doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Browning Salt Wood Question

Local gun shop has an almost pristine 20 gauge Superposed 28" choked IC/M. RKST gun. Serial number is 552xxV9. If I read the Browning web site correctly, this is a 1969 gun which would put it in the salt wood era. No visible sign of rusting on the exterior, but the butt plate has been replaced with a pad so there's not easy screw to remove and check for rust. Clearly shot very little as there are almost no marks on the breech face.

How likely is it that the wood on this gun is salt treated, given the age and condition?

Thanks.

By now you should know so unlikely to have salt wood, perhaps

Call Art?
http://www.artsgunshop.com/

See Art's salt wood video
http://artsgunshop.com/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer_Dark.html

Do test??

The definitive test is to remove the finish under the buttplate or in the barrel channel and swab a small area with silver nitrate solution: if it changes to white, salt is present.


https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=393615

Mike

The nut is the salt wood in the forearm and the condition of that bottom barrel. Check where the wood meets metal, the salt can cause discoloring.

If you don't see any problems after 47 years most likely you will be ok. Only way to know for sure is test the wood and pull the stock off. Perhaps the wood has been replaced already but there could be damage present from the old wood. Personally, at my age, if I liked the gun I'd buy it and not worry about it. After nearly 50 years it should be ok for another 20-30 years. Then let the next fellow worry about it.

I don't know about others but from my experience the fancier the wood the more likely it was to be salt wood in this time period. Perhaps they had a large supply of basic blanks on hand and did not use too many problem blanks. Or perhaps they all just got replaced years ago. But fancy blanks always seem to be in high demand so they stayed in inventory less time which caused guns made in the problem time period to use recent salt cured blanks.

I almost bought a Diania grade 20 many years ago with the best looking factory stock I ever saw on a Browning but I noticed the smallest area on the reciever. The owner was horrified to see it. He sent it to Art's and when they pulled it off it looked like moon craters where they wood touched the metal. For end was perfect. Art's said the for end wood was salt free but the butt stock was salt wood. He was able to weld up all the pits and restore the gun to mint condition.

They ended up replacing the fore end wood as well to get a color match. Unfortunately the new wood was not even close to be first blank in beauty. So the owner ended up with a gun which suffered from the salt wood and was replaced with just a nice looking blank. Art's would not return the bad wood because I suspect he was afraid it would just get sold to ruin another gun down the road. Years later it occurred to me that that gun would have been the perfect candidate for a butt transfer but back then the only butt transfer I ever heard about was when in the military some a-ole would get his butt transfeered.

Pull a buttplate screw.
You'll know immediately if the butt stock is Salty.
The escushions in the forend run through the wood and will tell the tale regarding the forearm.
The gun in Art's video is mine.

[quote=Remington40x]Local gun shop has an almost pristine 20 gauge Superposed 28" choked IC/M. RKST gun. Serial number is 552xxV9. If I read the Browning web site correctly, this is a 1969 gun which would put it in the salt wood era. No visible sign of rusting on the exterior, but the butt plate has been replaced with a pad so there's not easy screw to remove and check for rust. Clearly shot very little as there are almost no marks on the breech face.

How likely is it that the wood on this gun is salt treated, given the age and condition?

There is simpler solution to this non-dilemma. That solution is more modern B.C. Miroku Browning Citori with choke tubes. The quality is just as good plus you get simpler forend release & choke tubes making gun compatible with all forms of non-tox shot. I read article in either Sporting Gun or Shooting Gazette by well known Englishman extolling virtues of long fixed choke barrels on old Beretta O/Us. I found this laughable I say I will take choke tubes and extra 3oz or 4oz of extra weight that comes with that feature.

Remington40x
Buy the gun,
Schedule a vacation to Amarillo
and WE will take our Superposed's and shoot and shoot
and shoot, I have a few, from early ones to later ones and they
are a treat to shoot.
Mike

Jager, you just don't 'get it'.

He didn't go looking for the gun, the gun just found HIM while he was passing through.

They always do.

The only was to avoid this effect is to stay away from gun shops and animal shelters. Oh, and stores that have a beer aisle.

People buy belgian superposed guns over the Jap citoris because they truely appreciate quality.

Problem is, JM doesn't understand the difference.

SRH