[gun shy]

on the no 1 stainless varmint with the grey laminate stock,the inside of the fore end seems to be not smooth or glossy as the outside. do you have to seal it like a wood stock or is it ok? the front of the fore end contacts the barrel hard enough that it has left a rub mark on the barrel, is it ok to leave it this tight?there is a gap along both sides of the barrel back to the reciever. i put a spacer under the barrel to the hanger and the for end fits nice and snug and will not rock

 

[Cheezywan]

I'd seal it if it were mine. Sounds like a real fine rifle? Need to address those rub marks though! Some sandpaper wraped on a socket might work?

Cheezywan

 

[gun shy]

thanks for that,any idea how mutch pressure should be against the barrel?what i have noticed is that the rub is not evenly distributed under the barrel,but tends to favor the left side,so i guess it should be evenly distributed underneath the barrel. this is sure a fine looking rifle and nice to shoot.

 

[Nite Ryder]

How is the accuracy, say in a five shot group at 100 yards? Some #1 owners have complained about the accuracy, and the rifle not shooting in the same place twice. I've noticed that in my 45-70.

 

[StretchNM]

If you seal it, I would use shellac. While I've been recommending it for years on various projects (without scientific evidence), FineWoodworking recently published a moisture test rating shellac finishes above all others except polyurethane. Now, this was not a submersion test, but rather light moisture and humidity. It bested varnishes, lacquer, linseed oils, and other poly/phenolic-oils (danish, tung, trueoil, etc.).

Do all your sanding first, then you might use Zinser's Bullseye shellac. I say that brand because you can get it nearly anywhere - Ace, True Value, Home Depot, etc. Using denatured alcohol, cut it 50/50 (in a seperate little container) and apply a nice coat inside the forearm. Wait about 10 minutes and then another coat, and then another. When that has dried for several hours, take some 00 steel wool (or a grey nylon pad) and buff ALL of the shellac off. Repeat the process but not the buffing. After letting that final (6th) coat dry overnight, then buff it ALL off again and apply a coat or three of the shellac uncut - straight from the can. When that drys, buff it witht he steel wool to a nice sheen and you're ready to go. Remember, when you're buffing ALL that shellac off, you're leaving the shellac in the pores and setting it up for subsequent coats - the buffing is an important step.

Another beauty of shellac is that it can be used under ANY finish (poly, varnish, Watco oils, etc.etc). It's a great sealer if you want to use another finish. Just do the first step (3 coats of 50/50) buffed off completely, then use whatever you wanted to finish with. Some might argue that poly-oils are meant to penetrate the surface, but I'm here to say they still will, at least until they hit the shellac wash coat. The wash coat has already penetrated.....

 

[Tnhunter]

Quote: Another beauty of shellac is that it can be used under ANY finish (poly, varnish, Watco oils, etc.etc). It's a great sealer if you want to use another finish. Just do the first step (3 coats of 50/50) buffed off completely, then use whatever you wanted to finish with. Some might argue that poly-oils are meant to penetrate the surface, but I'm here to say they still will, at least until they hit the shellac wash coat. The wash coat has already penetrated.....


I have done the same thing, using shellac as the "sealer" underneath a clear poly finish. I believe a good polyurathane or verathane to be the best finish available for stocks you wish to have weatherproof. I have stocks so finished and done 20+ years ago that still look great. No need to have a high sheen either if you don't want that as a satin finish poly will have less sheen than tru-oil.

__________________

 

[Crusty Ol'Coot]

Well, This is just this Ol'Coot's opinion, but it has been quite awhile since I had a #1 on which the forend isn't glas bedded AND floated.

Personally I have never had a #1 that didn't shoot well, but to me a hunting rifle is about CONSISTANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meaning, no or very little barrel to wood contact.

I bed my #1s to the under barrel hanger and a point on each side back close to the action and then float that barrel!

It works!

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot