How to clean a rifles stock

HookFacedOne · May 2, 2020, 11:31 PM

I'm sure this has been posted but haven't been able to find an answer.
What do I clean my rifles wood stocks with?
I'm not looking to strip it, sand it or refinish it. I just want to clean light dirt.
And before anyone asks I'm not sure what kind of wood or the finish on it, finding that out is as difficult as finding how to clean it.
Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks

Scorch · May 3, 2020, 12:29 AM

Johnson's paste wax and a toothbrush. Scrub, let dry, buff with a soft cloth.

cptjack · May 3, 2020, 07:45 AM

lysol

Pahoo · May 3, 2020, 10:23 AM

Just Cleaning;
There are more products that one can use and application as well as method depends on how dirty it is. Might suggest;

Murphy's oil soap
Mineral spirits
Denatured Alcohol

Be Safe !!!

tangolima · May 3, 2020, 11:36 AM

Denatured alcohol or citric oil for me.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

jmr40 · May 3, 2020, 12:47 PM

I've always just wiped it down with a clean dry cloth. Paste wax isn't really a cleaner, but will help waterproof the wood after it is clean. Unless you bury it in mud it shouldn't get very dirty.

jrothWA · May 3, 2020, 08:05 PM

Scott's Liguid Gold cleaner.

Wet the rag and use all over the stock and let sit and evaporate, should remove the surface dirt and refresh the fisnh originally applied.

cw308 · May 4, 2020, 09:53 PM

Ballistol , this stuff does it all .I use it on all my firearms . Read up on the product. Cleans inside and out on the barrel , all moving parts also wood and leather.

darkgael · May 5, 2020, 07:05 AM

I use automatic transmission fluid (i have to look at the container for the type). I wipe it on. Let it sit for a few moments and then wipe it off.
I have used Ballistol. Also a good choice.
I have used Johnson's Paste Finishing Wax....another good one. I still use it...after the ATF treatment and wipe down

Pete.

FITASC · May 5, 2020, 12:04 PM

Murphy's Oil Soap followed by Howard's, Johnson's or Renaissance

JJ45 · May 6, 2020, 05:28 AM

To clean, something that won't dry the stock out. Murphy's, etc....as a finisher, Kiwi neutral shoe polish. Just as you would use it on shoes. Wipe it on, let it set, wipe it off.

I have also used Ballistol as a finisher.

FrankenMauser · May 6, 2020, 11:04 AM

Murphy's Oil Soap with a soft brush.
Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Fully dry before waxing (if doing so).

Picher · May 7, 2020, 08:48 AM

I use Simonize Auto Polish on all my hunting rifles, both wood and metal parts. Water just beads up and rolls off, dirt doesn't stick, and it's not very slippery to hold.

Don Fischer · May 7, 2020, 09:36 AM

I doubt it matter's what you clean it with so long as you reseal the somehow when your done. I'd think in using some kind of cleaning solution I'd want to finish up with plain water and dry it.

tangolima · May 7, 2020, 09:53 AM

Mind that you are pressing your cheek against the stock. Your face will probably get a small dose of whatever you put on there. Transmission fluid? I will pass.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

FrankenMauser · May 7, 2020, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Mind that you are pressing your cheek against the stock. Your face will probably get a small dose of whatever you put on there. Transmission fluid? I will pass.

It's not the 'toxicity' that I'd be worried about with ATF. It's the stench, staining, and oil soaking of the stock.
ATF is a great way to ruin a gun stock.

Then again... A few years back, I was privy to a conversation in which a man was extolling the unending virtues of finishing the hardwood floors in his home with used motor oil. Some people just don't care for logic and longevity. They're satisfied if they achieve their immediate goal(s) in a manner that they find acceptable.

cw308 · May 7, 2020, 03:46 PM

Oil on wood after a while will soften the wood and turn it darker , just like Army surplus weapons , if you look around the steel you will see the oil stains . Ballistol is different it will not soften or stain the wood .

Picher · May 8, 2020, 07:26 AM

I've repaired several rifle and especially old double-barreled shotgun stocks that had been severely damaged by oil soaking in the area immediately behind the receiver and in the grip area. The rotten wood was ground out with a Moto-tool pins and epoxy inserted to reinforce the recoil contact area.

Although it wasn't a perfect match of texture, color was matched closely and the Brownell's gunsmith epoxy withstood recoil and general use quite well. Owners were astounded that the stock could be repaired to be completely serviceable.

I counseled the owners to not let oil soak into stocks by standing the gun on the butt after heavy oil coating, but to wipe metal down with an oil-dampened but not "soaked" rag and if stood upright, muzzle-downward.

bn12gg · May 8, 2020, 08:37 AM

Ballistol. It's mineral oil so it works just fine on wood stocks as well as metal. In Europe it's rubbed on skin in spas.

