Advice with shotgun

ChrisBarrett7

I'm going buying a second hand 12 gauge shotgun (Think its a Baikal M18 not sure though) I'm 16 and this will be my first gun so I really want to keep it in good shape for as long as possible. The wood isn't in the best shape and I was wondering how do I go about giving it a nice finish? Will I just sand it then varnish?
Thanks in advance!

One shot on kill

Welcome to the asylum first of all.

Baikel is a great starter gun. I had one for years and loved it with absolutely no trouble with it.

I wouldn't rush into doing it up for a while. Because stupid things will happen when your learning and out and about.

But obviously the stock would have to be removed. Stripped back till the marks are gone out of it.if its a stained finish this might cause a problem or two as it will be very hard to get it back to a raw state. If you can give it a quick di nibbing with maybe a 240 grit paper or higher. And re finish it with a lacquer o oil.

Although be carfu taking advice off someone that actually hasn't seen it. Especially with finishing as reactions are very easy to cause.

Boiled-egg

One shot on kill wrote: »

Welcome to the asylum first of all.

Baikel is a great starter gun. I had one for years and loved it with absolutely no trouble with it.

I wouldn't rush into doing it up for a while. Because stupid things will happen when your learning and out and about.

But obviously the stock would have to be removed. Stripped back till the marks are gone out of it.if its a stained finish this might cause a problem or two as it will be very hard to get it back to a raw state. If you can give it a quick di nibbing with maybe a 240 grit paper or higher. And re finish it with a lacquer o oil.

Although be carfu taking advice off someone that actually hasn't seen it. Especially with finishing as reactions are very easy to cause.

A1 on the above comments. Definitely wait a while. Do a bit of research, YouTube is an excellent resource.

Snakezilla

I agree with the previous posts, spot on.
You're going to be out with it a lot until the novelty wares off (may take a while ) and its bound to pick up a good few knocks and scrapes. If I were you Id leave it as is for a while, go out and do plenty of shooting with it and then when you feel like you wont be using it as much or for a while, look into getting one of the birchwood casey kits. Theres a lot of work involved to strip the stock down and get it looking right. You're going to need a lot of elbow grease but the kits work a treat if you do it right.

And welcome to the sport

ChrisBarrett7

Thanks for the help lads much appreciated! I'll take the advice and wait awhile. Need to get the gun first though, still waiting on the licence!

FISMA

ChrisBarrett7 wrote: »

I'm going buying a second hand 12 gauge shotgun (Think its a Baikal M18 not sure though) I'm 16 and this will be my first gun so I really want to keep it in good shape for as long as possible. The wood isn't in the best shape and I was wondering how do I go about giving it a nice finish? Will I just sand it then varnish?
Thanks in advance!

ChrisBarrett7,
I would wait before refinishing. Have a look at other firearms and determine what finish you like. Finish accordingly.

A lot of people like the super high gloss - clear coat found on many Italian autos. I personally do not. Some of these stocks are so shiny, they do not look or feel like wood any more, but plastic.

I prefer a stock that has been sanded and then hand rubbed with oil, no clear coat or varnish whatsoever. To me, there is a classic look and feel to it. To each his own.

Whatever you do, be careful on the checkering. Getting the checkering right is an art itself.

Again, get out there and shoot. After you have been across a few ditches and in and out of the bog, you may just grow to appreciate a few battle-scars or at the very least, not worry too much about them.

ChrisBarrett7

FISMA wrote: »

ChrisBarrett7,
I would wait before refinishing. Have a look at other firearms and determine what finish you like. Finish accordingly.

A lot of people like the super high gloss - clear coat found on many Italian autos. I personally do not. Some of these stocks are so shiny, they do not look or feel like wood any more, but plastic.

I prefer a stock that has been sanded and then hand rubbed with oil, no clear coat or varnish whatsoever. To me, there is a classic look and feel to it. To each his own.

Whatever you do, be careful on the checkering. Getting the checkering right is an art itself.

Again, get out there and shoot. After you have been across a few ditches and in and out of the bog, you may just grow to appreciate a few battle-scars or at the very least, not worry too much about them.

Yeah I think il wait another while yet cheers Had a look at the gun the last day (Shooting grounds are holding it until I get my licence) and the wood isnt in that rough a condition after all. Thought it was a different gun haha!

ChrisBarrett7

Seen the same gun online only with a synthetic finish, thought it was really cool! Is there anyway I could go about converting mine from wood to synthetic?