Thread: Norinco .22 resoration

Hi All,

Recently purchased a Norinco .22 from a forum member (cheers by the way its a nice wee rifle)

Took it out put some rounds through it and it shoots just fine.

Ive never looked at restoring anyting before but thought it might be a good way to fill in some time over the next few months.

This is where my knowledge ends ... (stop laughing now ...)

So my plans were to strip it all down, Sand back the stock, re-stain/oil/varnish it. Then do something to tidy up the barrel/action etc.

Put it all back together and call it my first project ....

So now my questions ....

Stock ... just sand away with some fine paper to remove the existing varnish? I have read online you could use some chemical solvent of some description to remove this easily? or is it best to put some elbow grease into it and just sand it back the good old fashioned way?

The stock is in reasnoble condition with just the odd few scratches/dents, nothing too deep so im thinking just sanding lightly should remove 95% of these... dont think id need to use any filler but if i do what would be best to use?

I would imagine there are specalist oils/varnishe's for use on stocks ..? any reccomendations?

Barrel ... once upon a time it was blued but this has slowly worn away over the years .... what would be easier, re-blue it or remove it all and polish it up all nice?

Methods/techniques or advise on the barrel and working parts would be appreciated ...

This doesnt have to turn out fantastic or anything but I thought id give it a go to see how i get on ....

And now that i read my post again it seems really naff given the other topic's of conversation in this part of the forum.. hahahaha,

Just so I am clear i have never 'tinkered' with my own rifles before, usually i shoot em and clean em.

Thought itd be fun to give this a go ..... might lead to other projects if I enjoy it

paint stripper on the varnish, or else a random orbital with some 40 or 80 grit discs, as the stocks on them are over fat anyways,,,

Originally Posted by ANTSMAN

paint stripper on the varnish, or else a random orbital with some 40 or 80 grit discs, as the stocks on them are over fat anyways,,,

Beauty, thats probably the easiest part confirmed ...

Know much about oils or varnish antsman? wouldnt imagine you would use a decking varnish or the like on a rifle would ya?

Yip paint stripper, for the first clean off.
Any checkering or difficult spots will take a few goes and use the toothbrush to help clean it off as well.
Wood is soft on norincos so don't press to hard with the sandpaper, and for gods sake go with the grain!
For dents try a wet cloth and a hot iron to try steam them out. May take a few goes.
the wood used is typically very blond so pick a wood stain that you like to get some colour in it.
I use a walnut stain. Then I finish with truoil, its sort of a oil/varnish combo sand with 600grit or finer between coats.

Haven't tried to reblue anything for years, was never any good at it.

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Yip paint stripper, for the first clean off.
Any checkering or difficult spots will take a few goes and use the toothbrush to help clean it off as well.
Wood is soft on norincos so don't press to hard with the sandpaper, and for gods sake go with the grain!
For dents try a wet cloth and a hot iron to try steam them out. May take a few goes.
the wood used is typically very blond so pick a wood stain that you like to get some colour in it.
I use a walnut stain. Then I finish with truoil, its sort of a oil/varnish combo sand with 600grit or finer between coats.

Haven't tried to reblue anything for years, was never any good at it.

Wet cloth and hot iron ... sounds like i am in for a learning experience ... hahahaha

Im thinking the barrel and what not is where alot of time will be spent, was thinking i could sit there and buff it all off then polish it all up to a nice shine ....

on the stock, Tung oil or Tru oil,,,

Tru-oil Gun Stock Finish Kit

Not too expensive ....

Or, use boiled linseed oil from the local hardware store on your stock, first few coats 50/50 with turps and a few more 100% . Just make sure its dry before you apply the next coat. May take a day or a couple of days per coat. Turns out mint tho

I wouldn't go to hard out on the norinco stock as there pretty junk wood well mine is...I'd look into carving up your own stock now that's fun and a good challenge just use some pine for 1st attempt or some macracarpa as I'm currently doing myself. I did the same stripped the norinco stock down looks ok but there not well shaped. Just my 2 cents

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2

Originally Posted by turner nz

I wouldn't go to hard out on the norinco stock as there pretty junk wood well mine is...I'd look into carving up your own stock now that's fun and a good challenge just use some pine for 1st attempt or some macracarpa as I'm currently doing myself. I did the same stripped the norinco stock down looks ok but there not well shaped. Just my 2 cents

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah I stripped it all down lastnight for a good look and they really dont seem that robust.... (it is only a.22 at the end of the day, not like they have alot of recoil to deal with or anything)

I have a mate in the fibreglass business so i could chat to him about making me a mould but thats probably going to abit of an extreme ... was just a strip down and tidy up as a wee project ...

mate, just strip her down, sand the pistol grip a little skinnier, chop the barrel short and re thread, bingo, super handy !

Originally Posted by ANTSMAN

mate, just strip her down, sand the pistol grip a little skinnier, chop the barrel short and re thread, bingo, super handy !

Yep, dont want to get all carried away on a cheap bunny buster...

you dont want to post up some photos so i can see what your dealing with?
the wood on norincos is generaly crap, but you sound like your learning that, point is you can polish a turd, i often stick the stripped stock into the dish washer, 2 reasons. 1 it raises bumps and dings realy well. 2 it will suck out the oil that often soaks into the grain of the wood so a new finish will take well.
if it only has a couple of little bruises, then a soaked tea towel and a firm press with a hot iron will work, but it wont get the oil out.
linsead oil is an exelent finish for a number of reasons, it will penitrate deeply into the wood preventing moisture entering and warping the wood, it darkens the wood naturaly over time, you can (and should) apply another coat at a later date and "refresh" the finish, but mostly because you can repair a ding down the track very easily.
remember one thing, you cant add wood back on, think about it before you do it.
watch when you sand the edges especialy the barrel channel and inletting, you dont want to roll the edge as it will look like a "home job"
heres a couple i have done reasently.




worst case senario, you can paint it and have a "sinthetic" looking stock, so dont worry too much about a cheapy stock.
have fun. any questions please feel free to ask.
greg

Wow nice job Greg those stocks look great!

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2