hunt.

All of my rifles/shotguns wear this finish and I live and hunt in the Pacific NW.

If you want quick and easy, not the finish for you
If you plan on submersing it for long periods of time, not for you
If its to be left leaning against the fence post for a couple of seasons, not for you.

It will however, with basic care, hold up in just about any other field situation.

The advantages are:

It is very weather resistant.
It is, By Far, the easiest to repair for those incidental scratches and bumps.
It enhances and brings out the beauty of the wood rather than masking it.

If you want the most classic and, to my eye, most pleasing finish, it is worth the effort.

Mike
 
I have used Minwax Spar Urethane Semi gloss on several long guns. It is durable, tough, and water proof. All of the owners were completely satisfied with the appearance.

The last one was a Rem 788 with 9 hand rubbed coats. A beautiful piece when finished.
 
You apply SPAR Urethane with the same techniques as used with a hand rubbed oil finish. I use disposable gloves and apply with a lint free cloth. Drying time is approximately half that of oil.

Full cure time will be about the same.
 
I think it would be a very good idea for the OP to go to a high end gun store, not Gander Mtn., and look at some of the oil finished stocks.

A oil finished stock is shiny not glossy, not matt or dull, but it has a luster or sheen to the surface. Almost as if you can see into the wood it self.

any spray urethane or wipe on poly will finish the wood, but it will not have the luster and depth of a oil finish.
 
If you want that look of oil finished wood, just apply BLO or real Tung oil to pop the grain. Then apply a varnish finish. Or, just put one or two coats of a oil/varnish mix like Watco Danish Oil or Minwax Antique Oil on the stock prior to applying a varnish/polyurethane finish.

And, unless you specifically want a spar varnish on the stock, Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane goes on easy and dries fast. Put that over the Antique Oil and it'll look great. The whole process will be fairly fast.

There are many many ways to put a good finish on a gunstock, and a lot of them have been mentioned in this chat. The hand rubbed oil looks great, but unless you know what you are doing and have lots of patience, it can be a long job to a not so special end result. If you want a good fast oil type finish, and don't have to have the pores filled, try the Minwax Antique Oil. Four days and four coats and it'll look great. I used that on a couple of 22 lever guns. Still need to do adequate wood prep though. That's a step that can't be skipped. And if you want more shine than the Antique Oil gives, then apply 3 or 4 coats of a good Polyurethane/varnish over it. Or you could put the Waterlox over the Antique Oil, and I promise that'll look good, but so would the spar varnish, which is a lot cheaper. Or, get some Tru-oil and use that.
 
True oil and Armor All

I would use Michael cj's instructions except I would use Birchwood Casey true oil and armor all instead, and hear's how, put the oil finish on with your finger tips and rub it in with the palm of your hand like he does just a few drops at a time BUT there is a problem, you might grow old before Birch Wood Casey dries it hardens very slowly so after applying the finish with your fingers spray the stock with Armor All .The Armor All will make the true oil dry to a hard finish very quickly so you can get several coats going in one afternoon. The end result is beautiful and easy to repair later on if scratched in use.
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