JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
21
Reactions
18
My dad recently gave me his 10/22 that my grandfather gave to him when he was 12 y/o in 1969. My wife would love to get more into shooting with me and I think this would be the perfect gun to do it with. The gun is 45 y/o and looks dull. As a thank you to my father and as a project for my wife and I, I would like to refinish the stock, barrel, and receiver. The stock isn't a problem for me as I've been doing wood working and re-finishing for a while. How do I go about refinishing/re-bluing the receiver and barrel so they look new and also match in color?
 
Brownell's sells spray coatings for aluminium
a new Ruger barrel costs about $35 and there are loads of After MKT barrels @ many price points.
You can build any sort of rifle you want from a basic 10-22 with a virtually endless choice of stocks, barrels, scopes, compensators, color schemes!
 
I actually looked at the cerakote colors this morning and found one that looks close to the standard blue finish so I will probably go that route. When I get around to building a 10/22 that starts out as mine then I will definitely look at the Houge stocks. For the time being I will just refinish the original walnut stock.
 
I actually looked at the cerakote colors this morning and found one that looks close to the standard blue finish so I will probably go that route. When I get around to building a 10/22 that starts out as mine then I will definitely look at the Houge stocks. For the time being I will just refinish the original walnut stock.

I agree. Don't slap a new barrel or stock on it. That made me cringe. Make sure it keeps some of it's old beat up character though. Otherwise you ought just buy a whole new one. :s0114:
 
The barrel and stock aren't going to be replaced or changed, simply refinished. I want the rifle that will eventually have taught three generations of my family to shoot to like a rifle that we are proud to own and shoot. Not something that lives it's life going from one closet to another. And as a matter of fact I'm in the process of buying parts and pieces to start building my own 10/22. Do you all have any that are in the "maybe I need these or maybe I don't pile"? I've never built or assembled a rifle of any kind so I'm looking for used parts to start. No reason to spend $1000 on parts and hope I can get them together correctly the first time.
 
I refinished mine, but the action part was not too bad, so I didn't mess with that. I polished the barrel with 000 steel wool and cold blued it. Then I got some stock finishing oil and went over the stock several times using steel wool between coats.
It looked OK. It doesn't look like it has been refinished, nor does it look like new.
If you want to do the action part, remember it is aluminum, so you will need some 'alumina black' I don't know if I spelled that right, but you can get it at Bi-Mart.
 
I agree with best defense: preserve the wood patina by using nothing harsher than 000 steel wool on it. You can solvent-strip the old lacquer with fine steel wool without harming the wood surface, then sweat out the dings with heat and steam, and finally use tung oil to protect it.
 
Yes, Chemist has another good point there. My stock was scratched and scuffed, but not dinged. You can raise a dent or ding in the wood by putting a wet wash cloth over the ding and heating the area over the ding with an iron. (Iron like you iron clothes with.)
That will usually raise the wood by making it swell. At that point the wood will have a slightly rough feel to it. Smooth out the roughness with steel wool and continue as before.
 
It can be difficult to get a consistent sight placement on a wooden Ruger 10/22 stock from my experience. It sounds like the stock is important to you for family reasons. I'd restore it as described, and get some padding to lengthen it and possibly raise the cheek weld location if needed. I also like a web sling and tech sights, but that's from my Appleseed experience.
 
The factory receiver is aluminum. The original color on the black and silver receivers is just paint. If you ever do anything to the receiver I would recommend Cerakote.

Here is the one we just redid for a Christmas gift for a friend. He is 12. The rifle was donated by the boys grandfather. The receiver on this one was really rough so we refinished it in Burnt Bronze. We did the flutes in the same color. The stock is a Hogue. The scope is fixed 4 power that was on it.

0ey4.jpg
 
Best advice yet. Shoot it, get to know it. Many a gun has been "improved" only to later discover the "improvements" were anything but.

This. As long as it's not rusty, you can always refinish a rifle. You can't recreate the patina and wear that it's earned in it's 40+ years. Get a sling, maybe some Tech Sights. Good to go. If you want a shiny 10/22, buy a new one. They're cheap and you can never have too many 10/22s :D
 
I would use 0000 steel wool to clean the metal and wood. then polish everything with Renaissance Wax. please don't mess with the gun other then giving it a good cleaning.
 
If you decide to refinish the metal parts, bear in mind that the receiver is aluminum not steel.

Also, I would oil the wood and then put wax on it. I did that for one of my dad's bolt action Marlin rifles and it looked pretty nice - better than the chipped and beaten lacquer finish it had.

Since it is a gift and basically a family heirloom, I would not do any customizing. If you want a custom rifle, then start from scratch with one of the aftermarket Ruger clone receivers like Volquartsen and go from there. Leave the family rifle more or less the way it is (refinishing it would not hurt IMO).
 

Similar threads

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top