Dupage M1 Stock

[RampantAndroid]

Hi all,

Just got a Dupage new production M1 Garand stock, that is "finished" - https://www.dupagetrading.com/new-m1-stocks-set/new-m1-stock-set.html

it looks very dry, and the wood is a little rough, clearly not sanded down. The gun barely passes the tilt test. I'm wondering can I just drop the gun in and fire? Should I rub some wax onto the stock? Should I grab some BLO and put more on? I'm really adverse to modifying the stock (as in sanding it.)

I do have some extra pure tung oil around, which I believe can be put on top of BLO?

Thanks!
RA

 

[30Cal]

go with the tung oil.

 

[HankB]

If the stock is rough, it could be the grain is raised - if you wet a section, does it get rougher? If so, you may want to "whisker" it, i.e., wet it to raise the grain, sand it lightly, and repeat until the grain doesn't rise any more. (Be careful not to round off everything.) I've never been one to try smoothing rough wood by applying finish . . .

I've completed a couple of stocks using pure tung oil. I dilute it with mineral spirits first and keep slathering it on heavily for 10-15 minutes to get it to soak as deeply into the wood as possible, with lower dilution with each successive coat. (4:1, then 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, and finally pure tung oil.) I let each coat soak it for a bit, and then wipe the excess off the surface. Sometimes a couple of times 5 or 10 minutes apart. Once I'm using pure tung oil, I'm spreading only a couple of drops on the stock, and rubbing it in with my bare hand.

Be careful disposing of the rags as a possible fire hazard.

Be sure things dry thoroughly between applications. A couple of drops of Japan drier (from Home Depot) added just before application helps the tung oil dry through-and-through.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I have to say, the wood in this stock seems to be of pretty poor quality: fired it on saturday. Today I looked at it to see about starting some work on it. There are dents in the wood that match the shape of spent brass. When I fired it and some rounds bounced back into the wood, it dented enough that I would have to sand a bit to get the dent out. Steaming it out might work, but wow. Oh, also, they clearly didn't make room for the firing pin in the stock.

I'm really REALLY unimpressed with Dupage/Boyds, and would never recommend them.

 

[Chris_B]

RA, when M1s were new issue, the wood was actually fairly rough, similar to the finish produced by 100gr sandpaper

That said I may be able to turn you on to an original M1 stock or two through a collector's site; I'm not sure if they have sold yet and they are probably Danish return stocks but the Danes took good care of the rifles.

IMO nothing fits like an original stock although I had been told Boyd's were very good now, despite some teething issues they had a few years back

 

[RampantAndroid]

Chris - that might be that they are better, but the cut is still suspect I think. I'll take a photo of the damage the back of the firing pin did. It clearly does not clear as others have posted on forums (look on google for dupage stock fitting.)

Further, a casing was able to easily dent the wood (actually, plural. There are 4 dents I noticed, maybe more light dents.) That to me says the wood is not of the best quality. I can accept a rough stock, but this is worse than 100 grit sandpaper produces (the top hand guard is exceptionally bad.)