Newly bought 1943 T sniper.

[Brian Dick]

Try Chestnut Ridge military stock stain. It's alcohol based and will absorb much better than the other types of stain into wood that's been treated with linseed for many years.

[bigduke6]

I,d remove the linseed oil first then stain let dry then stain etc.... the fore-end looks like the light walnut found on savage No4,s, I,ve got a LB No4 dressed in the same timber but has darkened with age.

I tried to stain another very light walnut fore-end but was that soaked with oil and I was flogging a dead hoarse, removed as much as I can by sweating all the old oil out etc then gradually stained it, took some time but eventually come up nice, still lighter than the rest but not as much in your face........

[Z28addiction]

Thx guys i think I'll try some of that minwax old English chestnut. I don't think the stocks going to match perfect anyway being its extremely blonde but it will make it better

[Brian Dick]

If it's Savage wood, it's birch. I've never seen walnut on a factory original Savage No.4 unless it was replaced. Wash the wood with clear ammonia, ( I buy it at the dollar store), and a Scotchbrite pad. It will clean the grunge and old oil off the wood without damaging it in any way. Rinse with cold water and let it dry thoroughly. Do not scrape or sand. Apply the stain to taste. Let dry thoroughly again and then oil it again with linseed until it stops absorbing. I find the alcohol based stains much better but use what you want.

[bigduke6]

If it's Savage wood, it's birch. I've never seen walnut on a factory original Savage No.4 unless it was replaced.

I,ll dig out my rifle and the timber, as its in bits at present, am sure its savage wood but is definitely a light walnut....

[Brian Dick]

Geoff, I didn't say they don't exist. Just that I haven't seen walnut on a factory Savage and I've had a hundred of them in 20 years. It's another one of the ongoing questions that comes up from time to time. My money is on birch.

[Roger Payne]

I'd agree with Brian. I've read that some of the very first Savage rifles were stocked up in walnut, but I've yet to see one. The ones that I come across all seem to be stained birch.

[Seaspriter]

walnut on a factory Savage

Alas, Enfields are the guns of anomalies, at least when they are 70 years old. I have a 71C series (Oct 43) Savage with matching serial on the forend (which is definitely birch) but the butt stock is undoubtedly walnut (looks like American Walnut-- typically figure grained, not English Walnut -- typically straighter/finer). I suppose it could be a replacement stock during the war because the stock is stamped FR (Factory Repair) and does have the typical armourer's pegged splice repair to the top of the stock just ahead of the butt plate. The right side of the stock also has the initials "ESA" (on top) and "BPD" (below) with the date 12 44 underneath to the left of the FR stamp. (I assume these are inspector's initials?) Other stamps on the bottom of the wrist are "Z", "BH" and a serif-rounded "S," which I haven't deciphered yet.

As I mused yesterday on another post: I've learned from following lots of Enfield threads on this site that there are still many mysteries, contradictions, and anomalies that we have yet to unscramble...... to be an Enfield enthusiast you must have a strong tolerance for ambiguity, a very inquisitive nature coupled with an unceasing willingness to learn, a dose of humbleness, a love of history, and a sense of humor. Devoid of any of these, and your Enfield passion will diminish proportionately to your rising frustration. ;-)

[Brian Dick]

Hey, BPD are my initials. Maybe I was an inspector in a past life. No wonder I'm interested in these dang things! Another tidbit is that many Enfield butts were made of American walnut in England. Yours is surely a British made replacement or possibly a Canadian one but it would be well marked if so providing the markings weren't physically removed.

---------- Post added at 05:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 PM ----------

Hey Paul, Does 0C1 have birch or walnut furniture?

[Seaspriter]

Hey, BPD are my initials. Maybe I was an inspector in a past life. No wonder I'm interested in these dang things!

Another tidbit is that many Enfield butts were made of American walnut in England. Yours is surely a Britishicon made replacement or possibly a Canadianicon one but it would be well marked if so providing the markings weren't physically removed.

Wow! Now we are into another zone. As I said, you have to have a sense of humor to love Enfields.

Brian, I will have to take a picture of this gun tomorrow in the sunlight or with a chalk rubbing so you can see the initials.

But beware, BPD also stands for Borderline Personality Disorder -- a very disorderly psychiatric condition my ex-wife suffered from. You wouldn't want that connection!

Didn't realize that American Walnut got to England as replacement stocks during the war -- always learning something new.