bittereinder
Bearcat
In case it helps others, I wanted share some experiences with the Guide Gun stock finish. First off, I'd like to pre-empt comments like "the Guide Gun is a tool meant for rough use and you shouldn't even think about minor flaws on the stock". Sure, it'll eventually accumulate dings and scratches but I'd like to keep it in good condition within reason, especially when it's new.
I'm on my second one, having sold a 30-06 and replaced it with the 375 Ruger. For the first one, I never had to do anything with the stock, and as one would expect, it held up well with normal wear from white tail hunting in central Ontario.
My new one in 375 Ruger had some very small blisters and "ripples" at the edges of some of the layers in the laminate. I didn't even notice them when I picked the gun up from the store, but I wanted to see if I could smooth them out. I didn't want to risk making bigger flaws with sandpaper or steel wool. I tried Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen & Conditioner, and it worked perfectly. Rubbing on that conditioner with a paper towel a few times, it stripped down the ripples and blisters and left a nice smooth finish that's pretty much the same as the untouched parts of the stock. I think it has a bit of pumice in it, so it's basically a way of doing some really gentle sanding.
Recently, I was a bit careless in some bench shooting and made a raisin-sized gouge on the bottom of the stock from the big flat screw on a sling. I smoothed away the gouge with the Stock Sheen & Conditioner, but this one was a bit deeper and I was left with a small dull patch. I've found that a little bit of Tru Oil has worked well, blending in nicely with the rest of the stock. I don't know what they finish these laminate stocks with for Ruger, but for small gouges at least, it looks like Tru Oil is pretty good.
I'd be curious to see if others have had similar experiences, or if those with more experience in these things have better ideas. Thanks.
I'm on my second one, having sold a 30-06 and replaced it with the 375 Ruger. For the first one, I never had to do anything with the stock, and as one would expect, it held up well with normal wear from white tail hunting in central Ontario.
My new one in 375 Ruger had some very small blisters and "ripples" at the edges of some of the layers in the laminate. I didn't even notice them when I picked the gun up from the store, but I wanted to see if I could smooth them out. I didn't want to risk making bigger flaws with sandpaper or steel wool. I tried Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen & Conditioner, and it worked perfectly. Rubbing on that conditioner with a paper towel a few times, it stripped down the ripples and blisters and left a nice smooth finish that's pretty much the same as the untouched parts of the stock. I think it has a bit of pumice in it, so it's basically a way of doing some really gentle sanding.
Recently, I was a bit careless in some bench shooting and made a raisin-sized gouge on the bottom of the stock from the big flat screw on a sling. I smoothed away the gouge with the Stock Sheen & Conditioner, but this one was a bit deeper and I was left with a small dull patch. I've found that a little bit of Tru Oil has worked well, blending in nicely with the rest of the stock. I don't know what they finish these laminate stocks with for Ruger, but for small gouges at least, it looks like Tru Oil is pretty good.
I'd be curious to see if others have had similar experiences, or if those with more experience in these things have better ideas. Thanks.