In a pinch, German soldiers drank it while pinned down in trenches.

.02 David

ps- It smells a little funny !!

May 2, 2020, 11:31 PM	#1
HookFacedOne Junior Member Join Date: April 27, 2020 Posts: 1	How to clean a rifles stock I'm sure this has been posted but haven't been able to find an answer. What do I clean my rifles wood stocks with? I'm not looking to strip it, sand it or refinish it. I just want to clean light dirt. And before anyone asks I'm not sure what kind of wood or the finish on it, finding that out is as difficult as finding how to clean it. Any advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks

May 3, 2020, 12:29 AM	#2
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Johnson's paste wax and a toothbrush. Scrub, let dry, buff with a soft cloth. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

May 3, 2020, 10:23 AM	#4
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Only Cleaning Just Cleaning; There are more products that one can use and application as well as method depends on how dirty it is. Might suggest; Murphy's oil soap Mineral spirits Denatured Alcohol Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

May 3, 2020, 12:47 PM	#6
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,803	I've always just wiped it down with a clean dry cloth. Paste wax isn't really a cleaner, but will help waterproof the wood after it is clean. Unless you bury it in mud it shouldn't get very dirty. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

May 3, 2020, 08:05 PM	#7
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Consider using a clean rag [ sock washcloth, etc. and.. Scott's Liguid Gold cleaner. Wet the rag and use all over the stock and let sit and evaporate, should remove the surface dirt and refresh the fisnh originally applied.

May 3, 2020, 07:45 AM	#3
cptjack Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2014 Posts: 314	lysol

May 3, 2020, 11:36 AM	#5
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,808	Denatured alcohol or citric oil for me. -TL Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

May 4, 2020, 09:53 PM	#8
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	Ballistol , this stuff does it all .I use it on all my firearms . Read up on the product. Cleans inside and out on the barrel , all moving parts also wood and leather.

May 5, 2020, 07:05 AM	#9
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	I use automatic transmission fluid (i have to look at the container for the type). I wipe it on. Let it sit for a few moments and then wipe it off. I have used Ballistol. Also a good choice. I have used Johnson's Paste Finishing Wax....another good one. I still use it...after the ATF treatment and wipe down Pete. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

May 5, 2020, 12:04 PM	#10
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,440	Murphy's Oil Soap followed by Howard's, Johnson's or Renaissance __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

May 6, 2020, 05:28 AM	#11
JJ45 Senior Member Join Date: June 8, 2015 Posts: 908	To clean, something that won't dry the stock out. Murphy's, etc....as a finisher, Kiwi neutral shoe polish. Just as you would use it on shoes. Wipe it on, let it set, wipe it off. I have also used Ballistol as a finisher.

May 6, 2020, 11:04 AM	#12
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,421	Murphy's Oil Soap with a soft brush. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Fully dry before waxing (if doing so). __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

May 7, 2020, 08:48 AM	#13
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I use Simonize Auto Polish on all my hunting rifles, both wood and metal parts. Water just beads up and rolls off, dirt doesn't stick, and it's not very slippery to hold.

May 7, 2020, 09:36 AM	#14
Don Fischer Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2017 Posts: 1,868	I doubt it matter's what you clean it with so long as you reseal the somehow when your done. I'd think in using some kind of cleaning solution I'd want to finish up with plain water and dry it.

May 7, 2020, 09:53 AM	#15
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,808	Mind that you are pressing your cheek against the stock. Your face will probably get a small dose of whatever you put on there. Transmission fluid? I will pass. -TL Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

May 7, 2020, 03:46 PM	#17
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	Oil on wood after a while will soften the wood and turn it darker , just like Army surplus weapons , if you look around the steel you will see the oil stains . Ballistol is different it will not soften or stain the wood .

May 8, 2020, 07:26 AM	#18
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I've repaired several rifle and especially old double-barreled shotgun stocks that had been severely damaged by oil soaking in the area immediately behind the receiver and in the grip area. The rotten wood was ground out with a Moto-tool pins and epoxy inserted to reinforce the recoil contact area. Although it wasn't a perfect match of texture, color was matched closely and the Brownell's gunsmith epoxy withstood recoil and general use quite well. Owners were astounded that the stock could be repaired to be completely serviceable. I counseled the owners to not let oil soak into stocks by standing the gun on the butt after heavy oil coating, but to wipe metal down with an oil-dampened but not "soaked" rag and if stood upright, muzzle-downward.

May 8, 2020, 08:37 AM	#19
bn12gg Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2011 Location: Winter Park, Florida Posts: 470	Ballistol. It's mineral oil so it works just fine on wood stocks as well as metal. In Europe it's rubbed on skin in spas. In a pinch, German soldiers drank it while pinned down in trenches. .02 David ps- It smells a little funny !!

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