I inherited on old 788 Remington .243, the stock is in horrible shape. What do I need to make the stock look newish again?

 

how bad is horrible? need to see some pics before a good assessment. i had one in bad shape and i just took wood polish and cleaners to it and it shined it right back up

 

I don't know what level of gunsmithing skills you have or how comfortable you are with disassembling the gun completely. I know the first time I did it I was a little nervous but it really is not bad.

To redo a stock, start by stripping the stock of all its components leaving nothing but the stock. Then sand out any imperfections that are there, pick a new stain and stain it. I then use a semi-gloss polyurethane to seal the stock reassemble and enjoy its new found beauty. I have redone three shotgun stocks and 4 rifle stocks with great success. Post some before and after pics please I always enjoy seeing the transformation

 

Sorry guys, I should have been a little more specific. There are lots of scratches, and in some places the urethane is peeling and cracking. I am pretty comfortable taking it apart and leaving nothing but the stock. I guess that I just need to go to Home Depot and purchase several grits of sandpaper. Can I buy the stain and urethane there? Or should I buy it at a gunsmith?

When I get home I will post the before pics...

 

Save yourself the trouble:

One
or
Little more expensive

 

I personally just get the same stuff used in making furniture because I wanted different looks for my guns. I have three of them stained with golden oak stain, one with a mahogany, one with dark walnut, and one a pecan. And I finished off with a semi gloss polyurethane as stated before. I am very happy with the results, when I get home I will show you a couple of the ones I have done. And I would start with a heavy grit to strip away all the old finish on the stock and step down till it is nice and smooth. Then wipe it down with a tack cloth to pull up any and all left over dust off the surface. I then follow it up with a damp rag and let it dry. I have found that 3 coats of the polyurethane offers a good amount of protection with out over doing it.

 

Thanks for the info. I had bid on a few on Ebay, but I really did not want to spend over fifty. I really would like to TRY and refinish it myself, and see if I have any craftsmanship.

BTW what kind of HK do ya have? I have a preban HK 91. Well then again, anyone who owns one, it is more than likely a preban.

 

I would love to see some pics And I think your suggestion will be the route that I take. I really just wanna see if I can do it, and make it look nice. Something to do...instead of watching TV.

 

HK91
HK USP Tactical
SW9 with HK Navy Reciever, Lower and foregrip (SW9 is a knockoff of an HK94/MP5).

 

Its pretty simple and like you said a good time consumer that is why so many of my stocks have been redone . Plus the fact that they come out looking really sweet granted on my first one I did it because I carved a pheasant flying in to the stock so I kinda had to do it.



Very nice I am definitely jealous