possible to refinish a shotgun stock?

[cpc1027]

I'm considering bidding on a used Beretta shotgun and the biggest drawback seems to be that the clear coat is peeling in a few spots on the wood. Is this something that can be refinished, and any ballpark ideas on what that might cost?

 

[StantonCree]

I'm considering bidding on a used Beretta shotgun and the biggest drawback seems to be that the clear coat is peeling in a few spots on the wood. Is this something that can be refinished, and any ballpark ideas on what that might cost?

Sand, stain, coat.....20 bucks

 

[cpc1027]

Sand, stain, coat.....20 bucks

Nice, that's what I was hoping to hear! I wasn't sure if there was any concern about changing the fit to the receiver. Thanks

 

[rico903]

You just have to be careful sanding. Be sure to use a small sanding block. A piece of a paint stick works well. Several how to videos online. You can also log onto rimfirecentral and do a search. There are some very good instructions there.

 

[doggyjacket]

Did somebody say ... Beretta Shotgun ?

 

[JoeRinMD]

You just have to be careful sanding. Be sure to use a small sanding block. A piece of a paint stick works well. Several how to videos online. You can also log onto rimfirecentral and do a search. There are some very good instructions there.

The OP mentioned that the original finish is peeling. If that's the only issue, you don't need to...and probably shouldn't, sand the stock. First, use a chemical stripper to remove the old finish. If needed, then use a aniline-dye stain to even out the color. Finally give it a finish with a penetrating topcoat like TruOil.

Also, you mentioned that the shotgun is a Beretta. On some of their shotguns, they've used 2 unusual stock treatments, one is called XtraGrain and the other is XtraWood. If the stock is their XtraGrain, you probably don't want to sand it, since it has laser-enhanced grain. If it's XtraWood, you definitely don't want to sand it. My understanding is that it's a laminate applied to the stock. If you were to sand it, you'd sand right through to the core, which is a very plain wood.

That said, most of their stocks are walnut, so they can be refinished easily.

JoeR

 

[kalister1]

I would not use anything but Steel wool, BUT, I am NOT an expert.
Always start out with the least abrasive/destructive method and increase only when required.

 

[cpc1027]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I won the auction, so I'll be consulting some friends that are into woodworking to make sure that the refinishing goes well. Getting the checkering on the stock right is my biggest concern.

For those that asked, its a Beretta A391 Urika. Here are a few of the pics from Gunbroker:

and the peeling finish that needs fixing:

 

[engineerbrian]

That's not to bad. If I were sanding it I'd start with something like 240 or 400 grit and try to just remove the top coat and not take it to bare wood. If that works a coat of poly should do it.

 

[BeoBill]

That's not to bad. If I were sanding it I'd start with something like 240 or 400 grit and try to just remove the top coat and not take it to bare wood. If that works a coat of poly should do it.

I agree. It's more like patina. Use 400 grit or finer.

 

[d33rhunt3r]

I agree. It's more like patina. Use 400 grit or finer.

Yeah I was gonna say higher than 400. 200 would be a little bit more abrasive than you'd want to use on that.

 

[JoeRinMD]

It's hard to tell from the pics, but you might have gotten very lucky. It looks like the damage might just be in the surface finish, not down into the wood...like something caused the finish to fail, maybe the previous owner used acetone or other aggressive solvent. I don't think I'd use sandpaper at all, at least for the first attempt. I'd start with a synthetic "steel wool" Scotchbrite pad and a stripping agent to remove the old finish. Then see what you have. If the wood itself isn't damaged, I'd use 400 grit to wet-sand an oil finish, like TruOil, into the wood to fill the grain. Then give it a few more coats to give a nice warm sheen to the stock.

JoeR