Cameron, it's interesting that you say linseed oil has no effect on longevity. 20 yrs ago, I used a homebrew mix of linseed, mineral spirits and paraffin wax to coat cedar 4x4 fence posts, deck boards, and raised garden beds. All of those now need to be replaced, but 20 yrs here in my river-bottom swamp is pretty darn good. In comparison, some fence posts put in 10 yrs ago that I was too lazy to treat, decayed in just about 7 yrs. So, it definitely seems to work for that purpose, though the wax is also involved.

I would not use this on a gun stock, however. I really don't like wax of any type on any sort of wood furniture or gun stocks.

_________
BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]