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Old March 1, 2015, 02:30 PM   #1
britonleap
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Finish on XS Skeet

Hi, Everyone!

I recently got a Browning XS Skeet with a satin finish on the stock. I love the gun, but there are some small dings on the stock. Those aren't bad, but there's also a little deformation where the stock meets the butt-plate (it was shortened) that really needs a light sanding.

I have a short LOP so this actually gun fits me pretty close, after adding a Jones adjustable plate to it. (Using it to shoot trap!)

I'm not ready to completely refinish the stock. I'd like to make it a little nicer though. Can anyone confirm that this is a satin polyurethane finish? Such as a spar varnish?

I think I can lightly sand, add a drop to the dings, sand, wet sand and polish this back up, then satin it down with some 0000. But I'd sure like to hear from some of you who have worked with these.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Old March 1, 2015, 05:39 PM   #2
BigJimP
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Yes, the Citori XS Skeet ....has a varnish finish on it ( polyurethane is just another varnish ).../....just like there are a lot of different kinds of spar varnish .../ even "Watco's Danish Oil Finish" is actually a varnish - although people think its an oil finish ( its not ) its just a very thin wiping varnish...

There are subtle differences in all "varnish" finishes...but all true varnish finishes will build layers.../ I'd suggest you first test an area that won't show as much ....( like under the Jones pad on the butt end of the stock - where the gun, out of the factory, was typically not finished....or on the inside of the forearm.

But a good spar varnish would typically be a good choice.

Birchwood Casey's Tru Oil Finish ...( is actually a varnish as well ) -- no true Oil Finish will build layers.../ and there have been a couple of guys at my club that have used the Tru Oil Finish for a quick fix, on a scratched up finish during the season ---- before they wanted to really strip the finish and spend several weeks refinishing the gun. But ...clean the area appropriately before applying it....and test it first in a less visible spot.
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Old March 1, 2015, 05:56 PM   #3
britonleap
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Thanks, BigJimP!

Actually, I was hoping you would answer on this thread -- I have seen a number of posts where you helped people out with their Brownings. Thanks from all of us who have been lurking on the list over the years.

It was actually on your 'recommendation' that I bought the Jones adjustable butt plate for it - I have yet to shoot it with that though. It was in the process of mounting it that I decided to ask about the stock.

I am trying out the varnish, and will reply with my results, but so far I am hopeful. The only small issue I think is that the original is a satin, and you cannot really get a satin finish without a re-spray. You can fake it using 0000 or such, but that's not quite the same. Maybe there is a better way? If not, I may just buff it to a medium shine and be happy.

Next question, and this may seem dumb, or may have more than one answer:

I have shaped the butt plate mounting plate to the stock, naturally. But as it is 'adjustable' (and for me will ride maybe 1" low and toe-out) do you size the rest of the plate and pad to match? Is that just a matter of style? I have the mounting plate fitting perfectly, but decided to do just that as a start to see how hard it would be. So the second plate and Pachmyr pad are as yet un-sized.

Thanks for the continued advice!!!
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Old March 2, 2015, 11:40 AM   #4
BigJimP
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You're welcome....and thanks for your confidence.
---------------------------
I'm not quite sure what you're asking on the adjustable plate and pad...or I can't visualize it maybe..../ but in general, I would size the recoil pad to the 2nd plate...and not size that 2nd plate to the plate on the gun...

but I may be missing entirely what you're saying...
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Old March 3, 2015, 12:14 AM   #5
Dreaming100Straight
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I see what the Brit is asking. Briton, I also have an XS Skeet that I use for trap and skeet. I don't have an adjustable pad but have thought of getting one. This really caught my attention as my finish is looking pretty bad after three years. Possible due to the sun block I used.

To the pad. I think you are asking if it should look like this after all is ground and before adjusting it to fit.



I believe that is the way it is usually done (both the 1st, 2nd plate, and pad are sized to the stock), but if you have a particularly small or large mounting spot, or if you want to be able to move the pad a bit further in, out or down, you could not grind so much off. For instance, centering the pad lower and grinding less off the bottom of the adjustable pad, so as to leave a lip on the bottom of the stock, could give you an additional amount of drop equal to the width of that lip. Sorry if this isn't making sense.

This image from the same site may help.


Before fitting both the 1st plate, the mounting plate, and 2nd, the adjustable plate, both look to be overhanging the bottom of the stock. The size of the recoil pad would limit things if it is smaller than the overhang, but you could grind the outer plate and the pad so that they were flush with the top of comb at the heel but overhung the toe of the stock before dropping the pad down. If the overhang is 1/4" you should be able to achieve the same amount of additional drop if both the top and bottom of the second plate were flush with the first. Flush meaning ground at such an angle as to continue the lines of the stock.

