1933 SA 1903

[browningautorifle]

Yup, looks very hopeful. I had no doubts this would turn out good.

[mrandig]

So today is cleaning day. Actually it's cleaning the stock day, and it's putting the first coat of oil on the handguard day.

For this project, I'm not trying to strip, only deep clean. Required supplies are below:

1. Wife's good towels
2. Kitchen counter
3. Water pitcher for measuring (4qts = 1 gallon).
4. Murphy's Oil Soap
5. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
6. Sponge
7. Measuring cup (1/4 cup size)
8. Toothbrush
9. GSD

The mix here is 1 gallon hot water (2 pitchers) to 1/4 cup Murphy's. Add water to sink, add Murphy's and mix until its a bubbly gun bath.

Attachment 112627Attachment 112628Attachment 112629Attachment 112630

I keep the GSD with me, so nobody tries to sneak up behind me to do dishes while I'm cleaning my guns.

[mrandig]

Cleaning is pretty straightforward. You clean - up, down, right, left. No particular technique needed. I use a toothbrush for the nooks and crannies.

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Once done, it almost looks more like a new reproduction than an original 30's rifle. Years of grime, gunk and other stuff has been removed, but it's not cleaned so deep that it's 85 years of history is gone. Completely stripped stocks never look right afterwards, IMHO.

I'm going to put some BLO on this stock later, but I'm going to let it dry for a day or so before then.

[mrandig]

It's probably not clear in the photos, but I did hit my first snag during the cleaning process.

Attachment 112635

How and why this was put in so deep is a mystery to me. I didn't want to get so aggressive with it that I damage the buttplate, but this screw is STUCK. I'll have to scratch my head for awhile and figure out how to get this out. All things considered, I don't really have a need to take it out (the cleaning is already done), so I may just leave it.

[mrandig]

For the new handguard, I'm going to use Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) to finish.

If you've never bought BLO before, 1 gallon of the stuff lasts about 3 family generations. The amount you need to complete one rifle is pretty small, so just a quart will probably last a few years. This is Klean Strip brand, again just what they had at the store at the time I bought it.

Attachment 112659

[mrandig]

Oiling the handguard will take several coats; today will be the first one. I'll probably repeat at least three times, until I'm happy with the way it looks.

Required supplies:

1. Fingers
2. Aluminum foil
3. Tape
4. Plastic cup
5. #0000 Steel Wool
6. New handguard

Attachment 112660

Why did I feel it necessary to point out that I needed fingers? Why not point out also that I need feet to stand on or eyes to see with? The reason being, we will be hand rubbing the oil into the wood from this point.

[mrandig]

The aluminum foil is actually so I don't get oil (any more oil) soaked into my workbench.

Attachment 112661

[mrandig]

The BLO gets rubbed into the wood by hand, then I'm going to use the #0000 steel wool to get the oil in deep into the grain. Use small circular motions for the best results.

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No, I'm not wearing gloves. Thanks for asking. BLO isn't toxic. I'm not wearing a COVID mask either.

The final pic is the handguard covered with oil. I'll come back in about 30 minutes and wipe off the excess, and we'll see what it looks like then. This first coat goes on pretty heavy and gets rubbed in with steel wool, any coats after this will be light.

[mrandig]

A wipe down to remove any excess, and it's done for today. If this coat is left on too heavy, it will become sticky, and instead of drying in 24hrs, it will be more like 24 days.

Looks good. I'll put on a second coat tomorrow. That's about all i can do for the stock and forend right now.

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[mrandig]

You need the 1903 leaf sight (I have two for sale on another forum)

Stock has a rebuild stamp.

If the bore is nice it is worth restoration with a NS bolt and stock, pre WW2 handguard tooAttachment 112129

I still need to pick up a rear leaf sight, but I've come across two different options. Here's a quick question for the experts - for a 1933, should the elevation screw be a solid button type or curved?