Well, according to the barrel date code, it was made in May of 1971. It looks like a lot of what I thought was rust was actually old decayed lubricant. I'm still working on getting the last of the shellack-like residue off the parts.

I might try acetone now. Maybe that will do it better than Hoppe's 9 powder solvent and CLP. My nylon bristle brush turned orange with all the crud I've got off the magazine tube and barrel.

The buttstock screw, bayonet screws, end cap extension nut and hand guard castle nut screw were a bear to get off. Once I broke 47 years of torque, the screws and nut all came off quite easily after that. I managed to do it without marring anything. It helps to have the right bits and castle nut removal tool.

It looks like only the receiver will need to be refinished. The scratches on the receiver are pretty nasty.

There are literally a thousand more out there like this and in better condition so I'm not going to get hung up on keeping it "all original." I may send the stock and hand guard off to a friend to be refinished. It looks like its got some pretty wood under there.

Tony.

I wish I had one of these.


I added myself to the "notify when in stock" but am not confident they will get more.

If they come back in stock I will order one. Not holding my breath though.

One of the other moderators on the M14 forum is a master at stock refinishing and he does it as a hobby. I sent him the wood to see what he could do with it. He shipped it back to me yesterday and sent me these teaser pics.

Before...




After...




Now I just have to send the metal parts to Brad at CCR to work his magic.

Tony.

Purty. What’s the finish?

quote:

Originally posted by SigJacket:
Purty. What’s the finish?

Pure awesomeness...

Honestly, I don't know and I never asked. I just said "Do your magic."

Tony.

Hard to believe that is the same stock. I never would have thought it could come out that nice!

Son of a bitch...

I saw these and thought at the time that one would be an awesome present for a buddy of mine. We commissioned together in 2010, he's currently kicking ass in...the Ohio National Guard.

Sadly my sentiment was faster than my wallet. Please do post finished pictures!

Now just wait till I get the metal refinished...









Tony.