doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Refinish Browning model 42

Gentlemen: *Has anyone refinished shot gun stock. *Recently purchase a Browning Model 42.

I want to have the stock engraved. *Laser engraved, talked with the folks at Browning and they suggested the stock be stripped before laser engraving. *Actually they suggested sanding the stock.

It looks like there's a polymer finish of some sort on the stock, I don't particular care for this type of finish. *IMHO: it makes the gun look cheap. *There is real pretty wood on the gun, fiddle back walnut.

Any suggestion??????? *I'm thinking about sending the gun to Simons in Missouri or Cole's in Maine.

Problem is: *If I refinish stock with another type of sealer then the fore arm must be done the same.

This is a Christmas present for my Grandson with four family names engraved, if I can wait that long before giving present. . .*** Perhaps Thanksgiving. *Thank you in advance: * * *Junnie

Yeah I have a suggestion:

Don't do it period!!

Jim

Have you considered another stock for the gun? Have that engraved and refinish that. The engraving will not only change the value of the original stock, but the engraving will also hide the beautiful wood, usually. Since the gun has no real sentimental value, it makes no difference to the stock that none of the other family members handled it. If you must do it to this gun, also consider getting a different butt plate and having that engraved, instead of the original wood or butt plate. JMHO

I agree with Jim, don't do it!! But if you are going to do it then get it done right, your grandson will just have to wait. Those are very nice shotguns.

Junnie,
Welcome on your first posting
Pleased to have you on this site.

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion:

The 42 has a nice grip cap
Replace this grip cap with a silver grip cap
engraved with the names indicated. The original grip cap
can be included with the SPECIAL Gun.



Mike

Very good suggestions of either engraving a replacement grip cap or buttplate but leave the stock alone.

Stripping the stock might take the pretty fiddle back grain with it,,might..
It's not unknown for the maker of these to use faux graining methods to enhance the wood used on the Browning repro Winchesters. They were very good at it.

The wood underneath may not look anything like it does now as far as overall color either. More than one refinisher of a Browning repro has found that out.

Just another thing to consider before making a choice.

Nice shotguns,,shoulda kept mine.

Follow the grip engraving suggestion. That high shine finish can be toned down by a good stockman. The less you do to alter the gun the happier he will be later. Family mudflats and scratching or burning names into a stock are not a classic look in the long run.

If you just want to tone down the high gloss finish prep the tock by rubbing it down with mineral spirits then apply a couple coats of Formby dull finish Tung Oil lightly rubbing down between applications with 0000 steel wool to even out the finish after each application has thoroughly dried. I let the finish dry at least 24 hours between applications. Tung oil usually does not act a filler but just in case mask off the checkering. It is best to let the final coat cure for a week or so before you use the gun.

My thoughts were the same as Skeettx - save yourself a ton of work and heartache and go the grip cap route. The factory grip caps are a little cheesy.

Thanks for the info. If I install a new stock, then the forearm must be replace to match. I'll check with stock makers on the cost.... most want big bucks.

Will look into the butt plate and cap. That's a good idea.

Thanks....... Junnie.

After reading subsequent and IMO very good recommendations I'll change my response from "don't" to if you must go the engraved replacement grip cap route. This approach is easily reversible.
Jim

Definitely not enough room on the cap. Perhaps a new butt plate.

I'll check around with stock makers see if I can purchase new stock and forearm??

Simmons and Cole's both manufacture replacement stocks etc.

I don't buy and sell dogs or guns. Both are with me till death. My sons same way.

I want four generations laser engraved with dates.

Perhaps this will be a winter project, have heated shop. Best thing I ever did was install pec's hot water tubing in the concrete floor. Ten below and nice and cozy in the shop... Of course with cable TV, hot and cold water etc.

Anyone know where I can purchase a plain butt plate?????

It's your gun. I say do with it what you want. But, you have to realize laser engraving the stock will drastically hurt the value of the gun down the road which most all here have suggested. Likely though, a gun given from Grandfather to Grandson will stay in the family, so value might not even matter. I do like the idea of engraving the grip cap, but again it's your gun.

