Wood Stock going hunting...

S

Sweet Shooter

New member
Okay, so I've decided that I'm taking my CZ527 (7.62 x 39) on my Elk hunt. Yup 7.62 for Elk.
This rifle has become my favorite over the last couple of weeks.

I'm concerned that I'll get caught in weather and wondered if I should do anything to the stock before taking it out there. I'm going to be out for three days, then if I don't get lucky I'll be out for another three the following weekend.

I have sealed the barrel channel and interior with True Oil which I think will work out okay. However there is very nice, sharp checkering on this stock and I'z wondering if water will get in through the cut lines? I'm wondering if I should hang this stock up and pseudo-plastic coat it with True Oil... Ideas? do I need to not worry about it so much?

Also I have a deluxe canvas case for it, perhaps I should waterproof that too?
What do you guys do in preparation if using traditional blue and wood rifles?
-SS-
 
TruOil is not waterproof.A good finish like polyethylene is. But doing the barrel channel is a good idea. Checkering should be done too .You can thin the finish a bit with solvent and apply with a toothbrush. You could then wax it if you like.
A good case , you can get waterproof ones , is ok as long as you understand that you should never leave the gun in the case when you get back to camp.
At camp ,keep the case open ,clean ,dry the gun and coat with a good rust proofing like the one I use , RIG preservative grease. In the field you can put some tape OVER the end of the barrel but NOTHING IN the barrel. You can shoot right through the tape without problems.
If you have clear covers on the scope take the covers OFF when shooting as they distort the picture !
 
I hope for the elk's sake, you are going to use Cor-Bon 150 Gr. Good old paste wax will protect the wood from moisture.
 
mete, you mean Polyurethane and not Polyethylene. Minwax makes a quick dry polyurethane that would be good for a barrel channel sealer. Actually, Minwax also makes an oil based sanding sealer that's thinned polyurethane and that might work pretty good also, but I'd do 2 coats probably.
 
Polyurathane is ideal for sealing the inside of you stock (inlet and channel). To seal the true oil on the outside use carnuba wax. You can get that at your local hardware or automotive store. It will protect the outside without changing the appearance.
 
@GeauxTide
Here's hoping you miss.
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Thanks for your contribution. Take that attitude to another thread if you don't mind.
-SS-

Edit: I'd like to apologize for this snippy reply. I understand your concern.
-SS-
 
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Wars have been fought in all weather extremes with wood stocked, blued barrel rifles. A classic example of the longevity of blued barrel, wooden stocked rifle was the japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda who hid out on a Philipine tropical Island for nearly 30 years after WWII. You are going hunting in the rain for 3 days. Clean your rifle when you get home.
 
603, Sorry , I get confused sometimes ,all these girls named Polly !:D
But after all I'm a metallurgist not a chemist . :)
 
Tru-oil, is true !!!

TruOil is not waterproof.
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Perhaps but in my book, it is "Weather-Proof"... :cool:
I have taken my refinished stocks out, under terrible weather conditions and for many years. They are still going strong.
I have never heard of True oil ever failing anyone. ... ;)

Besides the barrel channel, one area that is often neglected and lacking protection, is the wood under the buttplate. I too recommend a good application of carnuba wax.

Be Safe !!!
 
Wood stocks have been used on guns for a lot longer than Tupperware has. Take a small cleaning kit and some oil wipes and make sure to clean it if it gets exposed to weather much. Walnut is used because it is pretty (not Impervious) stable. I'd be more concerned with dinging it up and scratching it due to terrain than I would the weather.

Also, isn't the finish on that gun an oil base like tung oil, doubtful a poly is going to bond very well without sanding it down to bare wood. A thin coat of wax in the barrel channel is a good idea.
 
Generally speaking, you can apply an oil type finish (polyurethane) on to another oil type finish, so Poly over Tung Oil should work ok. But...I've never tried it. A lot of Tung Oils sold aren't really all Tung Oil, but are blends of Tung oil and Mineral Spirits. I do know that you could put a coat or two of shellac in the barrel channel and then a coat of Poly over that and you should be pretty darn water resistant. The reason I suggest Shellac is that it will stick to most anything (within reason), though it isn't truly water resistant.

But....to go the easy though pretty effective route, just use the Tung oil or Boiled Linseed oil or TruOil in the barrel channel. That'll do all you need done unless you are going swimming with the rifle. It'll be water resistant. I'd just soak the bare wood with Linseed Oil until it won't absorb any more oil and let it dry and you're done. You can add a small amount of Japan Dryer to speed up the slow drying process of the Linseed Oil. Soak any oil soak rags in water and keep them wet for a day or two to avoid spontaneous combustion. I know that from personal experience.
 
Hey Sweet Shooter-
I just bought a Model 527 in 7.62x39mm last weekend. NIB at an auction. I am in the process of getting some rings and a scope for it. It sure feels good. I am looking forward to shooting it as soon as the glass gets here.
It MAY become my next Pig/deer gun, but I don't know if I would want to trust my Elk shot next year to it. We'll see how it compares to my Winchester 100 .308 over some different shooting situations.
 
@GeauxTide
Here's hoping you miss.

Thanks for your contribution. Take that attitude to another thread if you don't mind.
-SS-
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I could be wrong, but I took that as a failed attempt at humor, not an attack on your choice of rifles.

