Please don't refinish the stock on the rifle. Doing so will destroy its value. I know its your rifle but it will be someone else's at some point.

 

Not if it goes in the ground with me...lol. Doubt there is going to be enough room for all my toys to go with me At the very least I need to clean it because it is grimy dirty. I guess I shouldn't have said refinished maybe.
I usually use Formsby refinisher to clean the gunk out of it then use a few coats of BLO to seal it back up finished by burnishing to get a dull sheen. That's the way my WWII weapons get cleaned, if that isn't advised let me know what would be the best way to bring it back

 

If you really must use "boiled" linseed, be sure to wipe off any excess before it dries on the surface. There's no more glaring sign of incompetent stock care than a surface coat of dried oil on a classic military stock. Better practice is to use RAW linseed oil, wipe away any that hasn't penetrated in 24-48 hours, and repeat as needed.

 

I used raw for around 20 yrs but about 20 yrs ago I started using the boiled because it seemed to penetrate easier and burnish better. Here are some Garands and Carbines I did yrs ago with blo..

 

Very nice. I would not do anything to it. Don't even clean the wood. The grime is part of its history.... JMHO.

 

Oops too late, I just came up from the shop so it got cleaned with denatured alcohol and 0000 steel wool. I only took the grime off and steamed a few dents out. It came back pretty well with only 2 coats of BLO hand rubbed in and lightly burnished. It bought out the character in the grain a tad.

 

Dadcpu,

Very Nice Swiss rifle. I have a few Swiss arms and my wife says too many, Whatever. I use boiled linseed oil on my military rifle stocks. I wipe off the excess oil after 8-12 hours and like the results. My rifle stocks dry gently near my living room wood stove. I assume you also put a coat of boiled linseed oil on the inside of the stocks.

Webley

 

Finding a magazine could be tough for that rifle. They are rare finds. There is one on Ebay now for $195. Probably not a bad price from what I've seen in the past.

 

Yeah I know, I have been looking and they are scarce but TBH I am way ahead since it was free

 

Thank you Sir, TBH I have never put a coat on the inside. I am going to put another coat on tomorrow and let it sit.

 

That looks like a real nice example.

$195 for a mag! Yikes that is a bit steep

2 years ago I posted a K 11 with a bubba special stock on the trader for $170 and all I got were tire kickers. The LGS sold it for $200 in a couple days, I always regret selling guns. The rifle was nice but I couldn't find a stock for a reasonable price.

 

I have nothing to add to what has already been written except to recommend the use of BRONZE wool rather than steel wool. Steel wool, especially the finer grades, tends to fragment in use, and to work its way into the grain of the wood where over time it gradually turns an unsightly black.

tac

 

My preference is to use white spirit on woodwork, to remove the crud and to finish use a non silicone burnishing wax, especially in the bed. Heavily oil impregnated stocks, wrap in butchers paper, place in a warm spot to soak up excess, then step 1.
Metal parts are soaked for several days in a trough with a mix of 4pts kero:1pt clean engine oil, gently use looped stainless steel scourer, keeping wet from the mix, and wet brass brush for difficult to get to parts - dry and wax, again heavily in the meets.

 

Thank you all for the excellent feedback, I greatly appreciate all of it! I have been working these rifles since I was 16-18 yrs old, used to have my C&R so I have seen some beauties and some absolutely nasty examples in my short time This rifle sat in a corner in the open for 18 yrs collecting dust and the pics don't really show just how dirty it was tbh. I also know that BLO darkens over time and in 5-10 yrs it will be very close to where I started patina wise. Most of the metal and bluing is in VG condition except the butt plate which has rust & pitting. Since most of the Swiss rifles did it will remain that way with a light brass/copper and CLP rubbing to knock down the rust and put some oil back on the metal. The rest of the rifle will get a light cleaning and oiling and that's about it save the bolt. I will tear it down and clean then re-oil and install. The bolt knob is cracked but because it doesn't affect operation and adds character it will remain as is.
I am not nor ever have been a purist when it comes to C&R weapons, dirty is dirty IMHO and it didn't leave the factory that way so finding a happy medium for me has always been my tack.
I have sold some rifles that were considered garbage when I got them for a very tidy profit after I reconditioned them and the folks who bought them walked away happy.

 

I will tear it down and clean then re-oil and install.

Swiss firearms are not oiled.

The Swiss invented their own style of 'waffenfett' sometime in the 19th century, and a good light grease is all that has been used since that time on all Schmidt-Rubins and the K31. Later semi-auto and full-auto firearms used the updated version called 'automatenfett' - black and gooey, and readily available on E*** as part of the StG57 cleaning kit for not very much money.

Many here use LubriPlate - I use Shakespeare spinning reel grease ever since I lucked into a fishing tackle firesale and bought a ten-pound tub for five bucks..

tac

 

C&R collectors don't all have the same expectations when it comes to the wood/metal condition in which milsurp weapons should be left. Logically, that wood/metal condition should approximate the condition which would have been required by the non-commissioned officers in charge of the weapons at the time of their last military use. I'm sure that maintenance standards varied among the different military outfits in the same army, much less different armies. It seems to me that these weapons ought to be maintained in collections as they were maintained in the barracks for which they were originally intended.