There's just not enough space on grip cap. About the size of a fifty cent piece.

The engraving would be so small no one could read it without a magnifying glass.

I'll look around for other stocks and forearms.

Value means nothing to me...... heirloom means everything to me.

The only reason I would purchase other wood is for gun fit.

I've been trying to stay out of this one, but I just have to throw in my two cents. The Browning 42 is a very nice gun but it's not all that special in the overall scheme of things. Do what you want with it. If you must turn it into an "heirloom," the most tasteful way to do it would be with an engraved grip cap or butt plate, and the proper cap will have plenty of room for a professional engraver to work his/her magic. Don't limit your search to the commonly available caps. I get the sense that you are trying to laser-etch the wood as a DIY project and that's why you are not wild about the grip cap idea. Find a cap that can be fitted to the gun with plenty of flat surface area and take the cap to a professional gun or jewelry engraver. In the long run, that will probably make the kid happier than a carved stock. An alternative would be to have the receiver professionally engraved and reblued. Not reversible, but more tasteful than mucking with the wood.

Yes, the Browning 42 is not that high end gun. Many are asking $2,200.00 many are not getting it, way over valued IMHO.

No it's not a DIY project. If I wanted to increase value then probably some fancy wood from Simmons or Cole's. Still might do just that. I still don't think grip cap has enough room without a magnifying glass to read engraving?? I don't have a clue where to look for solid butt plates?????

The same people who sell gun stocks, can tell you where to get grip caps and butt plate. Any "good" engraver, would have no problem getting 4 names of the grip cap and they would be very legible. It is a case where less and more and to me, really add that personal touch to the gun without altering it. Many times I have had people show me their personal touches to a gun. They are so proud of it they could bust. I look at it and think what a shame. Your gun, your name, your money. I had said the butt plate in much earlier post, but I like the grip cap better.

Junnie, take the stock down to Rixstine's. They laser gun stocks all the time without having to do anything to the finish. It's clean, it's sharp and it looks great.

HTH, sv

There is plenty of room on the cap. 1/16" lettering or there about is common. No magnifier need be included with the gun when displayed. Most everything you read in print is that size.

Or,,
Sidestep the problem all together by putting a grand or two into the gun. Have it engraved with a decent Winchester style pattern and work the names into the engraving. Scroll up onto the bbl a ways . Engrave the grip cap too!
Re-blued or a gray finish recv'r w/ blued bbl assembly w/the existing pretty fiddleback grained wood, it'll be a stunning gift for anyone as well as an heirloom.

Knock the shiny wood finish back with some rottenstone & oil if the gloss is undesireable. Simple wipedown with 0000steel wool will provide near the same look too.
Finish it off with a hand rubbed to nothing coat or 2 of linseed.
There,,all done. Have a nice Christmas.

I personally think that names cut into the stock look Cheaper than a high gloss finish.How about some nice shaped bit of thin Silver inlaid into the side of the stock with your names on ?, I think it would look nicer.Made to look like a old style paper Scroll, or banner??
I've seen names carved into stocks, but I always thought the Silver back ground always adds some class, especially if the actual plate it made to a nice pleasing shape.
good luck with your choice
franc

Thanks for the Rixstine's information.... If it was a snake, it would of bite me.
I've had Field Trial trophy's made there and always a fantastic job.

I'll play around the idea, I'm in no rush. I like the idea of the grip cap, but can't get beyond engraving anything that the naked eye could see????

If this was a ten thousand dollar high end gun, for sure it would give me pause. I got a good buy on this sweet little thing. Five Briley chokes came with it..... paid half the price some internet gun shops are asking. They must think a suckers born every minute . . .

I'd love to have a Winchester model 42, but I'm not paying two thousand for a eighty nine dollar plain jane gun.

Junnie,
Just my two cents, but a nice condition $2k Win M42 is no $89 gun. Never was, converted into todays dollars. It was always a pricey gun in its day.

