nice, I'll have to give that stuff a look. Scraped the finish on my 03-A3 a few weeks back up in the bush, so even though it's my go-anywhere gun, I'd still like to keep it looking decent. how does that stuff hold up to trekking, and can you just throw it over the GI finish?
The tried and true GI stock treatment is pure linseed oil or raw linseed oil. You may hear boiled linseed oil mentioned but my understanding is what is used as BLO today has chemicals and finishers in it that are not authentic GI. Linseed oil is nice but not as weather resistant as Tung oil. Linseed will give your rifle that nice red GI finish as they polymerize. It actually improves over time.
Tung oil was approved on GI stocks as an alternate for Linseed oil. It can get shiny when the coats start to build and some guys don't like that on a GI stock. The tung oil finish is more stable - the color doesn't deepen and patina over time which can be a plus or minus. Tung oil has slightly better weather protection. Both the oils penetrate into the wood and you can enhance the depth of the treatment by cutting your first coat or two with mineral spirits.
If you apply pure oil its a multi step process. Don't try to build protection in one session. Get your palms wet with the oil of choice and start rubbing to burnish off the top layer of wood. Force your oil/DNA into the pores of the wood. When your wrist and forearms feel like you have been home alone watching porn all day wipe off any excess oil. You do not want to leave pooled oil on the stock - it will become sticky. For the next few days I use the towel I used to wipe off the excess to wipe down the stock daily. This deposits a real fine layer of oil. Focus on areas that look dry. If you have real dry spots consider going to town again with your favorite hand.
The good thing about the pure oils is that they are interchangeable. You can apply linseed over tung and vice versa. If you get a surface scratch a little more oil will buff it right out. I avoid any stock treatment that contains the word "finish" i.e "Linseed oil finish" or "Tung oil finish". These products have some form of polyurethane or chemical that will seal the stock and prevent invisible touch up refinishing. If you get a scrape with a pure oil treatment just give the entire stock a quick rub down and the protection is restored and your building more beauty.
Oil the inside of your stock and a cleaning compartment bore if there is one. The armories dip tanked the wood and left them hanging in drying rooms.
If you plan on using your rifle for serious wet outdoor activity you may opt instead for one of the "finishes". Those will really seal the wood from the elements. They wont be GI but they will be functional. Your determination on what matters to you authenticity or function.
AND use caution with the wet linseed/tung oil rags. They can spontaneously combust as they polymerize especially linseed oils. Just lay them out flat exposed to the air so as the chemical reactions occur heat does not build up. The slightly damp rag I leave laying flat stays damp and has not burst into flame.
