Ruger 77/22 .22 Hornet Restoration w/Pics

Help Support Ruger Forum:

Fulldraw™

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 16, 2009
Messages
17
Location
Mid-TN
This is another little rifle that I rescued from the used and abused rack at one of my favorite gun shops. It is a "Porch" rifle! We share coffee and a sunrise together almost every morning hoping Mr. Yote will grace us with his presence in the front yard.

This rifle has also served duty as the prerequisite varmint rifle while hunting a ranch in TX. This last season one of my hunting budding borrowed this rifle to dispatch various TX vermin. While this rifle was in his possession he had slung the rifle over his shoulder and went on his way. Little beknownst to him the suspenders he was wearing was carving deep gashes into the stock's left side.

When he returned to camp that night he was beside himself just about peeing down one leg apologizing, and showing me what had happened!

The left side of the stock adjacent to the ejection port looked as if you'd taken a pocket knife and gouged deep slicing marks into the stock. After my initial inspection of the rifle's damage, without saying a word I reached into my pocket for my Boker 4 blade pocket knife and offered it to my friend and asked him if wanted to go ahead and do the other side to make it match? We both started laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes!

It's all good!

I have provided pics of the restoration for you to see. This is the first laminated stock I had undertaken for restoration and I learned a few tricks along the way.


002.jpg


001.jpg


003.jpg


004.jpg


009.jpg


008.jpg


006.jpg


007.jpg


005.jpg
 

Snake45

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
9,196
Location
+4020
Nicely done!

Did you use any kind of stain on the plywood, or is that just the final finish? What did you use for finish? How did you remove the factory finish?

I have a 77/22 but don't care for the look of the plywood. I'd like to strip it and stain or dye it a uniform darker color but so far no one has been able to tell me if a laminated stock will take stain or dye. I suspect that it won't.

Stripping mine won't be a problem, as the factory finish is flaking off just from normal use. :(
 

Fulldraw™

Bearcat
Joined
Jun 16, 2009
Messages
17
Location
Mid-TN
Snake45":2tosu7dx said:
Nicely done!

Did you use any kind of stain on the plywood, or is that just the final finish? What did you use for finish? How did you remove the factory finish?

I have a 77/22 but don't care for the look of the plywood. I'd like to strip it and stain or dye it a uniform darker color but so far no one has been able to tell me if a laminated stock will take stain or dye. I suspect that it won't.

Stripping mine won't be a problem, as the factory finish is flaking off just from normal use. :(

Thanks to all for the kind words!

The final finish you see in done Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil. I removed the factory finish with a product called a Citra-Strip. The factory finish is very tough...but the Citra-Strip will take it off.

What you refer to as plywood is really a product most commonly called "Actionwood" and it is my understanding that when the various colors such as grey and brown are glued-up the stain is also mixed with the epoxy resin and applied with tons of pressure. This makes it very difficult to change the color of the actionwood.

You may be better off stripping the finish, sanding AND filling the pores, then applying the Tru-Oil. Good luck with your project!
 

Snake45

Hawkeye
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
9,196
Location
+4020
Fulldraw™":cs9xpxf6 said:
What you refer to as plywood is really a product most commonly called "Actionwood"....
I have some 1911 commercial grips from the '50s that Colt called "Coltwood." They are styrene plastic. I like to call stuff what it is. :wink:

You may be better off stripping the finish, sanding AND filling the pores, then applying the Tru-Oil. Good luck with your project!
If the plywood won't take stain or dye, I'll have to go a different way to darken it. Might try to mix up some "candyapple brown" finish by mixing brown enamel or acrylic into clear of some sort and then airbrushing that on. It couldn't look much worse than it does now. (It always reminds me of those late-WWII laminated stock Mauser K98s.)
 

valkrider8

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Messages
110
Location
PA
Snake,
I have stained one of my Ruger laminated stocks with black stain. I wanted something different. I will try to post some pictures of my "stock project" or you. Valk.
 
Top