Isn't actual cure time and drying time between coats different ?
Yes, Joe.
"Cure" time is that required for the multiple coats to completely polymerize and harden all the way through. Among the more common stock finishes, Tru-oil is notoriously slow to cure and 3-months is not out of the question if it was applied thickly enough. It might be "dry" enough to handle (shoot) gently within a week or so of the last coat, but there's no way it will be fully cured. Try rubbing one out, or wrapping it in cloth and clamping it (to install a recoil pad) or cutting into it with a checkering tool within a month of finishing and you'll see how "un-cured" it is just below the surface. Attempt to rub out too soon and you'll cut through the hard skin and create a gummy mess. Wrap it in cloth and clamp it, or even lay it on its side on a piece of linen for a day and it will acquire the pattern of the weave. Cut into it with a checkering tool and you'll be greeted with the fragrance of fresh Tru-oil. Generally, tung-oil-based finishes cure quicker and harder than linseed-oil-based finishes.
