Just finished restoring my father’s Beretta 685 12ga Over/Under for Christmas, hard part now is keeping him from realizing his shotgun isn’t where he last left it . ~40 years of duck hunting down on the Texas coast had taken its toll. Rust, finish on the stock was stripped, and there was a nasty dent in the vent rib: After researching a number of different articles watching a few videos, I went with the following finish (after much stripping, blue and rust remover, sanding and steel wool, not to mention a whole vat of elbow grease!!!): Stock: - Light base layer of Minwax Special Walnut Water-based initial stain with a follow-up light coating of Birchwood Casey Walnut Stain on all but checkering to give it a little more of a red walnut finish. - Initial coat of 50% TruOil / 50% Mineral Spirits - 8 coats of 100% TruOil, sanding finish with 0000 steel wool between coats. - 10 coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane, sanding finish with 0000 steel wool between coats, heavy last coat. Barrel, Forearm Bracket and Hardware: - 5 layers of DuraBlue Polished Blue/Black All in all, I think it turned out pretty well for a first attempt, though it was certainly a learning experience. There are a couple spots where the DuraBlue finish has some orange-peeling, particularly where the barrel and firearm bracket contacts the receiver, but I’ve only seen a few flakes. Time will tell how well it holds up.
Thanks Fireman22, it’s the least I could do for a dad that used to pull me out of middle school in the middle of the day to go hunting and fishing ! It was definitely a labor of love... he’ll get it back Christmas morning, so looking forward to it. I have a 20ga Winchester Model 37 that My grandfather passed in to me that I may do next, though likely not the DuraBlue. Really torn about whether to leave it in it’s current condition or restore it. It has been retired.... It’s seen salt water and was my first duck gun, so it’s got some dings and scratches. But those were hard earned between grandpaw and I, so we’ll see. I see how one could really get into vintage firearm restoration... it’s amazing to see the transformation take place between a worn out gun and a well finished firearm.
Very nice job, I'm sure your father will be speechless. The 37 would be a good project, I'm sure it would increase value, but I doubt if that's what your after. The restoration will kept it from getting any worse but it also takes away marks of memories. So that's kind of a tough call. Good luck in your decision, but don't stop restoring them.
Nice craftsmanship. At least you didn't need to start with a cracked stock Mosin dug out of the ground.
