The wood is ok but the barrel is bad.
Your .22 Rimfire
- Thread starter Earcutter
- Start date
About 10-15 years ago, I had a buddy, who's aunt gave him I think, it was a older Marlin Glenfield model 20, I can't remember. It wasn't taken care of at all. It had quite a bit of exterior rusting where the bluing was damaged and all the screws were rusted shut tight. He wanted to see if there was anything I could do with / for it. While the outside looked bad, with some pretty good scratches and a few gouges in the wood stock, the inside barrel and rifling was surprisingly in good shape.
I am no gunsmith or have any experience with reconditioning firearms. But since it was in such bad shape, I figured, how could I hurt it by trying? So I got on youtube and started looking around for a plan of action.
I found a guy on there, who showed how to do a hot bluing process, but using, just Birchwood-Casey's perma- blue cold bluing liquid you can get at Wal-Mart. I first, oiled and worked out the rusted screws I could get out. All of the screws, holding the steel parts to the stock were all the same and I got only one screw out without damaging it.
So I cleaned it up, took it to Ace Hardware and purchased as close to the size, shape and threading as I could get matching it with the one I had. I drilled and tapped all the others out. Once the barrel, bolt and trigger was out of the wooden stock, I then used masking tape, to tape up any engraved writing and serial numbers. I then sanded the barrel down stripping all the bluing and using different grades of sanding paper, while staying away from the part I had covered with masking tape. I forget how many different grits I used, but the grits got up pretty high to where I had an almost mirror finish on the barrel.
I then removed the masking tape and used royal naval jelly to strip the bluing from any engraving on the barrel.
Once I got this far, I cleaned all the metal parts and barrel with denatured alcohol. Then I fired up the kerosene heater in the garage and sat a giant steel pot of water, on top of the heater to heat up several gallons of water. I had bought a plastic trough from Wal-Mart which was about the length of the barrel.
I plugged up both ends of the barrel with cork and then used metal clothes hangers fashioned into handles which slipped over both end of the barrel. I then used the handles made with hangers, to lower it into the trough filled with hot water. Let it sat a few minutes. then quickly pulled it out of the trough, quickly drying off excess water with a towel, and then quickly coating the barrel with the cold blue.
immediately after the coating, I scrubbed the crap out of that barrel with 0000 steel wool. Then just repeated the process over again, hot water, let set, dry off, coat of cold blue, steel wool. I can remember how many times I did it, i think something like 6-9 coats. But the more I repeated the process, when I took that steel wool to it, I could see the bluing really taking hold and the barrel beginning to give off that deep shiny bluing that we all know and love.
I have to admit, the metal parts looked pretty darn good when I got done with it. I also stripped the bolt of bluing really well and tried my hand at jeweling the bolt. while it did look like an amatuer did it, it still looked really good with the chromed jeweling against the deep bluing of the barrel and other metal parts.
I then, very carefully, sanded all the finish and minor scratches off the stock and forearm. Once completed, I just took a wet wash cloth, placed it over the parts of the stock and forearm that had deeper gouges and scratches. I then, used a hot clothes iron on top of the moist cloth, to raise and pull up, many of the gouges and scratches. while not perfect, after sanding it again, the after, compared with the before, was a very noticable difference.
while I didn't re-finish the stock and forearm with stain or lacquer, I did, use warmed linseed oil to light coat the wood, always going with the grain and drying off the excess. I would then cover the wood furniture to protect from dust and I let it set for 24 hours. I would repeat this process with the warmed linseed oil everyday for a week until i had 6-7 coats on it.
The wood ended up gorgeous and the few gouges left, didn't look as deep as before and actually gave the gun a bit of character after it was put back together. when the buddy came to pick it up and saw it for the first time, he seemed really surprised that it came out so great looking.
Now, he could have just been pulling my leg with over hyped praise, but he later told me he had got it appraised for somewhere around the $200 mark. I don't know if that was the truth or not, But I do know, I wouldn't have paid $60 for it when he first brought it to me.
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Here's my 511 ScoreMaster:
Mine was made in 1945 so an early post-war model.
Mine was made in 1945 so an early post-war model.
That is how mine looked before I finished it. When you are a teen pretty is more important than originality. I would love it to look like that now.
About 10-15 years ago, I had a buddy, who's aunt gave him I think, it was a older Marlin Glenfield model 20, I can't remember. It wasn't taken care of at all. It had quite a bit of exterior rusting where the bluing was damaged and all the screws were rusted shut tight. He wanted to see if there was anything I could do with / for it. While the outside looked bad, with some pretty good scratches and a few gouges in the wood stock, the inside barrel and rifling was surprisingly in good shape.
I am no gunsmith or have any experience with reconditioning firearms. But since it was in such bad shape, I figured, how could I hurt it by trying? So I got on youtube and started looking around for a plan of action.
I found a guy on there, who showed how to do a hot bluing process, but using, just Birchwood-Casey's perma- blue cold bluing liquid you can get at Wal-Mart. I first, oiled and worked out the rusted screws I could get out. All of the screws, holding the steel parts to the stock were all the same and I got only one screw out without damaging it.
So I cleaned it up, took it to Ace Hardware and purchased as close to the size, shape and threading as I could get matching it with the one I had. I drilled and tapped all the others out. Once the barrel, bolt and trigger was out of the wooden stock, I then used masking tape, to tape up any engraved writing and serial numbers. I then sanded the barrel down stripping all the bluing and using different grades of sanding paper, while staying away from the part I had covered with masking tape. I forget how many different grits I used, but the grits got up pretty high to where I had an almost mirror finish on the barrel.
I then removed the masking tape and used royal naval jelly to strip the bluing from any engraving on the barrel.