It wouldn't be my first choice in chamberings, but if it is what I had, I'd go hunting with the best ammo I could find, limit the range I took shots and work on accurtely putting the bullet in the right spot.

As far as weatherproofing a wood stock, it ain't going to happen. Folks spend too much time worrying about such things. Even if you could somehow get it completely waterproof, there is about 10-20% of the stocks weight in water trapped inside when the blank is cut out, made into a stock and finished. If they remove any more moisture than that at the kiln the stock would be so brittle it would break like a matchstick.

Folks forget about this moisture, and that is what causes most of the problems. As temperature, altitude, and humidity change the moisture inside the stock expands and contracts. Most of the time it is not enough to hurt, at times it is enough to cause small changes in your bullets impact. In very rare cases I've seen wood crack and split. All the waterproofing in the world won't prevent this. Just go hunting and enjoy.
 
Not knowing any better as a kid I hunted rain, snow etc. with an old wood stocked Rem 700 ADL, never missed a shot that wasn't my fault. Later on I removed the action, sealed the barrell channell, and used a toothbrush to work polyeurethane into the checkering, and again never missed a shot that wasn't my fault. later still replaced the wood stock with a B&C Carbelite one.

Personally if it was me and considering the cost of going hunting out west, I would simply buy a Ramline or similar synthetic stock, wax the metal parts (barell and action) with a paste type car wax and go hunting, worrying more about keeping a piece of black tape over the muzzle with an extra wrap or two around the barrel below for when you lose the original, or as my wife does snip off the finger of a rubber glove and place over the muzzle. She does the same for the scope too, a quick "roll" and off the come. As for the caliber, certainly not the greatest elk round ever, but feed it good quality bullets it likes, keep it within your range, place the bullet where it belongs and be sure to have a good camera and a sharp knife. Many an elk have been killed by good hunters with less than perfect elk calibers. BTW what is a perfect elk caliber? Wait thats a whole nother topic.:D
 
I have some 150gr Winchester PSP hunting ammo and while the bullet is right the rifle only shoots three inch groups @ 100 with them (with irons).

If the lay of the land hasn't changed too much in the last couple of months, I'll be in tall juniper and sagebrush, longer shots will be at most 100 yards. I am scouting this weekend.

What is it you guys are worried about? Lack of expansion or too much/fragmentation? At 100 yards using irons, the 150gr bullet is almost flat—.75 inch drop—and still doing 2kfps.

Can someone explain to me what it is about 1400flbs @ 100 yards that won't take a 300-to-400 pound cow. Heaven forbid I shoot her in the noggin or neck/CNS.

I appreciate your comments about the wood preservation... thank you.

-SS-
 
I'll make my comments. Starting with nobody has said you can't kill an elk with the 7.62 x 39, just that it isn't the greatest elk caliber available, but its what YOU have available, cool. Basic concept is to keep within your range, within the cartridge's range and go forth (oddly very sound advice no matter what you are hunting for or with, whether it be elk and a 338 Win mag, or a .30-30 and whitetails). Personally while I am not a big fan of the 7.62x39 I am not a hater either. Plenty of elk have been killed with things like .30-30 and. .243 doesn't make it perfect, just that you have some more limitations. My biggest concern with your choice is the 3" at 100 yards with iron sights, why not add a scope and see if the groups shrink, and the bullet and YMMV here but when you get to rounds that are a little lacking in the power dept. I start thinking heavier bullets and better construction say maybe a Barnes X or Nosler Partition in165 grain range assuming you reload or can find such ammo. The other comment I will make, is with a rifle/cartridge/shooter combo shooting 3" groups at 100 yards I wouldn't ever shoot for the neck or head, I have personally recovered/found at least 6 deer in my life that have had a jaw shot off, bullet hole through the throat etc. Including one I shot in the head with a .280 Rem at less than 100 yards, she never even fell down, ran off like a miss and stopped to look around and I put a second bullet through her shoulders. there was a very nice bullet hole in her skull but missed the brain, had she not stopped for the second shot I would have assumed a clean miss and condemed her to a slow death. Bullets through the lungs with expansion and a good exit will kill them, you might trail it a 100 yards or so but it will be dead, thats why I would tend to lean more toward something that would hold together and punch through that big old chest i.e. Partition, grand slam, Barnes etc. however in the end it is your hunt, and your choice as long as its legal.
 
What panfisher said...... and stated much nicer than what I had in mind.


Wars have been fought in all weather extremes with wood stocked, blued barrel rifles.
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Some rifles did not even have bluing, and left factories in the white- think Mosin, 1861 Springfield ..... even the Pennsylvania Rifles of the 1700's were "browned", not blued..... and almost none of them had synthetic stocks until the latter 1/2 of the 20th century.
 
Polyurethane

A few coats of quick dry polyurethane should do the trick, plus it makes your gun shiny! I stained my Mosin Nagant M9130 red oak, and did 5 coats of polyurethane, and it is Beautiful!
 
Just make sure the stock is free of all wax and oil before you try putting Poly to it ..... and abrade between coats with very fine (180+ grit)sandpaper ..... or your very shiny coat of poly will flake and peel.


-Jim the Wood Floor Guy
 
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