[hawaiian]

HI

1 year ago when my grandfather died , i opened his wardrobe and Oh my god i found his ALL matching Byf 41[same year the germans invaded Greece] except for the bolt which was replaced with a straight one [dont know the exact history] . Being a noob . i was looking in the original allmost black ,aged stock and i thought that i had to sand it! , i was warned by many that i will regret it , but i continued on my foolish idea . the time has come ,i have regretted it and cant stop cursing myself.

now i luckily have found an all matching waA 655 bolt ,and im wondering if there is a way to bring back the stock....[except for waiting 50 years].

here is the beautiful untouched rifle..

before..

After...

pls help me i want to suicide.[not so much but bad]

thanx

 

[RetVet]

Can't turn back the clock, so take it as a lesson learned and enjoy the rifle.

 

[hawaiian]

should i buy a replacement ??

 

[chasdev]

If the serial numbers match the receiver, you have to keep them together.
Besides, I've seen worse...

 

[solman]

yep. its ok. id try and get the 'sheen' off it, maybe darken it a bit. just slowly rub blo or somthing in it. it aint that bad man. nice rifle.

 

[Kursk]

well, you could always take the stock off and throw it in a pile of oily dirt(used oil that is).
it is still a nice rifle and don't kick yerself too hard. don't you think you should feel lucky to even have it?

 

[wikinger59]

I think you did a good job on the stock. IMHO. I don't think you should be too upset. Looks good. The color and grain looks alot like my untouched 1939 "27". At least you didn't drill and tap the receiver. Just shoot the rifle and enjoy it.

 

[hawaiian]

thank you all for your replies , the fact is that im satisfied with the result allthough i now like the old more.. it was my first attempt on a firearm !

yes the serial matches the receiver.

can you suggest a way to darken a bit the wood ??

it has 4 coats of Tung oil.

a stain????

 

[xk319]

I wish I hadn't clicked on this thread

 

[hawaiian]

have you done the same ???

 

[Bob in OHIO]

Oops... the penalty for sanding is having your right hand chopped off. It is what it is. At least the bolt didn't match or you'd lose both hands. Shoot it, enjoy it, but do take off that repop sling...

 

[hawaiian]

yes im planning to get an original sling ..

allthought the repro price is good its very ugly.

any suggestions on how to darken the wood a bit??

thanx

 

[chasdev]

Stop trying to "improve" the look of the wood.
It is what is is.
Any staining or color added will further degrade it.
If it had been an all matched piece in mint condition, you would have been called upon to take a swan dive in the nearest volcanic flow, but it was a bolt mismatched, stained stock to begin with, so just enjoy the rifle for what it is NOW and stop tinkering.
How is the supply of Arisaka's and other Nippon issued gear on the Islands, BTW?

 

[hawaiian]

the wood was not stained!

that rifle passed from the hands of a german soldier to the hands of my grandfather!!

maybe the original bolt was broken i dont really know about it.....

i dont understand what you mean '' on the islands''

dont tell that you think im from Hawaii ...lol

its just a Nickname ,i live in Greece....

 

[chasdev]

Okay change that to drown in a vat of ozuo(sp)?
It WAS stained by somebody, they looked like fresh Beech plywood when new.
Many were stained during manufacture and further darkened by the soldier who did not want his arse shot off by being seen carrying a bright yellow rifle in the deep dark woods.

 

[touhy]

well you can probably get a job at Mitchell's

 

[hawaiian]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


id better take that bath in lava.

that really hurt

 

[hawaiian]

as i was checking my grandfathers ammo crate , i ve found a round that is different than the ordinary have [dont know what they are,probably greek ,brass with silver tip ,no markings]

that round had some markings as , S* , P 131 [i think ] and a number 18 or 28 or 38 i cant remember.

does anyone know what is it ???

thanx

 

[Garand1957]

If the Tung Oil you used is a commercial brand like Formbys it is really a varnish with not a lot of pure Tung Oil. Once applied it seals the wood and will not let much else in like another wood oil , stain or wood dye. You would have to strip off the Tung Oil varnish before you could do anything else. I say stop now and leave well enough alone. Boiled Linnseed oil would have been a better choice for a military stock. Nice rifle by the way !! How does it shoot ?

 

[hawaiian]

its ok ill leave it as it is.

It has a good bore with strong rifling, i think that it hasnt fired many many rounds.

i have only shot 20 rounds on a target at 100m the grouping is arround 3 inches standing