On the engraving, laser looks cheap and cheesie, industrial like, IMO. I like your thought of doing it on the buttplate. A classy blued steel or brass buttplate with hand engraving would be visible and noticable. I think it would be tasteful. Stock carving/engraving always looks tacky to me.

OR
Buy this
http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/PROD/C-019-01/B1223698
and save the original
Mike

p.s.
http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/CTGY/C-019-01

I'm with Franc. A tasteful, well-inlaid and executed plaque would look less cheesy than stock etching. It would be substantially more durable, too. If you look through any book on Winchester engraving you'll note the vast majority of bequest/honoraria scripts will be found engraved on receivers or inlaid plaques.

My second choice would be Chuck's idea to do a metal buttplate. The plastic Browning repro plate has a silly, slippery curve. So you could avail yourself of an opportunity to make it more functional, killing two birds with one stone.

Sam

Cheesy & tacky doesn't adequately describe laser engraving on a stock.

Just because you bought a Browning M42 repo reasonably & it's not a "collectable" or rare shotgun is no reason to desecrate it.

Only Honey Boo Boo's family would consider it a "family heirloom" after it's been laser engraved.

Lot's of good suggestions here on how to do it with a little class.

If you need more room for names I like Frank's suggestion of an inletted plate. You could carry that idea a little further & put it on a plate on the underside of the stock (where the crest plate normally goes except larger).

My opinion and mine only. The little medallions that collector guns seem to have attached don't suit me AT ALL. The Win. 94 commemoratives, the Marlin 39, Stevens Crack Shot, etc. All these silly brass plates just reek "no class" to me and just look like HEIL. I see these guns in the racks and do not pay any attention to them. It is the same thing to me as seeing a S.S.no engraved on the gun. I sure do like the idea of the grip cap or butt plate though. It can be removed, added to, etc. and does not take away from the gun. I read loud and clear that the gun is for you and your family only. If that is true, why mess it up for the others to be turned off by it. Even doing this to a single shot H&R or any other gun, makes an already inexpensive gun to look even cheaper that it already is. Just my take on it and mine alone....maybe.

Junnie, go to Rixstine's and look at the sample gun stocks with lasering on them. You'll know when you see them if you like it or not.

Here's one we did before I retired last spring. I would have done it smaller, but this is how the customer wanted it. Any size, any font, any style, and graphics can be used as well as text.

I don't think the graphic looks cheesy or mickey mouse. I'm talking fancy Old German script. Font size about 1/2 or less with four names and dates.

Again, my only concern is the acrylic finish on Browning's. Greg T. is sending me a Browning stock with acrylic, I can then experiment with. Brass plates, laser engraving, butt plates. The grip cap is only the of a twenty five cent piece, I don't know how anyone could engrave on that?????

The M42 has big slab sides on the reciever. For engraver artists, they gravitate to those for embellishment. Laser will etch the steel quickly, if that's your inclination.

If it were my family and gun, I'd probably be inclined to put only initials on traditional brass or silver ovals inletted along the lower line of the buttstock. That's what they were designed for.

This a Grave V. already has engraving on both sides of receiver... Laser is not hot enough to cut steel.

Depends on your laser.

Junnie,

I'd send pictures of the gun to the Browning Custom shop, along with your desires for the names to be engraved, the type of script or engraving you prefer and see what proposals they send back. They have done 100s of these guns.
Old eyes such as yours and mine might not be able to read the names on a grip cap without glasses, but it sure wouldn't require anything but reading glasses.
If this is to an heirloom gun for your grandson, I would do it right, cost be damned. I bet you the engravers who work with the custom shop can come up with something very classy for your grandson's gun.

Thanks...... Do you think a plain plastic or metal butt plate is feasible???

What's wrong with the plate that's on the gun now?

All this over lettering what amounts to Moe, Larry, Curly & Shemp onto a Quarter sized grip cap.
If you can read 'United States of America' and 'Quarter Dollar' on a 25cent piece, you can read lettering that's about 1/16" tall.