Once I got this far, I cleaned all the metal parts and barrel with denatured alcohol. Then I fired up the kerosene heater in the garage and sat a giant steel pot of water, on top of the heater to heat up several gallons of water. I had bought a plastic trough from Wal-Mart which was about the length of the barrel.
I plugged up both ends of the barrel with cork and then used metal clothes hangers fashioned into handles which slipped over both end of the barrel. I then used the handles made with hangers, to lower it into the trough filled with hot water. Let it sat a few minutes. then quickly pulled it out of the trough, quickly drying off excess water with a towel, and then quickly coating the barrel with the cold blue.
immediately after the coating, I scrubbed the crap out of that barrel with 0000 steel wool. Then just repeated the process over again, hot water, let set, dry off, coat of cold blue, steel wool. I can remember how many times I did it, i think something like 6-9 coats. But the more I repeated the process, when I took that steel wool to it, I could see the bluing really taking hold and the barrel beginning to give off that deep shiny bluing that we all know and love.
I have to admit, the metal parts looked pretty darn good when I got done with it. I also stripped the bolt of bluing really well and tried my hand at jeweling the bolt. while it did look like an amatuer did it, it still looked really good with the chromed jeweling against the deep bluing of the barrel and other metal parts.
I then, very carefully, sanded all the finish and minor scratches off the stock and forearm. Once completed, I just took a wet wash cloth, placed it over the parts of the stock and forearm that had deeper gouges and scratches. I then, used a hot clothes iron on top of the moist cloth, to raise and pull up, many of the gouges and scratches. while not perfect, after sanding it again, the after, compared with the before, was a very noticable difference.
while I didn't re-finish the stock and forearm with stain or lacquer, I did, use warmed linseed oil to light coat the wood, always going with the grain and drying off the excess. I would then cover the wood furniture to protect from dust and I let it set for 24 hours. I would repeat this process with the warmed linseed oil everyday for a week until i had 6-7 coats on it.
The wood ended up gorgeous and the few gouges left, didn't look as deep as before and actually gave the gun a bit of character after it was put back together. when the buddy came to pick it up and saw it for the first time, he seemed really surprised that it came out so great looking.
Now, he could have just been pulling my leg with over hyped praise, but he later told me he had got it appraised for somewhere around the $200 mark. I don't know if that was the truth or not, But I do know, I wouldn't have paid $60 for it when he first brought it to me.
Mmmmmmm, now that you are retired, OKC is not that far of a drive, see you tomorrow around 10 for breakfast and to give you the rifle?
Way back 60 something years ago, in my brilliant younger years I buggered most of the screws on dad's Marlin 336sc. Not too long before he died, I called Marlin and got a complete set of screws for it. Made him happy to see it looking a lot better.
This is my 512 Sportmaster. My dad bought it new when he was 15. I re finished the stock in high school shop, should have left it alone lol...
I think the main difference between the 511 and 512 is the 512 is magazine fed?
I think the main difference between the 511 and 512 is the 512 is magazine fed?
I think so, the 511 has a clip.
Mmmmmmm, now that you are retired, OKC is not that far of a drive, see you tomorrow around 10 for breakfast and to give you the rifle?
I’d be more then willing to give it ago and help you with that project Scott. If I still lived in that same house where I had all of my tools in a huge garage. I’d probably have you sign a waiver releasing me from responsibility of possible damage.
We sold that house in 2019 and downsized to a smaller 2 bed in a gated community. My garage now, barely fits the two cars in it.
I do miss my work bench with it’s vice, grinder and attached beer bottle opener a lot. I don’t even have a lawnmower or weed eater anymore.
I made sure to keep a few essential tools to have a plumbers bag, carpenters bag, electricians bag and a mechanics bag for basic fixes, but the lifetime’s worth of tools I acquired was liquidated.
Now, we have an HOA for the outside, and we call someone for the inside, if I can’t handle it with those basic tool bags.
As I said earlier, the rifle I worked on was an absolute loss. The pics you showed looked pretty good to me?
Here's a .22 rifle for you guys to identify. FYI, it's not a store brand like a Sears Ted Williams, Western Auto Revelation and so on. It's a name brand manufacturer that is still in business. Its probably a late 60s or early 70s gun.
Colt Courier?
- Kimber Superamerica .22
- Walther Bullpup .22
I am really an old-timer! My grandkids are interested, seemed to skip a generation. I have a C&R license and, when they were available, bought several of the Mossberg 44s from the CMP. A bit heavy but accurate and they learn the use of iron sights. Also, some of he Romanian trainers. How about a scope--mounted Noble lever gun? For pistols, I started our with a Savage 101 for their parents and worked up to a H-S Sentinel. Plenty of .38s for them to try out. As you can guess, I am a wheelgun affectionado.
Important thing is to get them out and have a good time.
Important thing is to get them out and have a good time.
Mine, rank in order of fun
Henry octagon barrel lever action
Savage mark 2 heavy barrel laminate stock bolt action
Rossi 4” revolver
Ruger 10/22 auto 1st gun I ever bought, 1980s.
Henry octagon barrel lever action
Savage mark 2 heavy barrel laminate stock bolt action
Rossi 4” revolver
Ruger 10/22 auto 1st gun I ever bought, 1980s.
Took a couple of 22s to the range. Modded Ruger 10/22 and a Smith SW22. Had a fun time with these in between shooting the big guns. I could shoot 22 all day and never get bored.
Brother, if you haven't yet, go to that relatively new thread explaining how you chose your avatar pic. Everytime I see it I grin! It reminds me of our little satan spawn that saved my life, just to bite me on occasion to hear me cuss.
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How so?
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