Picked up a used Beretta - stock and forearm refinish

[KyleKap19 3]

So, the moral of this story is --  if you walk into SARCO in Easton, PA, be prepared to spend $!

 

Love that store, and always go in whenever I can. Last time was to drop off a used Mosin I acquired for the smith to take a look at, but when I looked at their used long guns, I came across a great looking Beretta semi auto 12g, the A302. The stock was REALLY beat up with deep cuts and nicks ... but for $200 I jumped on it. 

 

Now, I have NEVER refinished any stocks before, so I was going into this project knowing it was a gamble, but after talking with some media / journalist friends of mine in the firearms world, I got some solid pointers -- hell if I screwed it up, I'd just hunt around for a set online.

 

Well, for my first go at this ever, I have to say I'm quite pleased -- cannot believe it's the same wood. Even some guys I was with at SARCO that day were floored by the way it came out. Is it perfect, no not at all -- I think I over applied some of the Tru Oil in the checkering and there are some nicks I couldnt steam out or sand out. Also a spot where some of the oil accumulated too much, but again, it's lightyears from where it was.

 

Thanks!

 

Kyle 

 

 

The used Beretta A302 (Stock was in Gnarly condition, but it works flawlessly):

 

 

Sanding: 

 

 

Finished product (6 coats of Tru Oil):

 

 

 

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Wow - that looks great. 

[KyleKap19 3]

Wow - that looks great. 

 

Thanks, appreciate it! Was rather therapeutic and relaxing to be honest! Nice little hobby -- may offer to do others'! 

[T Bill 649]

Looks real good.  Good Luck with it.  I always like to find diamonds in the ruff.  Problem is after I finish them someone always manages to convince me to give it to them (mostly family).  I have found two coats of sanding sealer works best before staining or finial finish if not staining.  I buff between each coat with steel wool to remove the roughness of the top coat.  I really like TruOil for final finish applied in multiple thin coats over days using a fine cloth as an applicator.

[jrfly3006 42]

Thanks, appreciate it! Was rather therapeutic and relaxing to be honest! Nice little hobby -- may offer to do others'!

Let me know lol..got an Ithaca 37 stock that need some love

[KyleKap19 3]

Looks real good.  Good Luck with it.  I always like to find diamonds in the ruff.  Problem is after I finish them someone always manages to convince me to give it to them (mostly family).  I have found two coats of sanding sealer works best before staining or finial finish if not staining.  I buff between each coat with steel wool to remove the roughness of the top coat.  I really like TruOil for final finish applied in multiple thin coats over days using a fine cloth as an applicator.

 

I didnt use filler --- someone told me it could have mixed results. I used 0000 wool to buff inbetween oil coats. At first I was applying WAY too much with my fingers. I moved to a cloth and it was PERFECT. Wish I did that from the start, hahaha. 

 

The sanding was a lot of fun -- seeing the real grain come through was really cool.

[KyleKap19 3]

Let me know lol..got an Ithaca 37 stock that need some love

 

Hmmmmmmmmm..... will work for food and ammo, lol

[T Bill 649]

Sanding sealer closes the pores of the wood.  That eliminates those annoying 'sink holes' you see in the final finish. Depending on the grain of the wood I'll apply between 7 and 20 coats. A light buff up with steel wool will take the sheen off the final coat and then a buffing with gun stock wax gives you a type of low luster finish.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Nice! Very nice!

[KyleKap19 3]

Sanding sealer closes the pores of the wood.  That eliminates those annoying 'sink holes' you see in the final finish. Depending on the grain of the wood I'll apply between 7 and 20 coats. A light buff up with steel wool will take the sheen off the final coat and then a buffing with gun stock wax gives you a type of low luster finish.

 

Do you sand in the tru oil in a circular motion? Saw a Youtube video from a stock maker that did that. The final coat of wax has my iffy, especially with the checkering. Do you apply over that? I also am concerned with not being able to knock down the gloss in the checkering if I tried that

[WP22 1,558]

You did a great job. Just for reference, in case you have dent in the wood that needs to be removed, Charles Neil technique works very well. If you don't have a clothes steamer, you can us a clothes iron. Just put a rag between the iron and the stock as to not scorch the wood.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ3Jmr5Q9yM

 

[T Bill 649]

Do you sand in the tru oil in a circular motion? Saw a Youtube video from a stock maker that did that. The final coat of wax has my iffy, especially with the checkering. Do you apply over that? I also am concerned with not being able to knock down the gloss in the checkering if I tried that

I don't sand in the sealer, never felt it necessary.  There are ways to 'sand down' the final coat of finish into a smooth satin finish that just takes a wax top coat superbly.  You have to finish the finish to get there. Many ways to do it but takes a lot of time and patience.  That's where the cost comes in on real fine firearms. Here's Larry Potterfield's way. 

[maintenanceguy 510]

Nice Job.  I've done a few refinish jobs on cheap ugly guns.   I never have the patience for 6 coats of anything.

 

I've raised dents with a wet rag and hand iron set on high.  Lay the rag over the dent and put the tip of the iron on the rag for a few seconds.  Very similar to the technique in the video but I don't have a clothes steamer.

[usnmars 136]

Armor All and tung oil 50-50 mix works wonders......

[KyleKap19 3]

Here's the final product after cerakote and some color fill -- amazing. Can't believe it's the same popper!

 

 

 

 

[DaddyNick 408]

Holy crap that's nice.  I'll give ya $300 for it.

[tattooo 220]

Looks amazing !!

[jeff47 30]

Nice work! What did you use to fill the engraving?

[bhunted 887]

Nice work! What did you use to fill the engraving?

Looks like Bonanza Gold... ???

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bhunted 887]

Also, someone recently showed me a video of a guy that uses linseed oil. He said in between sanding and oiling, leave the sawdust on it. It will seep in with the oil and it fill those tiny pores.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[W2MC 1,699]

AWESOME!

[Schrödinger's cat 87]

That is really impressive !