CZ rifle wood choices

Couldnt be better in some cases and I happened to have gotten very lucky for once.
I bought a 457 a few years back, a 22wmr Varmint model (in retrospect I wish I had bought the American model) that has turned out to be an extremely accurate sample. Had I bought an American model it may have precluded me getting this beautiful Turkish Walnut stock.
Of course I immediately saw through the copious amounts of staing and finish they used to obscure this stunning grain. Ive seen it before, many people have bought various cz rifles with beautiful wood and the same dark stain on it. I dont get it.
Anywho, I had always wanted to strip and refinish the stock but was reluctant to do so due to fear of either making a mess of it or just totally ruining it. Got a wild hair one day and decided to go for it.
So.....
I grabbed a bottle of the what I felt was the least toxic stripper, Citristrip, and got set up. Im sure the stuff is pretty nasty too but its what I had.
I stripped to gun down to a bare stock and arranged a cradle set-up and put it in the vice. I put a heavy, heavy coat of the goo on it and wrapped it up with plastic wrap to sit overnight. I came out the next evening and the results were pretty shocking. The finish, and more shocking the stain had more or less separated from the wood so all I had to do was wipe it ALL off with a cloth. I used a soft bristle brush in the stippled areas and then went back with some acetone soaked rags and was rewarded with a beautifully bare stock. Of course I had to use some small picks and scrapers in the inletted areas and scrub with acetone. Total actual "work" was probably about 3 hours. Crazy. Youll note that I didnt mention sandpaper one time and thats because I didnt use any on this stock. I apply my finish one of those white scotchbrite pads that have no abrasive properties really, theyre more of a burnishing material in my view and the final coats are applied with a cotton pad made from flannel.
I wiped it down a few more times with acetone and hung it up to dry for about a week.

Finally I began putting my finish back on. My blend, that Ive used on so many different types of projects over a bunch of years, is pure linseed oil, pure tung oil, a very high grade of purified beeswax , pine rosin all thinned with a citrus solvent. Of course the first few coats are more thinned than the rest and this stuff creeps like Kroil. Ive seen it creep about 8" into endgrain. The remaining 10 applications were blended in increasing viscosity and the final coat is thick enough to hang on a stick, upside down indefinitely due to the increasing amounts of that beeswax. Fantastic stuff. Ive found nothing better for so many different types of projects. Ive even used it on my wooden boats that live outside and/or on the water. Once it "cures" and hardens it buffs out to a beautiful low to medium sheen and just has a real nice glow to it.
I was so happy that the thing turned out nice and I hope you folks enjoy the pics. Sorry but I could take a picture of a pile of gold bars and make them look bad but these are the best I could do.

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Nice job and thanks for sharing! You've now inspired me to do mine, which looks utterly blah because the factory put so much gel stain on the stock, it looks like a cheap piece of dingy brown Chinese mystery wood, rather than Turkish walnut.

Thank you sir. Can we see a pic of your rifle?
That citristrip stuff really did work well. Like I said if you really put it on thick and wrap it with the saranwrap Im confident youll have an easy time with it. It really just slid right off.

WOW, Bill. Well done. That’s gorgeous.

That whole region over there seems to take beautiful wood and booger it up. Zastava is another company. They were an inexpensive gun with beautiful wood if you wanted to do the work. But the secret is out on the “mini Mausers”. They are no long found cheap.

That's really beautiful grain, Bill. Gorgeous! I have a 452 Mannlicher which I had professionally refinished and it looks nowhere near as good.

Onomea said:

That's really beautiful grain, Bill. Gorgeous! I have a 452 Mannlicher which I had professionally refinished and it looks nowhere near as good.

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Wow! Thank you.

Simply fantastic! Can't beat figured walnut/wood on a gun. Sure more expensive and harder to come by these days.

Nicely done!
I've contemplated stripping and refinishing my CZ rimfires. Your results have re-kindled my interest!

WYT-P
Skyhunter

Skyhunter, I say just jump in, thats what I did, after about 2 or 3 years of fretting over it. ��

Beautiful! I love a nice piece of walnut!

You inspired me to do my two 457s. A Scout and Varmint. Started stripping last night. It’s going to be a chore!

Outstanding!
What are the mix ratios of your customized stain, if you care to divulge?
I have 3 CZ’s that might respond well to some special treatment.

Before and after of my Varmint and Scout. The Scout didn’t change much and my Varmint wood isn’t as nice as yours. I am still happy with the results.

When I first bought a primum 22 in the early 90's, I bought a Kimber of Oregan Varmint that was #33 of 500, then a second 500, then a third 500! The they moved to New York, My brother has one of the same from there. I guess a Limited Edition means that it's limited to as long as it's a money maker. BTW, Mine will outshoot my brother's with the same ammo, but he won't spring for the Eley!

When I set the gun up originally, I put a Leupold Very-X 2-7x30 Rimfire Special on it. I was about 38. By the time I was 50, I changed that out for a 4-14.5x40mm with adjustable objective. Getting older has its aches and pains, but seems to be more expensive too! Fortunately I stocked up on about 3500 rounds of the ammo it likes before the price skyrocketed!

Ivan

I don't know what percentages of the mixture BillBro uses for his refinish and it really does look expensive, but my mixture is found below. I have used it on cheap scrap wood picked up at a build site, and on some very expensive Walnut, Mahogany, even on some Ebony. The results are usually the same, a fine finish which speaks of quality and craftsmanship.

Finishes and percentages of finish to thinner. My finish of choice is linseed oil. My thinner of choice is turpentine. When I refinish a stock, regardless of the nature of the wood, I start with a split of 25/75. Five coats of 25% linseed oil, 75% turpentine. Next, I put on 5 coats of 50% turpentine and 50% linseed oil. Followed by 5 coats of 75% linseed oil, and 25% turpentine. The last 5 coats are pure linseed oil. Yes, 20 total coats of finish. It takes weeks but when done the wood glows. There are hours of rubbing the oils into the wood before, during, and following drying.

If you can resist the temptation to rush the drying process when completed, you have a finish much like a Parker shotgun. It can take several days for the final coats of linseed oil to dry.

Llance

OP, very nice wood on that one. Good job. I have a 1999 Classic 452 before they started putting the muddy finish. It's a keeper.

Some mouth watering wood there guys! Guns you can treasure. Wood like that nowadays can cost a pretty penny

Sort of an old thread now but I see Ive neglected some of the questions some folks asked. I just returned from the range to a heapin helpin of things my wife wants of me but when done Im going to post some pics of my finish products and how I use them. I think if some of you tried them you would really appreciate them for their ease and rapidity of use and cure.