CMP Garand New Stock, First Post

[Zippymbr]

This is my first post. I just bought a new to me Garand and it came with a brand new stock from the CMP. It is dull and rough. What would you guys do? I also need a sling recommendation, I want to start shooting some matches soon.

Thanks,
Matt

Information

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[Cajun J]

I am not familiar with the CMP stocks. Suggest you contact their Cust Svc if you think it is a problem.

For a sling, contact Les Tam in Hawaii. You can google him and find his web site. He hand makes all his slings and they are great. Best I have seen. I have 3 and use for AR15s and M1s in matches.

[Zippymbr]

Thanks for the tip, I willmlook him up

[Kirk]

The CMP stocks come with 1 coat of oil finish. I've seen many that looked dry. They need a good finish - I prefer Tung Oil. The wood surface has been smooth but not glass smooth. Is the roughness you mention wood that is not well sanded? Please explain & post a picture.

[Zippymbr]

The stock has raised grain in several areas. I was planning on a wetland and a tung oil finish.

[DaveN]

CMP stocks I used simple green to get oil out and then stained one(dark walnut)then Formby's tung oil finish(not to happy with result) and the other one same only no stain. I have tried a 50-50 oil and turp and with time may darken to a more acceptable finish, but for competition they will suit my needs.

You can see in 1st pic how light they come and the 2nd rifle from top is the tiger stripe in other pics. the other is to much like a piece of furniture. In person they did finish nice(pics don't do justice) but not authentic looking at all.

[DaveN]

The ones I used 50-50 are not pictured.

[gsp2007]

As far as slings go, the standard GI web sling still works well and pulls tight when you have it set up right. (See Ray-Vin.com for a demo of how both the web sling and leatehr slings should be set up for match shooting). I have Les Tam slings (2), and, while excellent, will loosen up over time and are expensive. You might find that you like a web sling - especially for CMP matches. I just shot my 03A3 with web sling and did as good as could do considering 20 degee weather!

[Midmichigun]

Zip,
I have a web sling on my M1 Garand. Functions well for most of my small shooting applications.

I also just purchased a 1907 "type" sling from Turner Saddle: Welcome to Turner Sling | turnersling.com

For comparison I purchased a budget 1907 type sling from Sportsmansguide. There is no real comparison. The Turner is premium... Haven't compared the others that people have mentioned... just remember that you probably will get what you paid for!

I have worked with Tung Oil, and Boiled linseed oil (BLO). Both have been ok, if the surface was prepped right. Just remember, if you get the ole sander out... you can't put back on what you take off! Go slow!

[daveboy]

It's important that you know what type stock you have. I have lots of experience with walnut stocks, but you will also run into birch stocks and I have no experience finishing them.

There are as many ways of finishing stocks as there are people who finish them. I have had good success finishing walnut stocks, but my way is not the only way. Here goes:

Prepare the stock. Very important you are gentle with the sandpaper.

1. Sand very lightly (not changing the shape or dimension of stock but smoothing it) with 150 grit sandpaper. Be very careful here removing only enough wood to smooth it.

2. Then sand it very lightly with a finer grade of 250 or 280 grit.

3. Lightly dampen the wood with water and allow to completely dry (this will raise the grain or hair of the stock and make it feel rough again).

4. Very lightly, go back over the stock with the 250 or 280 grit. With this final sanding you are only wanting to remove the "hair" and nothing else. At this point the stock should be smooth, but not like glass. If you are wanting a military-type finish this is as fine as you want to go.

5. Rub the stock down with 0000 steel wool. In this step you are putting a little burnish on the stock which will help the sheen of the final finish. Unlike with the sandpaper, when using the steel wool you don't have to worry about overdoing it. Keep rubbing the stock with the wool until it has an even sheen to it.

Stain. Very important that you use an alcohol base stain.

6. Stain the stock with an alcohol-based stain. I have used oil stains (Minwax and such) and you do not get the control that you need. Plus, with oil stain, once the oil finish is applied you cannot add more stain. With alcohol stain you can continue to tweak the color until you get what you want. There are many alcohol stains on the market, but I have had the best luck with simple RIT dye (designed to dye cloth). You can find RIT dye in Wal-Mart. Buy the dark brown and burgandy. Mix 2 ozs. of denatured alcohol with level teaspoon of the dark brown dye (I am guessing at the amounts because I have never measured, just eyeballed it). As your first attempt you do not want it really dark, better to have the stain too light, or thin, than too dark. Dip a rag into the mixture and start rubbing the stock. Rub it all over really well and you will notice that it is not darkening it very much (good) and it dries really fast (even better).

7. As soon as you have rubbed it down once it will undoubtedly not be dark enough and that is exactly what you are looking for. Rub on a second coat (first coat is dry in a couple of minutes). Keep doing this until you get a good color on the stock but not as dark as you really want it (it is much easier to add more stain later than to remove it). This is why you want to use alcohol stain instead of oil. If you mix the stain right it is very light and you can add many coats of it in a short time which gives you complete control of the final color.

8. Mix the burgandy stain or dye the same way and rub in a couple of coats of it on top of the brown. If done right, this will simulate the "Springfield red" color that most of us are looking for.

9. Mix boiled linseed oil (BLO) 50-50 with turnpentine or paint thinner. Brush this on very heavily (it will drip but thats okay). Keep brushing it on for several minutes until the wood is basically drowning in this mixture.

10. Let stock sit for at least an hour, two is better, and wipe all the BLO mixture off. (Danger--Rags soaked in BLO should then be soaked in water. When BLO dries it creates heat and a soaked rag can get hot enough to start a fire--). Let stock dry for at least 24 hours.

11. Brush on a coat of straight BLO. Again very heavy coat. Let sit for one or two hours and wipe off (this will become a habit).

12. At this point, determine if the color of the stock is about what you are looking for. You are going to darken it very slightly with additional coats of BLO, but you can fine tune it if you would like. The beauty of alcohol stain is that it will penetrate a BLO finish. So, if it's not brown enough or red enough, apply another coat of the required stain.

13. Apply another coat of BLO using your fingertips. Just dip your fingertips into the oil and rub it very briskly into the wood. A few drops is all you need. Allow to dry 24 hrs.. Refer back to step 12. Continue steps 12 and 13 until you get the stock just like you want it. You will want at least 4 coats of BLO.

14. Allow the final coat to dry for at least 24 hrs. Some folks will apply a coat of wax, some will rub with 0000 steel wool. I like to just rub the wood with my hands very briskly which because of the natural oil in my skin will smooth out any shiny/dull spots.

15. Once a year or so rub in another light coat of BLO with your fingertips.

That's all there is to it. It is actually very simple and you have complete control over the final color. Again, there are other ways, but for me this process has been foolproof.

daveboy