Educational Zone #26 - Great Firearms - Swiss K-31 Rifle - Page 1

I recently obtained my C&R License and have the "bug" bad.

One of the rifles I always wanted to try was the Swiss K-31, Straight-Pull Bolt Rifle.

I get a couple from AIM and they were just what I expected: Almost perfect steel and rough wood.

The bluing just took a little touch up. It came out just the way I wanted it to.

We used Birchwood-Casey Super Blue. It works great.

We've tried the regular Bluing, and been disappointed. Get the Super Blue.

Clean the part well, with either lighter fluid or carb cleaner. Then use a Q-tip to "pool" some bluing on the area. Kind of work in around on the spot until it get as dark as the surrounding area. Take your time.

Then, dry the area and wipe clean. Be sure to coat the area with a light oil. Practice on less conspicuous areas until you get good at it.

It's not as hard as some think it is.

This from Tman himself:
A number of "purists" seem to think you should never refinish you K31. Get a grip folks, it's a hundred dollar rifle with shooter, not collector value in this condition. We are really impressed with the way these rifles shoot but would like it to look nice also.

Most folks believe the original finish on the K31 is shellac with some stain added to the shellac. A very dated and ineffective finish. The condition of the wood on the K31 rifles demonstrates it does not hold up well or offer much protection to the wood.

The most popular top coats with refinishers of military rifles seem to be boiled linseed oil or tung oil. I have tried both with mixed results. Here is the Texas gulf coast, nothing seems to completly dry. These finishes look correct and are easy to repair but often remain gummy long after application. They don't offer the best level of protection available.

O_P and I are longtime woodworkers/furniture makers and have come to rely on poly coatings to seal and protect wood stocks. I like water based or alcohol based stains followed by Wipe on Min-Wax satin Poly applied in 3-4 thin coats and rubbed with steel wool between coats.

This gives a "military" look of low gloss that seals and protects the wood. The more you degloss, the more military it will look. I like something in between. Sometimes, like the stock above, I will use a Min-Wax oil stain as a top stain coat for the color I want. The options are unlimited, just where ever you taste takes you. Takes about two hours plus dry time in direct sun to do a stock like this using an orbital power sander.

Lots of ways to do this job, this is just where our experience over about 50 years has taken us.

For the job, I used a 5" power orbital sander with 120 and 220 grit discs and a deft touch. Careful to keep the original lines and don't make the metal "proud" to the wood. 5 minutes of hand sanding around the pistol grip and finger groves. I put that part in to rankle the "purists" a bit. I am sure they are writhing on the floor and foaming at the mouth when they read this. I would not use this technique on a pristine military select walnut stock, you tailor the technique to the job at hand.

Did I mention 50 years of experience practicing?

Wipe on satin poly need not look plastic. The key is thin coats and 0000 steel wool. It's all in what you like and what your objectives are.