Buying a Mitchell Mauser from a buddy

[FailsafeOperator]

My issue isn't with the looks, just what will make the stock last. I've wondered why the stock was so light and now I know. It doesn't have a finish on the stock at all and seems to be sanded down. Thx for the reply's.

[Aragorn243]

Mitchel's refinishes, refurbishes, etc the rifles they sell. For the most part anyway. Some M48's came from Mithchel's that they didn't need to do anything to. They've been in storage until they got them

It makes them more appealing to the average person wanting something to shoot but harms the collector value.

Try applying the BLO and see what that does for the color. It should make it a bit darker. If it is not to your liking you can stain it. You can apply the BLO with your finger, takes about 20 minutes to rub down an entire stock. I do it all the time while watching TV in the evening. It will take quite a few applications. I've put on anywhere between half a dozen and twenty coats on my rifles, depends how dry they are and how they absorb the BLO. A walnut stock usually only needs a couple of applications, birch usually a lot more. If the stock looks "wet" between applications, just wait until it drys. When you first start, you can get one coat a day, sometimes two, then it starts tapering off to every few days and then a week or so. By then, it's probably done.