Refinishing a Winchester Model 67 (Stock and Metal)

[TomBulls]

(I brought this over from the Gunsmithing Tips & Tricks forum, just so it would be in the right place...)

Who loves older Winchester stocks? THIS GUY!

So, for some odd reason I figured that today would be the right day to refinish a classic rifle stock.

Not really a bad idea, except that I live in an apartment which is proving problematic because the weather is not nice enough to go outside to do all the sanding. A little bit cold... Now there is sanding dust all over the place. Boo-hoo, right?

I -love- Winchester stocks because it seems like Winchester used a nice quality walnut for almost all of their earlier rifles. At any rate, Winchester stocks typically clean up really well for me. Specifically, I am re-finishing a Winchester Model 67 single-shot .22 rimfire which was manufactured sometime in the late 1930s. The original finish (including a complimentary layer of cigarette smoke gunk from the previous owner...) was a flaky varnish in DIRE need of removal, and I'll finish it up with some BLO in the coming weeks.

The stock was stripped with "Ready Strip" and cleaned up with hot water in the bath tub, green scrubbing pads, and generous amounts of elbow grease. I used a pre-stain from MinWax, and am using "Golden Pecan" stain from Varathane. As always, stock was sanded with 120, 220, and 340 grit sandpaper, and then buffed smooth with 0000 steel wool.

The re-blue was done with the Birchwood-Casey kit from Dicks Sporting Goods. At 20.00 bucks for a do-it-all kit, it came out pretty darned nicely and was worth the money.

I will be doing glass bedding next week or two when I have some time. Pictures will come...

-thomas



Stripped down and ready for action...



Pre-stain, stain, and first coat of Boiled Linseed Oil is applied...



The stock is almost there....



ALL DONE!

[TomBulls]

Glass bedding is done now. The epoxy is a little bit hard to see in the photos, but it formed a wonderfully smooth and rock-hard bed for the barrel/action. The rifle even "feels" different, and I can't explain why. The bolt has a more authoritative clunk when it falls and it all feels a lot less loose.

Range report will be made when the weather improves.

Here's some pics...

Barrel channel and receiver bed have been prep'd. Scored with a drilling bur on a dremel and roughed up 80 grit sandpaper.



The inlets on the receiver were filled in with modeling clay to prevent epoxy from filling in empty crevices. I went a little bit "overboard" on the modeling clay because I am still having bad memories about the last time I tried to glass-bed a stock. It didn't end well...



My release agent is Johnson's Paste Wax, and it seemed to work without any trouble. I greased up all parts of the rifle that would be in contact with the epoxy and then wiped off the excess leaving a thin film.



Set it up in the furnace room to dry for a time. Since the rest of the apartment is ridiculously doggone cold right now, this is the only place where the stock could be in a warm place for the epoxy to cure.



Again, it is a little bit difficult to see the epoxy bedding in this photo-- but it is there and it is giving a rock-solid bed for the barrel and action. I had to remove a significant amount of material in the area that the trigger group is installed. The epoxy filled in more space than needed and the bolt wouldn't cycle. Not a problem. Out came the files and the dremel tool, and it's assembled back in one functional piece now.

[725]

You did good! The thing looks beautiful. love those single shots.

[TomBulls]

If I was wearing my thinking-cap I would have done the bedding after stripping the stock and before I started the refinishing process. In spite of my backwards sort of process, it all turned out well enough.

[goofyoldfart]

Tom -----Just one word------BEAUTIFUL. I love single shots. God Bless to you and yours.

Goofy

[justashooter]

your 67 is post war. finger grooves indicate 1937-1940. non grooved is 46 and up.

[izzyjoe]

wow, that is a nice piece of wood. it has some pretty grain to it. good job!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Tom: it looks nice,, could we see some picks out in the sunlight? The grain on that stock is exceptional for an inexpensive rifle like that, just goes to show how well things were made back then.

The good thing about these types of simple guns is that they were made back when people gave a damn and if kept half way decent will deliver service for literally hundreds of years. There just isn't anything to them mechanically and they are so simple virtually anyone could fix one if it broke, which isn't likely. A refinish job and it is like new!

My Remington 514 still functions perfectly and I got it in 1962. I wanted a Winchester but they were nearly $30 and I only had $15 saved after a year so I got the Remington instead.

Your's came out nice, I hope you enjoy it for along time to come.

Randy

[TomBulls]

Tom: it looks nice,, could we see some picks out in the sunlight? The grain on that stock is exceptional for an inexpensive rifle like that, just goes to show how well things were made back then.

We seem to be perpetually overcast right now, but when (if?) the sun decides to shine again, I'll get some better pictures for ya'.

[mikeyd23]

Wow that is inspiring, may have to try that out myself!!

[Idaho Mule]

I have that same rifle, had it since I was 11 years old. Mine actually still looks pretty decent in it's old dress but this thread inspires me. I may have to dig it out and give it a re-finish like that. Your's looks very nice. JW

[TomBulls]

could we see some picks out in the sunlight?

Here ya' go, Randy-

[W.R.Buchanan]

I knew it was gonna look nice! Perfect level of gloss for that gun.

Good for another 100 years.

Randy