[PandaSPUR]

The long wait/journey to even getting this thing is here: New member from NYC
Had to wait on NYPD to approve the M1A, then waited a year for a walnut version which never appeared. Bought the SAI M1A Loaded with synthetic stock and decided to restore a stock from Fred's.

My process at a high level:

1. Stripped multiple times with Citristrip
2. Tried to sand as much of the imperfections as I could, without messing up the lines.
   1. 100 grit, then 150, then 220
   2. followed this guide: Refinishing wooden stocks.
3. Slapped on Starbrite teak oil and wet sanded with 220 grit, repeat 3-4x. Sometimes drying for a few hours, sometimes overnight
   1. Followed the info here: Teak Oil Wet Sanding and Alcohol Dye Application
4. Eventually decided I wanted some shine to this, so I applied Tru-Oil. 3 coats.
5. Had to get the dummy selector switch and rod fitted. Switch bought from Sparrow Hawk before they closed up shop last month.
   1. Really thankful for Ted Brown's diagram here: Connector rod modification
   2. Ted's diagram was way more helpful than the actual instructions from the Sparrow Hawk site
   3. Fitting the switch was a bit more difficult, probably due to my stock. Ended up using 3 washers on one screw and none on the other (4 washers provided)
6. Added a Sadlak heavy duty steel rail on the front
   1. Easy drilling and fitting
   2. I bought the USGI Wood stock specific version, so no additional relief sanding needed on the inside of the stock. But I did need longer screws, the 3/8" length included wasnt enough, 1/2" or 3/4" both worked though.
7. Other parts on the gun:
   1. Sadlak Airborne scope mount
   2. Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x
   3. Atlas PSR BT46 bipod

Finally, heres a picture:

I have yet to go fire it, hopefully in the next few weekends I'll have some time.

Also, obviously i am VERY grateful for all the info on this forum.

 

[96coal449]

Beautiful stock and nice job you did on that labor of love.

 

[Bibby762]

Nice work! It’s a damn shame you can’t put something on the end of that barre…

 

[upintheholler]

Beautiful stock.

 

[Cold Smoke]

Man, if that’s your first one I don’t know if my heart can take numbers five and six. That’s a beauty!

 

[MildBill]

I understand the affliction of Refinish! I have done few grade stocks & one that I almost drove myself crazy with amount of shine vs sheen! lol Fine looker! congrats!!

 

[PandaSPUR]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

I might go back and refinish this again in the future, or try to keep an eye out for other nice stocks I can buy. My main gripes are the various deep dents and scratches on the stock that would require me to sand off waaay too much to get rid of. I dont baby any of my guns though, so maybe its better off that this one already has some battle scars that I can't get rid of.

On another note, this stock had "84" stenciled on the butt. Most of it was removed during refinishing, but since I tried to avoid sanding too much too close to the butt, some of it remains.
Here's a picture of it before refinishing:

I was thinking about restoring that, but at the same time it may look weird on a stock that is glossy. Any thoughts?

 

[Babo]

dang that looks so awesome!

 

[Den308]

Great Job!!!!

 

[jay304]

That stock looks amazing, job well done.

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

The refinishing job on the stock sends that rifle over the top!! You obviously have lots of patience.

I need to find a stock like that for one of my rifles....just because.

 

[mauserdad]

That is some pretty wood

 

[Eyeguy]

Very nice. Love the color.

If you want to remove deeper dings and scratches without deep sanding, try steaming. Start with a wet cloth, I’ve used wash cloths and shop rags, and lay it over the area to be addressed. Use a standard iron and introduce gear to the damaged area. Deeper gouges may require multiple treatments but most come out first time around.

 

[mauserdad]

I have seen wood like this on Finnish M39 rifles. Great job

 

[Dammit_Todd]

Wow, that is a beautiful stock!
Your work paid off, the stock came out great!

 

[Jonvp_76]

Looks great

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[Dammit_Todd]

PandaSPUR

Do you have pictures of the stock before you started on it?
Was it still in it's "as issued" military finish?
Was the tiger striping clearly evident?

 

[Flatfoot]

That is a beautiful stock.

 

[PandaSPUR]

The refinishing job on the stock sends that rifle over the top!! You obviously have lots of patience.

I need to find a stock like that for one of my rifles....just because.

Staying patient was probably one of the hardest parts of this haha.

Very nice. Love the color.

If you want to remove deeper dings and scratches without deep sanding, try steaming. Start with a wet cloth, I’ve used wash cloths and shop rags, and lay it over the area to be addressed. Use a standard iron and introduce gear to the damaged area. Deeper gouges may require multiple treatments but most come out first time around.

Ah I forgot to add that, I did steam the stock as well. Damp cloth + steam iron. It helped, but couldn't do much for deeper dings and scratches unfortunately.

PandaSPUR

Do you have pictures of the stock before you started on it?
Was it still in it's "as issued" military finish?
Was the tiger striping clearly evident?

Yea the striping was very evident. The whole stock was just overall darker and grimy before cleaning and refinishing. Here's a picture:

 

[mauserdad]

Stunning