Removing gummy coating on Sako A7 synthetic stock?

[NWPilgrim]

Well this really sucks. My favorite rifle, a Sako A7 in .30-06 has a synthetic stock that fits me perfectly. When new it had a slightly soft feel to it but seemed very high quality compared to many off the shelf synthetics.

Sadly of late the stock has developed a sticky, gummy coating that has gotten so bad I can’t really use the rifle any more. It is not a very common model so it is not well supported in the aftermarket.

Is there any remedy for this? I have not tried any chemicals yet as I didn’t want to make it worse. I have shotguns and Rugers with synthetics as old or older and felt cheaper than my A7 that have not developed any stickiness at all.

And if it needs replacement, any suggestions who would make one for the A7?

Thanks guys, this is killing me to not be able to enjoy this fine rifle.

[tangolima]

I bought an used car with similar problem on the steering wheel. Here is how I fixed it.

Clean the slime off the surface best as I could with denatured alcohol. Had to do it multiple times.

Apply coats of shellac to the surface till it seals the surface. Probably 5 to 8 coats.

The fix stayed good for years. I planned to reapply the shellac if it became slimy again. Didn't have to.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[44 AMP]

Clearcoat (spray) Dullcote, or Gloss, or semi gloss, lacquer or enamel, your choice. Spray the stock, let it cure, completely. Will remove the "sticky feel" and last quite a while, and if it doesn't, its easy, simple, and cheap to reapply.

[jmr40]

Contact Sako. I don't think they make that rifle any longer, but they may have some stocks available for them. I'd think this should be a warranty issue.

I've never experienced this on a rifle stock and until I could see and actually touch it I don't know what I'd do. I've painted quite a few stocks over the years and my 1st reaction is to recommend that. But you may need to get it cleaned up 1st.

Good luck.

[gwpercle]

Try cleaning the stock with a few products to see what will remove the "sticky" ...
Try a spot with alcohol , if that doesn't work try mineral spirits ... if that doesn't work try Lacquer Thinner (fingernail polish remover) ... as a last resort ...and be careful with this ...
Acetone ... usually acetone will remove just about anything but can soften (dissolve ) plastic ... so be careful with acetone .

Hope you get it clean ... perfect fitting stocks only come around once in a lifetime ...
when they are gone , you can never find another that's Perfect !
Gary

[NWPilgrim]

Thanks guys those are some good ideas. I’ll try them on a small spot underneath.

I bought this when I was looking for a Win Featherweight. Found it on the Cabellas clearance rack for $100 less than the Tikka T3. Normally almost twice the T3. When I mounted it to my shoulder I was sold. Great trigger and barrel. Hopefully one of these suggestions restores it. Plus, it’s the only rifle that makes me feel like a splurging tycoon when I buy a magazine for it! Not as bad as the Sako 85.

[jetinteriorguy]

There’s a citrus based product called Goof Off that usually is good at cleaning this type of issue up. Often the cause of this is someone using some type of solvent to clean the stock in the past. I’ve had this happen with steering wheels in cars. Goof Off is designed for cleaning accidental spots of paint that may get splattered when painting a house and cleans well while being gentle on the underlying surface.

[NWPilgrim]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will add that to my testing. Nothing was applied to the stock. It was babied when stored and in the field just exposed to sun and rain. Since it is stainless I never did more to the exterior metal than wipe dry and then a silicone rag over the barrel and exposed receiver. The gumminess occurred gradually over several years and is evenly present over the entire stock. No one area is bare of it or has noticeably more built up.

[gwpercle]

Keep us informed of what works and doesn't work ... and how you finish / refinish the stock ... all my stocks are wood ... But...
Never know ... this info might be needed in future !

Good Luck with a quick and easy fix !
Gary

[NWPilgrim]

Originally Posted by gwpercle

Keep us informed of what works and doesn't work ... and how you finish / refinish the stock ... all my stocks are wood ... But...
Never know ... this info might be needed in future !

Good Luck with a quick and easy fix !
Gary

Will do. I’ve ordered the supplies and should be able to do some test this weekend or next week. We just moved and dramatically decluttered for selling. So I am without hardly any chemicals, paints, etc. I made about five trips to the metro hazmat site! Having to rebuild a loading bench set up and garage storage. At least now I’m at a point I can start working again on my guns and ammo.

[NWPilgrim]

UPDATE — Success!!
I thought Goof Off would be the winning solution as it works really well on label adhesives and such. But it was not very effective with the A7 stock soft touch goo. However, plain old acetone strips it off easily. And does little harm to the underlying plastic/nylon stock. The gooey layer just melts off with rubbing with a shop rag. I was really concerned the acetone would eat into the hard plastic. But so far so good.

In these photos I have done a first pass in just a few minutes of the left hand side. You can see the right side is so sticky that lint and such is sticking to it. Side by side comparison along the bottom.

I’ll let it set a bit after completing the first pass, then clean up any patches I missed. After it is stripped I will see if I am satisfied with that or perhaps paint or clear coat it. Thank you everyone for all the ideas, it got me out of panic mode and into a solution!

Nitrile gloves stand up to acetone.

[DaleA]

Thank you for coming back and posting.

