Crosman 180 Stock Refinish Part 4 Finale

Over the last few days, I filled the grain and gave the stock six or seven coats of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. It's a slow process. Coat the stock with a thin coat of oil, let it dry. Use quadruple-aught (0000) steel wool and buff the finish. Grab a tack cloth and remove the steel wool and any dust. Start over with the Tru-Oil. I could (should?) do another 5 or more coats for a really professional looking finish. It would probably look 10% better. But, I'm not a professional and I want to get on with my life.
June 5 update: Spent the extra time and got that pro finish after all.

This is after the last coat of Tru-Oil--before the steel wool and tack cloth work.



Glossy, baby.

Running your hand across the surface lets you feel how the Tru-Oil dries a bit unevenly. It's a bit unnerving at first to scuff the surface with the steel wool. Seems like I worked so hard to get it shiny and now I'm undoing all that.

Go easy with the steel wool. Try for a matte finish on the stock. Especially concentrate on any glossy or built up areas. It helps to work outside or under a strong light.

Since I was quitting at this point, I gave the stock a quick buff with a silicone treated rag. This gave the stock a nice warm look.

Screwed the sling stud into the hole previously drilled. Went looking for the action.

A few weeks ago:

This is a look back at the 180 as I received it from James.

Excellent shape given it's age.


Here's the 180 today:

Repaired valve, resealed, bulk-fill capable, new bolt handle, trigger work, new rear sight...

Josh, this is how I'd add a sling to a vintage Crosman rifle.

Had an old leather strap from Beeman's. Got it a couple decades ago with my Feinwerkbau 124. Looks the part on the old 180.



Nick, thanks again for the Knight rear sight. A huge upgrade in both quality and aesthetics.

The wood transition lines are super clean. I think sanding the pieces on the granite surface plate really panned out. I'm extremely happy with the Gorilla Glue, too. It promises to be waterproof and insanely strong.

Yep. Deck screws for the butt.



I'll probably respray the trigger guard in a semi-gloss black. An epoxy paint would be best. Simply removing and reinstalling the action into the stock a few times really wears the paint off the edges of the guard. The stock will get more polishing from the silicone cloth over the next few weeks.
I wasn't going to go to all this trouble until I realized that I simply wouldn't shoot the gun much otherwise. Given the choice to shoot something plain Jane or gorgeous, which would you choose? There's a Crosman 147BP sitting downstairs that could benefit from similar treatment. It's on the list.