So my wife got me a M77 .22-250 today at the gun show. We stole it for $500. Very nice gun. All we want to do with it is refinish the stock.

Any tips, or advice you might have for this task?

We are looking to strip everything that is on it, smooth it down, iron out dings and dents, then put on a nice medium color stain and polyurethan coat it to a smooth satin finish.

This will be a 4 bullets a year type of a gun, not a weekend shooter. I've always wanted a nice, pretty rifle to offset my mean / ugly ones.

Try this.....

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu60.htm

If it's a M77 with a nice walnut stock, I'd give it a nice refinish. Several ways to do it, but I think that I would take the following approach:

1. Remove the old finish. You can use stripper or a cabinet scraper or sandpaper, but the stripper will remove any finish that's down in the checkering, so a stripper chemical is probably the way to go.

2. Sand the stock, by hand, until you have removed scars/scratches. Iron out dents (per UTube) if there are any scratches and if they aren't terribly deep. I'd sand with 150 grit first, then follow with 220, then 320, then 400. I don't know if I'd go to 600, but that's your choice. Each finer grit removes the scratches from the previous grit. At 400 grit, you won't see any scratches. Once sanding is done, wipe with Mineral Spirits, and you'll have a good look at what the finished stock will look like, and any remaining flaws will be evident. If you like what you see with the Mineral Spirits on it, let it dry. Then wet the stock with a wet sponge and let it dry or use a blow drier to dry the stock. Then use 400 grit to 'dewhisker' the stock. Repeat this 2 more times.

3. Now it's time for the finish. Being that the stock is walnut, and assuming that it's attractive to you and is dark enough (and the finish will darken it somewhat), I doubt that you'll need to stain it. I'll assume that you don't (if you do, pm me and I'll outline that action for you). As for the actual finish, you can go with the polyurethane or you can go with a handrubbed Boiled Linseed Oil finish, or a Wiping Varnish finish. In my view, the quickest and least attractive will be the Polyurethane. The longest to apply will be the handrubbed BLO finish. The one I suggest is the wiping varnish approach. For that, you need one small can of Minwax Antique Oil. Sometimes Home Depot or Lowes will carry it. Ace Hardware seems to normally have it in stock. The can is red. The liquid is a mix of BLO, varnish, and mineral spirits. To apply, wipe it on to the stock with a folded up cotton rag (old t-shirt material works fine). It'll soak into the stock, so continue to apply till it appears that the stock isn't taking any more. Wait a few minutes (per the instructions on the can) and wipe the liquid off and then buff the stock with a clean cloth. Wait a day and repeat. Wait another day and repeat. A total of 4 coats should do it, but more coats give a better look. And I should mention that after the first coat is on and dry, apply the wiping varnish with the cloth and then, with the 400 or 600 grit, wet-sand the stock. That process will put a paste of varnish and wood dust into the pores of the wood, making the final result that much more visually appealing. As you wet-sand, there will come a time that the liquid starts to get sticky and tacky. That's the time to quit that application, buff the wood, and wait till tomorrow for the next coat and wet-sand. If you have let it get so tacky that it's real hard to wipe off and buff the stock, just apply more Antique Oil and then wipe and buff.

Once through with all the coats and wet-sandings, let it dry for a few days (a week would be good, allowing everything to cure), then you can apply a paste furniture wax.

Finally...it will be smooth as a baby's butt and very attractive. And I didn't say to not sand the checkering, but I assume that you know to not sand checkering.

Im certainly no expert, but i refinished an old marlin. 22 a couple weeks ago. Sanded it down all the way to 2000 grit sand paper til it was smooth as silk, wet it, re sanded, then put a couple coats of minwax ebony stain on it, and it turned out beautiful.

Rather than type out a long and personal message on here.... Just know I'm gonna strangle you when you wake up honey. I fail to see why you need to get refinishing advise from other guys (no offense gentlemen!) .... *end rant*

The stock is in great condition. There are NO knicks or scratches in it. Whoever did the previous refinish did not do a good job. There is finish build up in the checkering and trash in the finish. They used one of those stain and finish combo jared craps that looks like it was painted on. It's a simple project. It simply needs to be stripped and refinished. Before/After pics to follow this week sometime.

The real advise that is needed is is there anyway to remove the Ruger emblem at the bottom of the grip? I don't want to ruin it with stripper.

Hi Princess. You sure got me to laughing.

On the refinish, it really comes down to how much work do you want to put into it. And I don't know how to get that emblem off. I just worked around mine, and I used a cabinet scraper to get most of the finish off and then went to the sandpaper. I'm a woodworker and most of what I do is in Walnut and Cherry and I recently used my 'normal' woodworking skills to do a couple of stocks. So..first the cabinet scraper and then 150 grit sandpaper and on up through the grits. The 150 grit will get off what you missed with the scraper. You can skip the scraper and go straight to the 150 grit sandpaper, which is what I used to do prior to my trying out a scraper and getting very good and very rapid removal of the old finish. You may not have a scraper and may not know how to put a good edge on one.

