What do you use?

[mattakinbimwalker]

I collect k98s and polish mausers. DO NOT MESS WITH THE WOOD ON A SURPLUS GUN! You will end up messing something up. I see where people screw up 2000 dollar guns every day. Most high dollar collectors want rifles with wood untouched. The minute you start putting tons of crap on the woods is the minute you start to mess with the collectability of the rifle. More guns have been screwed up by people cleaning them than just leaving them alone!!! Trust me on this.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

I wouldn't bend my brow too much over this if I were you....it was a $200 Enfield for a reason when I bought it. Nothing special about it, it was beat all to hell and since it was a late post war production I'm confident all of the "war wounds" came from bubba, pawpaw and scooter dragging it around. The only thing astounding about this rifle as of now is the fact it wasn't chopped up to make a "deer slayer". If anything I'm preserving this rifle....

 

[woodstock]

Pics!

 

[Flammenwerfer]

The wood is still air drying from the first cleaning last night. I just left it out and alone rather than taking a chance in warping the wood in front of a heater

 

[woodstock]

making good progress

 

[Flammenwerfer]

This is what the wood looked like when I started, the hand guards were a bit darker, almost black. There will be two or more thorough cleanings before I start the refin

 

[mattakinbimwalker]

All I will say is a lot of people "think" they have a beat up old mauser worth $200 only to realize later it was a 2k plus gun. My rule of thumb for anyone collecting surplus is leave things alone and make sure you know what you have.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

All I will say is a lot of people "think" they have a beat up old mauser worth $200 only to realize later it was a 2k plus gun. My rule of thumb for anyone collecting surplus is leave things alone and make sure you know what you have.

All I will say is I've been collecting long enough to know the difference. Contrary to what some think, just because it's a rifle that isn't made anymore doesn't mean the value "automagically" goes up. The key is to know the difference, that sure helps from getting your panties in a wad.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

I spoke to a gentleman earlier who voiced his concerns, in a polite manner, about refinishing military surplus rifles. To clear the air, this particular Enfield was pieced together in the late 90's by a less than lovely family in Rabun county. My comments about bubba, scooter and pawpaw weren't far off. So I paid $200 for it at their barn sale.....yep barn sale. It was put together from three of their other broken rifles in a attempt to make one serviceable firearm. The sights were marred, barrel rings bent, safety missing and mag release broken in addition to the stock being pieced together as a amalgamation of all of them.

In short.....If it would have been able to "SAVED" I would have done so. As of now the rifle can be made into a nice, clean shooter that is surplus-esque.

I don't have a problem messing with run of the mill 91/30's if you check the stamps first but I'm typical not into ruining collector rifles


I would like to reiterate that it was a calm discussion of differences of opinions. That's one of the reasons I love this site. For the most part people can maintain a calm dialect to voice their genuine concerns. In the end he was just looking out for my best interests.

 

[tywest]

You know what works really good for me? Mineral spirit baths between strip-x cleaning and heat gun use. The only problem is the black spots.....just wont help the mildew/rot spots