 

For your original question about magazines, my K11 and 96/11 magazines are not interchangeable. A lot of folks say they are but mine are off just a bit. One of them fits okay into the other rifle, but not vice-versa (I don't remember which one is the problem). Good luck with it. That is a beautiful stock for sure!

 

Well hell, I just bought this one that was mentioned earlier ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/SWISS-SCHM...9&pid=100033&rk=2&rkt=4&mehot=lo&sd=122852560478&_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042 I offered a little less so I hope it fits If not maybe return it, if so then $180 for a 1911 is a win win! Thanks again everyone for all of the comments, observations, advice and help with this. I cleaned and oiled all of the metal including the barrel which is bright and shiny with nice deep grooves. The bolt was easy to disassemble, clean and reassemble and is ready to go in once the stock is done. The butt plate got brass brushed with Hopps and cleaned up nice before oiling. I will post pics when it is finished.

 

Alright I think I can say this is clean enough without molesting it. The upper forearm seems a little looser now but all in all she cleaned up well.

 

I assume that you are choosing to ignore my post about not 'oiling' it?

Your gun [shrug].

tac

 

No I didn't ignore it, read it and understood it completely. I used Lubriplate on all of the moving parts i.e. bolt as you suggested but not on the swivels, rings or butt plate as they only needed a light coat then rubbed off excess anyway. I have been cleaning and in some case restoring old milsurps for 44 yrs and have my ways of doing it as everyone here does. I appreciate and evaluate every bit of input that is provided from everyone then apply what I have on hand (that is very close) or in some cases buy what is suggested. As I said above I am not a purist when it comes to every aspect of a weapons historic maintenance but will not do what I deem to be harmful IMO either. In this case it just got a minor cleaning and grease/oiling then reassembled

Update: Thanks for the tip on the StG57 kit. I just bought one on Ebay for less than $20 to have the correct grease, thanks!

 

Those Swiss cleaning kits are great. I bought several. Very nice cleaning rod with the soft brass connectors so the steel rod doesn't touch the bore. That grease is good stuff. Commercial cleaning brushes and such won't screw into the Swiss cleaning rod. Many years ago I found an adapter so commercial brushes could be screwed in the end of the rod. I don't know of they are available now though. Anyone know?

 

I just got one, very impressed! They say to heat water just about 83-85 degrees and place the grease bottles in it then stir once it is liquid again to get the consistency they originally came with. Anyone know if that is true?

 

If you are talking waffenfett (light brown grease) I think it would need to be warmer (unless you are talking Celcius) temps. At 83-85 where I live it would be almost liquid in summer and I have never seen it get thinner n the summer. I just use a nail to stir it up. I have had real old waffenfett that was almost died out on top, but when stirred became smoother.

For Automattenfett (black), I really do not know. All my small containers of automattenfett, the grease is stiffer than the waffenfett.

I do remember a caution on the Swissrifles SRDC forum that automattenfett should not be used on aluminum alloy firearms. Both the StG-57 and the StG-550 rifles were steel. However that was a few years ago and I am not sure if this is accurate. Our Swiss members may be more knowledgable about that.

 

...

I do remember a caution on the Swissrifles SRDC forum that automattenfett should not be used on aluminum alloy firearms. Both the StG-57 and the StG-550 rifles were steel. However that was a few years ago and I am not sure if this is accurate. Our Swiss members may be more knowledgable about that.

Depends on the alkalinity of the Automattenfett. Bore cleaners tend to be somewhat alkaline, i.e. in order to neutralize acidic residues that promote corrosion and pitting.

Strong alkalis "eat" aluminum. I have a Finn M28/30. This rifle copied the Swiss K11 in using an aluminum barrel sleeve at the muzzle end of the stock. My M28/30 does not have the sleeve any more. At some point it was arsenal reblued. When the barreled action was dunked in the caustic bath, the aluminum barrel sleeve disappeared.

 

The containers are marked AUTOMATENFETT GRAISSE ARMES AUT. and is dark grey or almost black. The rest of the kit is clean (including brushes) and in very good condition so great score. Thanks to tacfoley2 I got the correct grease for it

Hopefully the 1911 and K31 are steel parts...

 

That's like asking if there are any plastic parts in a Rolex.

tac

 

I crack myself up sometimes...lol, gotta have a sense of humor these days.

 

Very interesting. I always was curious how my 28/30 came to lose the sleeve. I thought a prior owner removed it, but the relieved area in the stock was filled with dried oil and grease or stock finish so it had been gone a long time.

 

If you don't have the K11 cleaning kit, I saw them for sale in Canada, Ebay,. Swiss Army Surplus Pistol/Rifle Cleaning Kit, $15.99 $12.53 carriage, We could get them in the UK, but they have all gone.

 

I actually found a good solution for removing the fragments of steel wool from the stock. I have a 2"x2"x1" neodymium magnet. I put it in a ziplock sandwich bag. I rub the whole stock with the magnet, and it pulls all the wool fragments out. Then, I open the bag and carefully turn it inside out. That puts all the fragments inside the bag, keeps the magnet clean, and then I can just throw the bag away. works great.

 

I bought a couple adapters for the Swiss cleaning kit so I could use commercial brushes. I think I got them from Cheaper Than Dirt many years ago. I bought a 1911 from Cabela's last winter. Really nice tiger wood.