[Desparodo]

This is the birch stock that came on the Glenny mod 30 that looked like just plain ol birch. Been experimented with it wondering if I could make it look like something. well I succeeded in making it look like something but not walnut. Now do I refinish the forearm to match or what.

 

[Scorpiusb]

I like it... I'd do the forearm the same...

 

[bryanallen530]

Looks good. How did you get it looking like that?


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[kingstrider]

I would probably strip it and do it again without the stain.

 

[scorpio]

Refinish the forearm to look the same and call it a day. In the end, a stock is just a component of a tool. If it does the job, that's all you can ask of it. Now, if you want it to look pretty and have nice grain and whatnot, then by all means go ahead and spend a few hundred dollars dressing it up with American black walnut to improve it's aesthetics.

I do not judge a firearm on it's looks, I judge it on it's performance. I learned that lesson the hard way when this traditional blued steel and walnut man built a precision sub moa rifle out of aluminum, stainless steel and plastic.

 

[Desparodo]

Looks good. How did you get it looking like that.

First I stripped it, then brushed a heavy coat of red mahogany stain I've had sitting around for years. Once that dried good I lightly sanded and then lightly sprayed it with acrylic semi gloss black and wiped down with mineral spirits. To my surprise it has a sheen and slickness to it not needing a top coat of anything.

 

[Maineiac]

That is a cool looking finish. If you like it, then finish the forearm and be happy!

 

[marlinluvr]

I'd probably try to match up the forend and see what it turns out like!

 

[Grenadier]

It's birch and no matter what you do it will never look like walnut, just stained birch. But there's nothing wrong with birch. I don't think it looks bad at all. I agree with the others who say you should just get the forearm to match and be done.

 

[Wulfheard]

It certainly looks different and a lot better than that factory orange/brown shellac you usually find on marlin birch stocks.

You've already invested the time and effort of half the job, you might as well try to get the forearm to match.

 

[jwleeper]

I have seen a lot worse on new rifles. Nice job, do the fore end and have a good looking rifle.
Have a great day.
Jim

 

[Marlinjunkie]

What the others said. Forearm too. Looks great!

 

[northmn]

This is a birch stock. I know for sure because I cut it and split it out of the base of a large birch tree. In Europe they call it fire birch and it is prized. If you look at the fore stock it is very plain as typical of birch. If I could get wood like that for a lever it would be acceptable. I almost cut dirt to get the very base of the tree. And the figure does not go up much at all. White wood like this is generally pretty bland as the grain does not show the same variations of color as some of the darker woods. No matter how much you stain it, you do not get the color variation of walnut. It still has some attraction. Original fine muzzle loaders were built out of curly maple. Walnut was for military weapons and tobacco sheds. I would use curly maple for a stock also, but not blonde like some modern manufacturers build them. It does yellow over time.

My own recommendations for those that do not like the "birch" stocks on Glenfields is to sell them off and get an older Marlin with walnut and modify the Marlin. It would likely be less expensive and easier.

DEP

 

[Bapak2ja]

I like the new look. It may not look original, but I can't tell birch from walnut anyway. Fix it the way you like and run with it. When you get bored with it, paint black just to anger the libs about another black rifle they fear will leap off the wall and shoot someone because it is evil.

Bottom line: Nice work. Looks good, unique. Match the forend and go poke some holes in paper plates ring some steel, take a couple boars, a few white tails, and an elk if you can find one. Happy hunting!

 

[Cascade Jinx]

Birch stocks are not pretty, but dang they are strong. Birch is known for it's strength and it was used as stocks in a lot of mass produced military arms in the past.

That being said I did swap out my Glenfield 30s birch stocks for some walnut furniture! :burnout:

 

[hogbear]

As others have said, that is a birch stock. What you have done looks better than the original. I refinished a Marlin / Glenfield with a similar stock. I used a mixture of walnut and maple stains. When I stripped and sanded the stock I found some attractive wood grain. When I stripped and sanded the forearm I had a pure white piece of wood with no contrasting grain structure. It almost looked like a piece of holly. That forearm took about eight more coats of stain to begin to match the stock. End result was a fairly nice looking stock set on a rifle that will be carried and shot a lot.

 

[shawlerbrook]

Looks good to me. Match the forearm and enjoy. I think you squeezed all the good looks possible out of that birch furniture

 

[Tomray]

Sorry, (you asked) but I don't like it..............it screams "refinished"...............

If it were mine, I'd go find some Dark Earth or Dark Grey colored spray bed liner, and spray it.................Yes, that'd be a one way street, but I think either would look better.

Birch is a pretty hard wood, and it doesn't like to take a stain evenly............

Oh,........I once produced a lot of 336's and 22 Bolt Actions with Blaze Orange stocks and non-functional firing pins for the American Hunter Education classes, but that's another story.........

Tom

 

[scorpio]

First I stripped it, then brushed a heavy coat of red mahogany stain I've had sitting around for years.

Okay, I changed my mind. You provided new information that changed it. Stain is only good for about a year after it's been opened and up to two if unopened, and it's kept in a cool place that does not reach freezing temps. I was wondering about the uneven staining and I think that the stain has been sitting around for years accounts for that.

I can't explain all the science behind it, but basically, the ingredients degrade over time and the solvents that hold the stain in solution break down. Birch is a very tight fine grained wood and it should take stain fairly evenly since there are not a lot of variation in the grain. The mottled appearance of your stain job, I think, is because the stain was old.

Reason #2, mahogany would not be my first choice of stain. If you like mahogany, than that's fine, but it's not a traditional gunstock wood so there's that.

With this new info, I'd strip it again and use a new can of stain. You have to be patient with stain, especially with dense woods that take a while to drink it up. I think if you redo it, in walnut, or whatever you like, you will get a result you'd be more satisfied with.

 

[1895LeverFan]

I like it! Looks really nice IMHO! Go for the forarm!