I think it's funny then, that the USMC used and treated stocks with BLO or some variation of for better than 100 years. One concoction was "Gunny Paste" 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Turpintine, 1/3 Beeswax, then again, majority of the time just plain old BLO was used. I never heard any reports of it never drying as long as it was rubbed in and buffed, otherwise, the rifles would have looked like sugar cookies. Who knows, maybe they were issued GI approved pixie dust to mix in.
Hi Richard,
Technically the only rifle stocks one could get away with using "Gunny Paste" on was NM rifle stocks. If one used Gunny Paste on their individual issued standard rifle and got caught with it at an inspection, it was going to cost one a fine and maybe a stripe, especially prior to WWII. Yes, I remember Inspectors SMELLING stocks that looked "too good" and if they caught a whiff of turpentine, one was in deep do do.
The ONLY oils authorized for Marines, Soldiers and Sailors to use on their rifle stocks were Raw Linseed Oil and Boiled linseed oil. Same thing on wood shotgun stocks and forearms and that was right up until I retired in 1997.
I will never forget sitting on my bucket in the sun and rubbing BLO into my M14 stock in Boot Camp on almost every Sunday in Boot Camp in 1971, except while we were at the rifle range. Had to get those stocks looking good for Final Inspection.
However, the Old Salts used to tell us how they used Lin Speed (BLO) Oil from the time it was publicly sold in small jars since the late 1950's, even though it was illegal to do it. There was no turpentine smell and since it was made from linseed oil, it smelled correct. It did actually dry within a few hours to overnight at most, so one could build up a lot of coats in two to three weeks.
WTBN at Quantico was still issuing M14's when I got there in Nov 1973. We used Tru Oil on NM rifle stocks, but that was strictly forbidden for standard M14's. So........ what we did was smooth the stocks, build up layers of Tru Oil, and a couple of days before an inspection, we put a coat of Lin Speed on the stocks. That way when an Inspector asked, we could truthfully say we hand rubbed BLO into our stocks. Wink.
When I became the RTE Armorer and NCOIC of the Edson Range Armory/Limited 4th echelon Repair Facility, the stocks and forearms on our few shotguns looked pretty dinged up. My OIC asked me how we could make them better? With a wink, I said I would do it myself when behind the closed door of my RTE Armory inside the Armory. Yes, I used Lin Speed, BUT not in front of anyone else. During our Annual Inspection, the Inspecting Officer noticed how good they looked and he was informed I had done it. Now, he strongly suspected I used Lin Speed or some other illegal finish, but couldn't prove it by the look or smell. I kept telling him I rubbed BLO into the stocks and forearms. Finally he said, "OK, SHOW me what you used!" I informed him I didn't have any in the Armory, as I wasn't actually using it. He got an evil grin on his face until I continued. I said, "Sir, you surely know that BLO is a flammable substance and we are not allowed to store it inside the Armory when not in use. However, the unfinished amount is properly stored out in the Paint Locker." Well, the Inspecting Officer then said, "OK, let's go out to the paint locker." Once there I showed him a half full quart can of BLO and he could no longer argue. After he finished the Inspection and left, my OIC asked me why he had me take him to the paint locker. When I told him about the half can of BLO there, he said, "But we never ordered any BLO." I grinned and said I had placed my own can there a couple days earlier, but the Inspector didn't know that. My OIC laughed heartily at that.
Now to get back on topic for some of the questions of using Raw or Boiled Linseed Oil, what MOST folks in the Armed Forces didn't know was WHY we were only allowed to use Raw or Boiled Linseed Oil. It WASN'T to make the stocks shiny for inspection and especially not to have a shiny stock in combat, which might give one away to an enemy. The real reason to use Raw or Boiled Linseed Oil was so the stocks would not dry out too much and check crack, which made the stocks unserviceable. It was also meant to partially block salt water as much as possible from getting into the pores of the stock. Once your wood stock DID get semi or fully immersed in salt water, you were expected to wash the wood well in clean regular water. Once you let the stock dry overnight, then you were expected to put new coats of Raw or Boiled Linseed Oil on the wood as soon as possible.
Gus
