Refinishing the Family Remington 514

George Hill · September 17, 2000, 02:24 PM

The beloved Remington 514 is in DIRE need of refinishing... Sights to Stocks and everything else.

What would be recomended to refinish the wood stock with?
What would be good for the Barrel and Reciever?

I've used the Birchwood Casey Blueing... and it does a good job for small jobs. Getting a smooth and consistant blueing on larger surfaces is beyond my skills.

JoeHatley · September 18, 2000, 08:42 AM

George,

I'll always have a soft spot for Remington's 514, it was my 1st "real" gun.

A few years ago I freshened mine up a bit. After 33+ years, it was showing it's age.

For the stock (birch?) I sanded off the old finish. Then I used a walnut stained filler to put on several coats. Sanding inbetween each, until the stock pores were filled and smooth. For a final finish I used Tru-Oil. Several light coats, again with light buffing inbetween with 0000 steel wool. A coat of stock wax finished up the wood part.

For the metal I was lucky. Mine was in pretty good shape. I used Brownells Oxpho-Blue it touch up the worn spots and then gave the entire piece an overall coat of Oxpho-blue to darken the original blue and even out the finish.

My front sight was bent, so I replaced it with a new gold bead version from Marbels. I also got one of their buckhorn rear sights. Makes a nice combination.

Over all it came out looking quite nice.

Good Luck with yours...

Joe

------------------
Go NRA

Alex Johnson · September 18, 2000, 03:42 PM

Don't bother using the touch up blues for large surface areas, their not made for that sort of job. If you want to do the job yourself I would recommend rust blueing, or Belgium blueing (quick version of rust blueing). Either of these will give a superior blue finish as long as the directions are followed religeously. You'll need the chemical, steel wool, degreaser, and a tank big enough to boil the action in during the blueing process. All of this can be bought cheaper than the cost of having the gun professionally reblued, especially if you don't pre-polish it yourself.

HankL · September 18, 2000, 07:57 PM

George, I don't know what to tell you. I had to go through a similar experiance on my family's Remington 511. The stock had a crack from the wrist to the front of the receiver that my dad or grand dad "fixed up" with some friction tape. This was my second firearm, my dad's first and somewhere in the middle of my Gramp's inventory.
What can I say, the friction tape over a period of only 30 or so years became brittle and fell off!!! Disaster, I pulled the stock back together with some glassed in brass pins, rubbed off the tape jiz with some fine steel wool and the rest of the stock a bit. I put a light coat of Tre Bien furniture wax on it an I am happy! The little band that was under the tape is still very pristeen due to the protection of the tape and the forearm still shows the wear from these mens hands over the years. Still have to lower the bolt slowly to keep her cocked but what the heck. BTW, that firearm sits right out on the rack not in blind storage.
George, I forgot to say. All I did for the blueing was to take a small bit of stainless steel fine well oiled and lightly go over the rough places.

[This message has been edited by HankL (edited September 18, 2000).]

George Stringer · September 19, 2000, 08:06 AM

George, I get a lot of restoration work. The older Remingtons like your 514, the 511 and 512 make up a large portion of this. I rust blue them. Alex mentioned doing this at home and you can. You do have to have a tank large enough to boil the parts. I'd recommend Pilkington's American Rust Blue for the job. As far as the stock goes, like the metal parts, surface preparation is the key to the finish. You need to decide on the finish you want to end up with. If you just want a decent finish then sand to about 320 or 400 grit and apply about 30 coats of Tru-Oil. I'd be happy to restore it for you if you like. Just e-mail me. George

September 17, 2000, 02:24 PM	#1
George Hill Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 14, 1998 Location: North Carolina Posts: 11,546	The beloved Remington 514 is in DIRE need of refinishing... Sights to Stocks and everything else. What would be recomended to refinish the wood stock with? What would be good for the Barrel and Reciever? I've used the Birchwood Casey Blueing... and it does a good job for small jobs. Getting a smooth and consistant blueing on larger surfaces is beyond my skills.

September 18, 2000, 08:42 AM	#2
JoeHatley Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 1999 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,135	George, I'll always have a soft spot for Remington's 514, it was my 1st "real" gun. A few years ago I freshened mine up a bit. After 33+ years, it was showing it's age. For the stock (birch?) I sanded off the old finish. Then I used a walnut stained filler to put on several coats. Sanding inbetween each, until the stock pores were filled and smooth. For a final finish I used Tru-Oil. Several light coats, again with light buffing inbetween with 0000 steel wool. A coat of stock wax finished up the wood part. For the metal I was lucky. Mine was in pretty good shape. I used Brownells Oxpho-Blue it touch up the worn spots and then gave the entire piece an overall coat of Oxpho-blue to darken the original blue and even out the finish. My front sight was bent, so I replaced it with a new gold bead version from Marbels. I also got one of their buckhorn rear sights. Makes a nice combination. Over all it came out looking quite nice. Good Luck with yours... Joe ------------------ Go NRA

September 18, 2000, 03:42 PM	#3
Alex Johnson Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2000 Location: Grand Forks, ND Posts: 812	Don't bother using the touch up blues for large surface areas, their not made for that sort of job. If you want to do the job yourself I would recommend rust blueing, or Belgium blueing (quick version of rust blueing). Either of these will give a superior blue finish as long as the directions are followed religeously. You'll need the chemical, steel wool, degreaser, and a tank big enough to boil the action in during the blueing process. All of this can be bought cheaper than the cost of having the gun professionally reblued, especially if you don't pre-polish it yourself.

September 18, 2000, 07:57 PM	#4
HankL Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: The Sunny South Posts: 2,174	George, I don't know what to tell you. I had to go through a similar experiance on my family's Remington 511. The stock had a crack from the wrist to the front of the receiver that my dad or grand dad "fixed up" with some friction tape. This was my second firearm, my dad's first and somewhere in the middle of my Gramp's inventory. What can I say, the friction tape over a period of only 30 or so years became brittle and fell off!!! Disaster, I pulled the stock back together with some glassed in brass pins, rubbed off the tape jiz with some fine steel wool and the rest of the stock a bit. I put a light coat of Tre Bien furniture wax on it an I am happy! The little band that was under the tape is still very pristeen due to the protection of the tape and the forearm still shows the wear from these mens hands over the years. Still have to lower the bolt slowly to keep her cocked but what the heck. BTW, that firearm sits right out on the rack not in blind storage. George, I forgot to say. All I did for the blueing was to take a small bit of stainless steel fine well oiled and lightly go over the rough places. [This message has been edited by HankL (edited September 18, 2000).]

September 19, 2000, 08:06 AM	#5
George Stringer Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 12, 1998 Location: Earlington KY Posts: 2,299	George, I get a lot of restoration work. The older Remingtons like your 514, the 511 and 512 make up a large portion of this. I rust blue them. Alex mentioned doing this at home and you can. You do have to have a tank large enough to boil the parts. I'd recommend Pilkington's American Rust Blue for the job. As far as the stock goes, like the metal parts, surface preparation is the key to the finish. You need to decide on the finish you want to end up with. If you just want a decent finish then sand to about 320 or 400 grit and apply about 30 coats of Tru-Oil. I'd be happy to restore it for you if you like. Just e-mail me. George