So follow what I said on the sandpaper grits. Trust me that 600 grit is as high as you need to go, and you really don't need to go past 400. This is wood and not an automobile paint job. Do the sanding by hand and sand with the grain. It'll take a while, but you shouldn't rush the job or the result will show it. Put masking tape over all checkering to protect it while sanding. You can use the chemical stripper to get the finish, if there is any, out of the checkered areas.

On the finish, you can use Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane. It's a modern fast drying varnish that you can spray on from the can. I suggest using the Satin version. Don't spray on too much or it'll run. It dries fast and looks good. After the first one or two coats, sand lightly between coats and put on at least 4 coats. I usually put a small eyebolt in the butt end of the stock and hang the stock about head high when I put on the spray.

If you want a better finish, go with the Antique Oil.

I never could figure out how to get that ruger buttcap off. Maybe somebody knows. Probably it's glued on, so maybe a heat gun would work...or maybe it'd melt the buttcap. Good luck.

These red rubber butt pads come off with screws. Their buried deep in the pad beneath two little holes. However Im leaving it on. Even with just a minor sanding the difference would be noticeable enough for a bump when the buttcap is re-applied. Better to just leave it rather than risk rounding a corner off.
Ive been doing refinishing projects for years. I know exactly how to tackle this. Its really quite simple compared to most of my other builds or refinish projects. Usually I brush on the Minwax Satin but with this one I'll be thinning it down and breaking out my paint gun. Thanks for the advise. Ill probably be starting on this project this week. Im in no rush., even though my husband seems to be...He's excited about his new toy. The gun is immaculate except for the refinish by the idiot who didn't know what he was doing...

Yup, if you're gonna break out the favorite spray gun, then you sure must know the ropes. As for the butt pad, it wasn't hard to remove on mine. Just a screwdriver with the bit about the size of the shaft that'll fit in the hole. You won't be taking much wood off, so the size of the buttpad versus the wood won't be particularly noticeable post-sanding. And I was thinking about that small black buttcap with the Ruger emblem. That was what I couldn't get off, so I just went ahead and sanded it with the wood and by the time I got to 600 grit, the plastic was shiny again.

That Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane in Satin is very thin already. I'd be surprised if you needed to thin it. I don't think I would. A 1.4 tip should spray it just fine. Heck, maybe a 1.0 would do it.

And one more push for that wiping varnish. You've probably used it, and it has one more thing going for it. If it gets scratched, it's much easier to repair than the coat of poly.

When you get through, show some pictures.

As a Ruger fan I am curious about one aspect. You have not mentioned if you have even fired the gun for accuracy, and just wondering if it would be advisable to run a few accuracy tests before refinishing the stock. Naturally if yu just enjoy working on stocks I can see skipping the shooting.

If the question is directed at me, the most recent stocks were on a Marlin 39A and a Winchester 9422. The accuracy on both was and is excellent. On my Ruger, it's my 220 Swift, which I bought used. It was a 77V and a terrific shooter, and it still is. I didn't even consider any possible impact on accuracy from a refinish. Since then I've had it rebarrelled and bedded (same stock). Easily the best shooter I've got. I have, on occasion, had 5 shot groups I could cover completely with a dime.

Honestly, no, I don't really enjoy stock refinishing. Each rifle stock was so darn beat up from years of hunting that I finally (once I was retired) could no longer put off the work. The two lever action 22's have the Antique Oil finish. The Ruger has a handrubbed BLO finish that took weeks and weeks, until I just got tired of 'handrubbing' the oil into the stock. The handrubbed BLO finish has more shine than the more 'satiny' looking finishes on the 22's. If I was going to redo a stock on a really fine bolt gun, I think I'd use the handrubbed BLO approach again. The handrubbed finish was one I found in an old shotgunner book called "The Shotgunner's Book" by Colonel Charles Askins. Chapter 6, Stock Selection, Care and Repair. It calls for, after application of the finish, handrubbing the stock for 15 minutes a day for a minimum of 90 days. I think I got tired around day 45 or 50, and it looked pretty darned good by then, so I quit rubbing and went hunting. I've thought about doing the Ruger stock again and going through the entire process and doing it RIGHT, but that's about 100 days. I just don't know if I've got it in me. I haven't... so far...

No we have no shot it yet. I've owned several M77's though and have never had an accuracy issue with any of them. This rifle was just purchased yesterday. Im not really wanting to go sight it in, to have to break it down, re-finish and then go re-sight it in again. Not with the cost and limited availability of ammo these days.

So Nice Shot, WHO bought WHO this rifle???? Good luck with the refinish!

