I have a BAR in .270 my grandfather gave me and I want to refinish the stock. Not too much wrong with its finish it just looks way too glossy. I don't think its laminated but it really looks bad, almost fake to me. Does anyone think this would be possible if done properly? I added some stain to the inside part of the butt stock to see and it looks like the wood could possibly look good. I am just not certain if it is laminated or if it has a special finish. Its a 1989 model probably a basic one as there are no special engravings. My main concern would be stripping it and having it look like garbage.
The one where I stained the inside... Just look at the middle right part where I sanded. Obviously the original finish may look nice with minor dings from light use, I just want to know if I could give it a better looking finish than what its got. I prefer a darker color wood with a less plastic looking finish
My only concern is if its laminated. I think it has a like polyurethane finish on it and its just stained wood but idk for sure with how plastic feeling it is. But there is clearly hardwood underneath.
It definitely does not appear to be laminated wood. Laminated is a ply, like a lot of the new Remington 870's have. Easiest tell-tale is the end grain. If it were laminated wood, the end grain would be straight, and you would have "topographical" laminate lines on the sides of the stocks. I can all but assure that it is solid stock. The clear can be chemically stripped, but be warned that cleaning out the checkering will likely be a pain in the butt. The finish would most likely be urethane- even with today's waterborn products, urethanes are still widely used in most industries. Back in 1989, it would most assuredly be urethane. Also note that if you chemically strip the clear, you will also be chemically stripping the stain, as well. Incidentally, the reason the finish feels fake is because it is so slick. When you clear coat wood with several coats, you lose the feel of the grain as you obtain that smooth, glossy finish. Personally, I wouldn't touch it, but that is just my $0.02.