If anyone is interested in how it is done in Essex look here.

Last edited by Dreaming100Straight; March 3, 2015 at 03:27 AM.
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Old March 3, 2015, 02:37 PM   #6
britonleap
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I am getting there.

The question was understood by BigJimP and Dreaming100Straight perfectly --
I began by shaping the attaching plate, and wondered what to do about the shape of the adjusting plate and pad.

BigJimP I think you're saying that the adjusting plate and pad should just match shape, and that's about it. They don't have to match the shape of the stock. I think there is some wisdom here because a larger surface area will diffuse the recoil better.

Dreaming100Straight you have provided a wonderful link, describing my situation quite well. My Jones setup will actually be quite similar to the drop and toe-out used in the photo. In that link, they have nicely shaped everything to the gun when the adjustment is 'zero' - the plates and pad are all shaped to the gun, then the offset is added. That was my original assumption, and then I brought that into question.

What I was wondering earlier is if one way was 'correct' or is it up to the gun owner? What I have decided is that if it works, it's correct. What I am going to do is get the plate and recoil pad mounted and go shoot it this Friday. That's the whole point anyway, right?

I ordered a Kick Eez pad (403) which is their slanted trap pad and it seems that Jones should mate to it without grinding. I am going to try this first. Then, depending how it fits me, I may grind it all down to match the stock as shown. While I do like to tinker, I really only do it to get a stable bit of kit that works for me. And we don't have a decent (or indecent for that matter) gunsmith around here who can do any work in under three months, so I'm going to learn to do it all myself.

As to the test of the first ding repair - The varnish drop worked. I put a drop where I wanted it with a q-tip, let it cure, then carefully sanded that spot; 220 grit until the old finish was touched, then wet 400. Just a touch into the old finish. A light buff, which added a bit of shine. Then 0000 knocked it back. And finally a pair of wife's pantyhose to pull it back. It is invisible.

I have some further dings to test, and I'm getting in some actual Tru Oil from Midway, as that seems the best recommendation. I want something thinner than what I used for the test ding. I'll see about getting photos and uploading, as that makes these posts so much nicer!

Glad to have the conversation!
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Old March 3, 2015, 05:00 PM   #7
Dreaming100Straight
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Sounds good. Since I have the same gun and it is in need of some stock refinishing, It would be great if you could post some before and after pictures of the stock refinishing as well as the pad adjuster.
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Old March 3, 2015, 05:14 PM   #8
BigJimP
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Glad to hear its all working out.

Yes, whatever you like in terms of the aesthetics of how that base pad looks...is really all that matters.

Patience is the key whenever you refinish a stock ...( the time it takes to build 5 or 6 layers of finish ) making sure you have a clean environment...so you don't get any debris trapped in the finish or a "fish eye" blemish or anything...is best carefully done over about 6 weeks.... and sometimes, I lack the patience....
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Old March 3, 2015, 07:29 PM   #9
FITASC
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Dreaming - next time after shooting, use some Murphy's Oil Soap to clean the sunscreen and crap off and then either Howard's or some other good wood finish oil to restore
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Old March 3, 2015, 11:14 PM   #10
Dreaming100Straight
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I will try that FITASC. I always have some Murphy's around. As for the finish, from what BJ says it isn't a true oil but varnish on a Citori. I really don't know the difference, but I do recall that the old gunsmith that cut the comb applied several layers of some kind of finish and BJ says a Varnish goes on in layers. Perhaps I shouldn't say BJ? Make all those BJ Pees, I mean BJP's.

Last edited by Dreaming100Straight; March 3, 2015 at 11:21 PM.
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Old March 4, 2015, 11:59 AM   #11
BigJimP
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I hope you get a nasty sunburn between your toes - in your flip flops-- dreaming.........
--------------
Oil finishes do not build layers....
Wax does not build layers....

You can put on 3 coats of oil ....and its still just one coat / it doesn't harden and build in volume like varnish. When you put a 2nd coat of wax or oil on wood...it dissolves the layer below it ...and when it dries, its one coat, it does not build layers or protection.

A lot of commercial products that say oil ..are really varnish / I consider them a thin wiping varnish ( like Watco's Danish Oil finish )...it builds very slowly / easy to use. Thicker varnishes ...like spar varnish..are usually more difficult to put on - but they build thicker layers of protection. As you put layers of varnish on...they do not melt the layers below it / so if you have a brush hair or something in layer 2 ...and you put a 3rd and 4th layer over it...you'll see that brush hair...and will have to sand it to get it out...and do layers 3 and 4 over again....
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