Any opinion on minwax polycrylic for a final finish? That's what I chose but have not used it yet.

I suppose that it'd work fine, and I'm not in my workshop so that I can read the can, but maybe what I called Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane might actually be Minwax Fast Drying Polyacrylic. I do know for sure that the can says "Minwax Fast Drying Poly_____". I think Txprincess will tell you, as I will, that the application of the finish might actually be more important (to the final look anyway) than the finish material itself. A good man (or a good princess) with a good spraygun can produce a much much better finish with a layer-type material than a person can with a brush. I got lazy on some kitchen cabinet doors last week and put the primer on with a good brush. Three coats of sprayed on paint failed to completely hide the very light brush strokes of the primer. Coulda sprayed it. Shoulda.

That's why an oil type finish is so much easier to use. Never any brush strokes to worry about. Never any drips or runs. No spraygun to clean. By oil-type, I'm talking about Tung Oil, Danish Oil, Antique Oil, Minwax Wipe On Poly and several others that are similar. Note that I didn't include the handrubbed BLO in that list, since I mentioned above how long that can take. The BLO use isn't hard, but it sure can be a long process when measured in days.

Edit with more info: I just googled up the Minwax Polycrylic. It's a water based poly. Easy clean up and easy application. I've used it before, quite a few times. The final finish will be more of a true clear finish than the Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane. The MFDP adds, as all oil finishes will, a yellowing and darkening that's attractive on Walnut. The Polycrylic will have a slightly different look. I'm not saying that's bad. If you have a scrap piece of walnut, try the water based on one piece and the oil based on another and compare. I believe the oil based finishes are a bit more durable, for what that's worth.

BWAHAHAHA. Honestly, before I met her, I wouldnt have touched a ruger with a ten foot pole. She turned me onto the rifles a little bit. I think she found it on the table and knew all the ends and outs of it.

I've already put 4 coats of lite walnut Danish oil on it sanding between coats. The polycrylic is defiantly different than the polyurethane. Minwax sells both. I bought the polycrylic because it is supposedly a very hard/durable finish.

The Danish Oil should work just fine and it should look great. That and some good paste wax should be all you need. Last time I used it (on some Cherry) I liked it a lot. Seemed to penetrate a little better than the Antique Oil did, but there's no way to be sure of that. One thing you need to know is that's an oil finish and I doubt that your Polycrylic (which is water based) will stick on an oil finish. Read the can. I wouldn't try it. If you want a varnish on top of the Danish Oil, go with an oil based varnish.

The Polycrylic is pretty durable. I've used it over latex paints on things I've made for children, and it seems to hold up well. On the other hand, I've never had a child complain about a paint job. I like it over latex paints because it doesn't yellow the paint color like an oil based varnish would. I would never use it over an oil based paint.

Thanks for the info. Glad I ask.

Try this:

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=331108&highlight=Woodstock

I've seen that, and I'm not saying it won't work. I will say that I would never try it on a prized gunstock until I tested it on something less valuable. I'm a woodworker (decades) and I have much walnut in various boards and chunks. I'd try it there first.

I didn't even mention the most recent, and finest, finish I've ever done - which I'll eventually try on a gunstock. I've used all sorts of varnishes and Lacquer in the search for the best finish. The lacquer on a cherry silver chest for the wife was the best till recently (stain, shellac (sprayed), some oil based shading, shellac, then 4 coats (sprayed) of Dull Rubbed Effects lacquer. Took forever. Looked great. But...I have a family friend that is a professional woodworker/artist. He gave me an overview of how to use Danish Oil as a primer, followed by Waterlox Original (not water based). Truly amazing finish, and I think it would work on a gunstock. Filled the pores completely and gave me a glasslike finish (though in Satin). Pretty fast and quite easy to use. I didn't recommend that because I haven't tried it on a gunstock yet.

Anyway, I'm comfortable with what I have years of experience with, so I'm not ready for tru oil and armorall just yet. I might try it on some scrap walnut. Might as well...

I've seen this floating around for years. People swear by it. Seems to hold up well and is suppose to be an easier fix than poly or lacquer when you ding it. Might be worth a test drive on a piece of scrap first. I've always been intrigued and vaguely wary of this method. Anyone have any personal experience with this one?

they say it works. but mixing anything with silicon (armorall) and a finish usually results in very bad. but...the pics I have seen look great.

You guys rock, thanks for all the input. Hopefully this thread stays around for others to learn from.

Miles Gilbert refinishing kit. Elbow Grease.

Strip stock, Seal stock, sand stock, apply approx. 25 coats of oil (wet sanding inbetween every 5-10 coats), rotten stone, pumice, wax, done.


Go to youtube and type midwayusa stock finishing, Larry will show you the light.

Gun Sav'r spray on Hunter Satin works great for me,