It'll all fit and more for the added family history in the future should the heirloom need additions engraved.

If the gun is one of the Grade V (?) guns, fit a nice steel cap to the grip with the hidden fastener to avoid a screw in the center.
Then have an 18k gold oval center inlayed/soldered to the center. Have the engraving done on the gold, it always looks classy. The gold doesn't have to be thick,,30ga will work fine. Even a bit thinner will work.

The laser cut lettering on the wood is clean cut and excellent quality from the pic, but it just doesn't carry the idea of a hand-me-down heirloom firearm to me.
More like a sign at a State Park pointing the way to the restroom.
Some people paint their guns bright colors too and love them to death. Everyone's free to do as they want to.
You can get stick on gold letters at the Home Depot that look pretty nice too if applied with care.

Go with some class, even if it's only a little.
Just my opinion of course.

If you don't like the plastic Browning butt plate, fit a thin rubber recoil pad (rifle pad) and leather cover it.

Just some more ideas to kick around,,

Just throwing out another option(nothing wrong with your original), but you could have the laser engraving done on a fitted wood case.

I like that!

Sure, the custom shop will do any kind of butt plate you want. I personally would not, NOT, put plastic on such a gun. If you want to have a metal frame done for the butt, that would be nice and you could get a good deal on information on the frame. Like a Parker DHE metal butt frame, Whatever its called. I'd also put just about 1/4 inch cast off in the stock as well. Given he is right handed or cast on if he is a lefty shooter.
That might well allow you to have a youth and an adult stock. With the original stock as the adult stock. Something else to talk to the Custom shop about. They can tell you what measurements to take to get the new stock to fit now (I'd get it a little long) and then he can grow into the adult stock.

Best of luck!

So, where can I get a grip cap???? I'm sure I can get it engraved at any jewelry shop.

Jewelry stores will typically have a pantograph for engraving. The cut is made with a little rotary file. A master pattern is followed with a stylus. The cut will be a round bottom U Groove with a rough finish. Most jewelry stores don't want to engrave steel since its hard on their tools. Jewelry is very soft. I had a steel object engraved at a jewelry store many years ago. It came out ok but the store owner wasn't happy because it dulled his graver.

Hand engraving will have a V shaped groove that the artist rolls to flatter or steeper angles to provide width and depth to the lettering.

Junnie
I think you should consider what general message of the respondents has been. They are a knowledgeable group. They are really saying its would be an embarrassment to them to have a laser etched gun like you described. You wouldn't want your grandson to come to be embarrassed about something you intended him to be proud of. You're One of many that have posted here about similar modifications over the years. Do your grandson right and take some the advice here.

Junnie, This is to second Chuck's thoughts.

I would like to believe a future grandchild will share my appreciation for a personalized firearm. The odds are stacked pretty heavily against it. OTOH, odds are there will be a time when the grandson could use some cash.

Those on this forum share a longstanding interest in firearms, and are the type of buyers who will end up with it. They have spoken loud enough.

My parents were in real estate decades ago, and imparted the following: "buy as though you are selling". A laser-etched 42 repro would beg for a correct Gr 5 stock for me to make it "right" again. That may not be so easy to locate in 30 years. I do not mind small, tasteful plaques, engraved buttplates or grip caps. And properly done initials on receivers can be found throughout books on Winchester engraving.

Also, a poor execution of a good plan won't cut it, either. I would ask Pauline Muerrle (a semi-retired Winchester factory engraver) for ideas. I don't know if see if she might do the work, but she frequents SGW's Winchester forum - you could PM her.

Sam

Thanks for the idea's.... I don't think my grandson will need cash in the future.

His grandmother will send him to any university in the world, period. He's the only grandchild and will inherit everything. Of course it will be a trust so he doesn't piss it away on wine, women and fun. . .

