rem 552 speedmaster

[Sonoma2k2]

I saved this rifle from the pawnshop. looks as if someone used it as a truck gun or something. the wood needs a litle help and the bluing does to. I hve always wnted one of these rifles as my father has one. It shoots like a house of fire just needs some help on the apearnces.

1. Whats good to use on the wood to get the "dead" off and start with a new finish?

2. as for the bluing i got no idea since the barrel needs some help and the reciever is scratched all around.

I heard sand paper is a no no cause you cant replace what you took off with it. maybe i can post a pic of the girl a little later.

[cheese1566]

I am sure I'll be 'corrected" on this but I look at it this way:

You the owner must ask yourself what kind of 'restoration' or refurbishing do you want?

If you want to new out of the box quality, then it is a long tedious process.

Care must be taken to not remove too much metal and to maintain crisp corners, edges, and stampings. This involves using files and the technique of draw filing. Then using different grits of wet/dry paper using flat blocks or plate sheet glass to maintain the plane of the metal and those sharp crisp edges and corners. Then buff...I found help on this from books at my local library.

Or if you want to clean it up and have a nice shooter then you can go a different route.

I redid a 22 bolt action that I salvaged from my brother-in-laws closet. It will eventually be a hand me down to my daughter and for use by my trusted coworkers to teach their daughters gun handling. It is nothing special, just an old Remington. It was a basket case with surface rust, little bluing and dirty wood with paint and tar splotches. Someone broke the handle off the bolt and looked like they used a stick welder to fix it.
I didn't want a new out of the box restoration because sometimes you cannot polish a turd...i would never get the deep scratches out completely and the gun as a whole would only be worth a couple hundred at the most. That money I could buy a new one for her...
So I cleaned it, sandblasted the metal (God forbid!) and cold blued (heavens sake!). The stock was scrubbed with Formby's Furniture Refinshers/steel wool and with lacquer thinner. Then I steamed the stock to help reduce the gouges and dents. You can easily do this with a water soaked/damp thick towel and a hot clothes iron. Must be done with bare or stripped wood, if it is sealed then the steam cannot penetrate the fibers. Then coats of Formby's Tung Oil Finish. Came out better than I expected. A nice friend here gave me a trigger guard to replace the missing one.
I like that gun and proud to show it off and shoot it. Eventhough it was a 'basement' gunsmith project and not a restoration, I like to think I recreated an heirloom in the family.

My two cents and really only babbled and said nothing.
Ask yourself what you want and how much you are willing to spend. You probably will never regain your money. Check your library for gunsmithing books. Or PM me if you want.:-D

[MtGun44]

Strongly recommend Watco Danish Oil finish. Use 600 grit wet or dry after first coat is
dry to make a "mud" of walnut dust in the oil. Then wipe evenly with fingers into pores
and let dry - will look like a mess. Then sand when totally dry with 600 grit again, and
apply a couple more coats with fingers. You will be pleased.

Pay the money for a proper blue job it you want it nice. You can do a fair to middling job
with T4 from Brownells, but no cold blue will look as nice as a good hot tank blue.
Good luck. I have a Speedmaster and it is a tack driver.

Bill