Hi, I have done this on a couple of rifles. I have tried different techniques to remove the hard clear finish from the checkering but the best result has I got leaving the checkering as is ( it looks OK). If that’s no option you can try to scrape it away, time consuming but doable. If the black cap is made out of wood it is no problem to remove the compound from it.

Regards, Peter

Thanks Pete
Could you recomend a stripping compound that has worked well for you?
Eric

There are a lot of different solvents out there for finish removal but I do not like to use liquids around wood so I use a hot air gun (or what it can be called). Just heat the surface until you see that the finish get soft and bubbly and then just scrape it of whit a suitable tool. You can try to heat the checkering as well and use a steel brush. When the finish is removed use fine sandpaper to fix that super smooth surface and finally us good oil until saturation. After this work you have a beautiful stock that restrain moist.

Regards, Peter

As we speak I redoing a 700 BDL stock. Bought the rifle new in the early 80's and it had plastic caps. Sanding was out of the question, was to much work. What I ended up doing was using Jasco paint and varnish remover. I had planned on replacing the plastic caps with wood so melting the plastic wasn't even a concern for me. The gunsmiths I know charge extra to remove the finish on the BDL's because it's so difficult. To remove finish from the checkering I applied the paint remover let it set for about 15 min. and used a stiff bristle brush. It took 3 application to remove all the finish. When sanding on the stock be sure to leave the butt plate in place so you don't round over the back of the stock butt.

YOU CAN SCRAPE THE REMINGTON "BOWLING BALL FINISH" OFF THE
STOCK. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SCRAPE OVER THE CHECKERING, JUST
AVOID IT. THIS METHOD WORKS FINE. I HAVE DONE SEVERAL REM.
STOCKS AND PUT AN OIL FINISH ON THEM.

Varnish remover works. I can't stand those high gloss varnished finishes on wood stocks. On walnut I prefere a plain boiled linseed oil finish. I like to take it down to bare wood and sand with 200 grit until even and smooth, then dust it off with a clean cotton cloth and compressed air. Next, take a paint brush or cotton cloth and soak (literally saturate) the walnut with boiled linseed oil for 30 minutes and allow the wood to absorb as much oil as possible then wipe off completely. Allow to dry untouched for 7 days. From then on, once a week, take a boiled linseed oil dampened cloth and rub a thin film of it into the wood and let cure for at least 5 days without touching it. Do this once a week for 5 weeks or until satisfied. I don't use any stain. On American Walnut wood boiled linseed oil on it's own will soak into the wood and darken it to a rich brown color with a slight reddish hue, then the oil cures leaving a handsome matte sheen preserving finish that's literally impregnated in the wood. And believe me when I say that scratches are very easy to cover up and repair with a linseed oil finished stock.

Every vintage varnished high gloss finished stock I've seen has never aged well. The varnish gloss shell tends to always crack, peel, and flake with age and use, or they get a clouded haze appearance over time. It just looks like hell. A varnished high gloss finish is also difficult to repair once scratched or gouged. I have a couple very old rifles that have walnut stocks that were finished with boiled linseed oil almost 90 years ago and while they have some dents and scratches, the walnut is completely preserved and still has that vintage rich brown color with no peeling or flaking at all. In fact every lineed oil finished gunstock I've ever seen remains well preserved, despite some scatched or dents, regardless of age or use. Just take a look at a vintage 1903 Springfield or M1 Garand, and those things saw some rough use on the battlefield too.

WESTERNHUNTER, SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD METHOD; THINK I'LL TRY IT.
THANKS, MAX

Thanks! I've always had good luck with it. Just make sure you completely wipe off all the excess oil before allowing the piece to cure. The only oil left should be the oil that's soaked inside the surface of the wood. It might be tempting, but avoid touching the piece for at least 4 to 7 days. Boiled Linseed Oil can be found at any good hardware store. I typically use Ace's brand. Keep in mind that wood is a natural product that has grain variations in it. This method will give a beautiful rich brown matte finish to bare unfinished American Walnut wood. The sheen can be controlled by your final surface sanding before applying the oil. If you want a no-frills standard military grade matte finish then do your final sanding with a 200 grit sandpaper before applying the linseed oil. If you want a finer smoother commercial grade matte sheen then do your final sanding to the surface of the wood with a finer grit sand paper before applying the linseed oil. All sanding should be done with the direction of the woods grain. You can go as fine as you want, 600 -700 grit etc. Also 1 part turpentine mixed with 3 parts linseed oil can help the oil soak easier into the wood. But I only use the turpentine mixture on the follow-up rub-downs a week later.

These days a beautiful matte oil finish is rarely seen on modern production walnut stocks. But it was once very common on older rifles and was a common gunstock finish on military rifles up until the end of WWII. As with any natural product it will yield some variations in the darkening affect. My experience is that some lighter grain areas of some stocks may not darken as much or as deeply as the rest of the stock. But, generally if the grain of the wood is relatively even and consistent throughout the piece then the color tone will be consistantly darkened to a brown finish that will never fade or bleed. It can't, there is no stain in it to bleed or fade. Constant exposure to sunlight only caused a slow darkening effect over time, but it will take about 200 years to notice any shade darker. Other woods, especialy lighter colored hardwoods like Beech or Ash may require a light staining with a water based or alcohol based wood stain prior to finishing in order to achieve a brown gunstock color. These lighter colored hardwoods may only darken to a dark tan or rusy tan without staining. Unless you are extreamly patient man I'd stay away from using Raw Linseed Oil. Raw linseed oil produces the same results but takes several months to cure.

Oh, a word of caution when working with any type of linseed oil or oil based product - lay out all rags open to dry, preferably outdoors. Linseed oil cures by absorbing oxygen from the air and when it cures it produces heat. Excess heat in a crumpled up rag or towel in an eclose area can cause the rags to spontaneously combust into flames.