I suppose I could always purchase other wood for the gun. I really don't like the acrylic or polymer finish on Browning's Grade V guns. Does any know for sure what type of finish they use on there guns? It always looks like cheap plastic stock. Thanks....... Junnie

I agree with the approach to real estate. I always purchase to sell, never fell in love with any property, although I should of bought acre's of farm ground and put in a trust.... too bad too sad. . . .

I'm curious as to why most are against engraving the stock???

There's some real pretty stock engraving on many german guns, true most are hand engraved. There's some real pretty laser engraving. This is only a cheap shot gun. If I paid ten thousand, it would give me pause.

Thanks...... Junnie.....

Junnie, I just think names engraved in the stock make a gun look, er, kinda cheap, goes against my grain , so to speak.I just don't think the stock wood is the place for that.
Thats why I'd go for a plaque, grip cap or but plate job.How about a nicely old style scripted letter tucked under the butt plate along with a $100 bill?
No offence meant of course.
franc

Since you asked, it's just cheesey. It ruins a perfectly acceptable gun for any future owner and will be be a potential embarrassment to your grandson when he carries it in public. It is completely tasteless and inappropriate. Shows a definite lack of class and refinement. Just my opinion.

You are getting the advice and opinions you have asked for, but it seems like you are not listening. Your gun, screw it up if you want to.

I agree 100%.

Junnie,
That a laser cut embellishment on the side of the stock could be embarrassing to your grandson which also could also have the effect that he could choose to not use the gun, except in your presence to please you of course. I would think that would be the opposite of what you want. Keeping a gift from a loved one out of respect is different than really cherishing the item itself. If it sits in his safe for his entire life unused, out of respect for you, have you given what you envisioned?

I can't recall how many funnie looking shirts my mother has bought me over the years, that I never wore, but piled up in my closet in the original packaging.

BTW, the Browning 42 G5 is a very nice, well made gun.

--------------------------------------------------------------
A number of German guns have engraving of animals, oak leaves and acorns, etc on the stocks. Never saw one with people's names on the stock. They also use the small metal shield near the butt on the bottom of the stock for initials or for the family coat of arms (wappen).

The older the gun, the more likely it is too have a hand engraved stock, I find. It's more traditional in the Alpine hunting areas for rifles I believe. The single shot bergstutzen rifles tended to have more stocks engraved with red deer, oak leaves etc.

Never saw anyone's name on a stock.
And I agree with whoever said it is cheesy.

But, Junnie, it's your money and your hard head, so do what you want.
Just one question: Are you buying this gun for your grandson or for yourself?

With all due respect.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Located several Galazon stock oval's .... Nickel/silver 3/4 X 1 inch.

Gold 5/8 X 15/16 my dilemma is: should the oval be mounted flush with the stock and finish or raised??? It comes with some brads or screws and epoxy.

The oval's I've seen were flush with stock. I just don't know how I can get {four} names engraved on such a small oval.

The gold would look real pretty, considering there is a lot of gold inlaying on the receiver Grade V.

P. S. I did run across a winchester model 42 with solid rib. nice gun but asking way to much for a cost of manufacture 89.00 dollars.

I was at a registered skeet shoot this week end, and all shot over and under's
I just about bet several to shoot my 410 pump gun, see if they could shoot 25 or 14???? I doubt it.....

Actually: my wife-grandmother, grandfather , son and grandson. He's are only grandson and he really likes pulling sporting clays and playing in the dirt. What ever I use, it will be Old German Script. My last is of course German. It may very well be cheesy, Greg T. sent me a stock to play around with. Just a idea. Perhaps that's why Im so hard headed. German and all.

My son shoots about thirty - forty thousand rounds a year, I'm about ten.

For engraving on that oval any good engraver should have absolutely no trouble at all! If the engraver you chose can't do it, find one that has done this before.

Junnie,

This email address: fegainfo@fega.com is that of the firearms engravers guild of America admin assistant. I suggest you email her and ask her for assistance in finding some one who is able to engrave the names you want in that Galazan grip cap. Should not be a problem.

best,

Thanks........