Care of stocks....

[greybeard]

I'm with roundball on this one. Prove to me that a fingernail of cup grease rubbed into your hands and then wiping down said gun with your hands is doing any harm to the firearm. Yes cup grease is petrolium grease but it is such a minute amount I can see no harm being done.
Show me and I will stop using it.
    Could be I'm jest stubborn or not too bright but I see no ill efects from this practice.
    Same for WD 40. As long as you don't soak the wood in it it works great for cleaning the bore before using the oil of your choice in the bore.
  As one of the members says " Opinions are like A#**& holes, everybody has one"
Cheers   Bob

[slumlord44]

A lot of oil soaking into a stock over a long period of time would probably damage a stock. A light coat wiped off probably would not. You always get some oil on the stock when you wipe down the metal. It would be impossible not to. I wipe the metal down with oil and then do the stock with Howards. It overlaps both ways. The way I see it, whatever works well for you. I think that regular maintenance is more important that the specific product you use. You can correct minor problems before they become major problems.

[greybeard]

In my first post Re:cup grease . I did not suggest or recomend soaking a gunstock in light oil of any ilk. Most of the responses were condeming OIL on stocks and rightfully so. However cup grease is not light oil and does not soak into or rot the wood used in minute amounts as sugested by Mr. Dunlap.
Cheers   Bob

[Dphariss]

My point is:
It will make trying to FIX the finish or renew it more difficult.
Chassis grease is for lubrication of metal parts not wood finish or polish.

But its America folks can do whatever they like.

Personally I have no desire to rub on my face with a SKIN IRRITANT when shooting a rifle.

But then I would not use linseed oil or shellac for wheel bearing grease either.

Though I know of an instance where one of the less brilliant citizens of Sweetgrass County put linseed oil in a 1990s, then new, JD farm tractor as motor oil. It was in the shop in a drum and was for wood coating of course. But it looked like motor oil... The tractor ran for about 3 days feeding hay etc before it gave up and quit guess the LS oil finally got too thick. Cost his boss over $10K  IIRC.

Dan

[twistedtree]

I agree a good paste wax will do the trick

[hoochiepapa]

My point is:
It will make trying to FIX the finish or renew it more difficult.
Chassis grease is for lubrication of metal parts not wood finish or polish.

But its America folks can do whatever they like.

Personally I have no desire to rub on my face with a SKIN IRRITANT when shooting a rifle.

But then I would not use linseed oil or shellac for wheel bearing grease either.

Though I know of an instance where one of the less brilliant citizens of Sweetgrass County put linseed oil in a 1990s, then new, JD farm tractor as motor oil. It was in the shop in a drum and was for wood coating of course. But it looked like motor oil... The tractor ran for about 3 days feeding hay etc before it gave up and quit guess the LS oil finally got too thick. Cost his boss over $10K  IIRC.

Dan

I had the bad fortune of telling a customer at my gun shop that his magnificent shotgun with a outstanding walnut stock had to be re-stocked because the oil he had been using to wipe down everything (3in1) had rotted the wood at the juction of receiver and stock.

[Roger Fisher]

A fair rubbing of olde tyme leaded linseed oil works for me.   

                                       So far

[caliber45]

Jojoba oil (found in health food stores; natural liquid wax from desert plant) on stock and metal. Second choice: Johnson's Paste Wax. -- paulallen, tucson az