[Pumpkin]

I was a mechanic/welder/machinist for 40 years. I have some older tools that the rubber handles just became a little harder over time. I also have some newer ones that have become tacky. I could be wrong but I think steering wheel cheese is caused by the rim not getting cleaned regularly. How many years of sweat and grime are deposited on an old steering wheel, pretty disgusting if you need think about it.
I’m not sure when or why (I have a couple of ideas) the rubberized grips/handles on SOME tools/etc. started experiencing what happened to your Sako stock.
I had a very nice Contender grip with the soft recoil absorbing back strap that I swear you could stick to a wall and stay stuck!
I think part of the problem is a change in materials used due to environmental concerns or simply cost? Have you ever bought a inexpensive tool that brand new the grip actually smelled bad, not like new tires either. You could bet this bugger was going to turn nasty and sticky.
You could bead blast your stock to give it a really nice satin look if you wanted although what you have done so far looks nice. Glad you had a good result.

[jetinteriorguy]

Originally Posted by NWPilgrim

UPDATE — Success!!
I thought Goof Off would be the winning solution as it works really well on label adhesives and such. But it was not very effective with the A7 stock soft touch goo. However, plain old acetone strips it off easily. And does little harm to the underlying plastic/nylon stock. The gooey layer just melts off with rubbing with a shop rag. I was really concerned the acetone would eat into the hard plastic. But so far so good.

In these photos I have done a first pass in just a few minutes of the left hand side. You can see the right side is so sticky that lint and such is sticking to it. Side by side comparison along the bottom.

I’ll let it set a bit after completing the first pass, then clean up any patches I missed. After it is stripped I will see if I am satisfied with that or perhaps paint or clear coat it. Thank you everyone for all the ideas, it got me out of panic mode and into a solution!

Nitrile gloves stand up to acetone.

Great, nice to know you figured it out.

[Ricklin]

Good on ya, huge improvement. Now protect the work you have already done. I would give that stock a good hot bath with soap and HOT water to get any remaining solvents out of the plastic. Do that prior to any refinishing. It may not help, it will do no harm.

[wild willy]

Thanks for posting your solution. I have a CVA muzzle loader that did the same thing CVA sent me a new stock but I don’t know if it will do it too.

[NWPilgrim]

Originally Posted by Ricklin

Good on ya, huge improvement. Now protect the work you have already done. I would give that stock a good hot bath with soap and HOT water to get any remaining solvents out of the plastic. Do that prior to any refinishing. It may not help, it will do no harm.

Yes, good idea. I went ahead and washed it off to remove any trace of the acetone. Left with a flat matte finish. The molded checkering gives plenty of grip so I’m not sure why they bothered with that soft touch film to begin with. Looking like a working gun instead of a babied treasure now! I won’t mind it getting dinged up and scratched anymore. As long as I have to recheck zero from removing the barreled action I went ahead and made a tiny adjust to the scope mount position that’s bugged me but put off. Then applied some blue thread locker which I forgot the last time.

With my prior work schedule and recent move to Texas I have not had it out shooting for a few of years. Now that it is cleaned up and ready I have to find a gun club to sight it in. One down side of Texas is every square inch belongs to somebody of is a park. Good thing is there are a lot of friendly gun owning ranchers and lots more small clubs.

[NWPilgrim]

Originally Posted by wild willy

Thanks for posting your solution. I have a CVA muzzle loader that did the same thing CVA sent me a new stock but I don’t know if it will do it too.

Hopefully the rifle mfgrs wised up and changed their stock treatments. Mine started to get tacky several years ago. I’ve since read similar conditions affected some models of the Berreta and Browning lines. I have not read any mention of this in the last five years at least.

[NWPilgrim]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin

I was a mechanic/welder/machinist for 40 years. I have some older tools that the rubber handles just became a little harder over time. I also have some newer ones that have become tacky. I could be wrong but I think steering wheel cheese is caused by the rim not getting cleaned regularly. How many years of sweat and grime are deposited on an old steering wheel, pretty disgusting if you need think about it.
I’m not sure when or why (I have a couple of ideas) the rubberized grips/handles on SOME tools/etc. started experiencing what happened to your Sako stock.
I had a very nice Contender grip with the soft recoil absorbing back strap that I swear you could stick to a wall and stay stuck!
I think part of the problem is a change in materials used due to environmental concerns or simply cost? Have you ever bought a inexpensive tool that brand new the grip actually smelled bad, not like new tires either. You could bet this bugger was going to turn nasty and sticky.
You could bead blast your stock to give it a really nice satin look if you wanted although what you have done so far looks nice. Glad you had a good result.

Thanks! I’ve been thinking maybe give it a “Texas dirt” colored paint job since the beautiful black is gone and left a dull matte finish. I think I will leave it for a couple of years to enjoy it as is then reassess.

[JohnKSa]

Sorry I'm just now seeing this. I've had this issue with a couple of items.

My solution has been Gun Scrubber/non-chlorinated brake cleaner/non-chlorinated cordless tool cleaner on a paper towel and a lot of rubbing. It would take a long time to clean an object as large as a rifle stock.

It appears to be the normal breakdown of some types of plastic products that have a soft-feeling finish.

It is very irritating.