doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pre-64 Winchester Finish -- What did they use?

Yes, I agree that any dicussion of "Winchester" stock finishes should be time period specific. I'm not certain the exact date that Winchester began using lacquer (some sources say as early as 1935). However, after WWII, sprayed lacquer was their standard stock finish. Hack asked what the original finish would have been on a pre-64 Model 70. Lacquer was the orignal standard stock finish for a Model 70 unless "oil" was special ordered. The process I described for finishing a pre-64 Model 70 is my adaptation of the Winchester method as given in Rule's book The Rifleman's Rifle.

It is my opinion that prior to using lacquer, Winchester used shellac for their extra finish guns and boiled linseed oil for their "oil" finshed guns. I believe that this dates back to as early as 1866.

Thanks Shawn, Rule's is one not in my library, but with last weekends M-70, .375 I wish it was. There is much I need to know before offering it for sale!?!?

My Winchester experience is mainly Pre-WWI.

Last night I went through all of my Winchester reference books. According to Ned Schwing's book, Winchester began using lacquer during WWI as a stock finish. There are cetainly those more knowledgeable than me but I believe this to be an error. According to my research nitrocellulose lacquer was not invented until the 1920s. Its original use was for the automobile industry. I believe that it is more likely that Winchester began using lacquer during the 1930s at the earliest and was certainly using it after WWII.

Some authors state that Winchester used a combination of linseed oil and tung oil as their "oil" finish. Other authors state that Winchester used just linseed oil. There are so many differences of opinion amoung the various authors of Winchester books that it is difficult to know who is correct.