kg4kpg
Well-Known Fanatic
I revised this threat with a complete write-up I did for a Marlin forum.
Hello. I have this Marlin 783 that I'm about to refinish. I've had it a little while, just couldn't decide what to do with it. The previous owner had stripped off all of the bluing and put a clear coat on it. Conditions must not have been dry as there are little rust freckles all over it. I did strip off a patch and used some smooth sand paper and it came right off so I don't think it will be an issue. Once it is stripped it will get a Duracoat Extreme Tactical Dark Grey finish. I will polish the bolt and bolt handle. I'm not sure if I should attempt to remove the feed tube or not. I have the tools but I've never removed one before so not familiar with the process.
The stock isn't in too bad of shape but since I'm going grey I'm going to strip the stock and re-stain it in black. I think the grain will pop out in different shades of grey and black and will really compliment the steel. Of course, the Marlin Bulleye will be protected and retained. I will also be using a scope with this rifle.
Got it broke down to sub-assemblies now. The construction is really very simple. I'm just not sure about the pins. I'm sure I can punch them out and put them back in, question is when they go back in will they stay put? I'm sure I can mask all of this off for the refinishing if needed but I really want to break it down to the minimum. I imagine some of these parts could be polished to give smoother movement.
Upper completely broke down except the barrel.
The parts are now sanded and/or polished.
Duracoat Shake and Spray
Duracoat applied:
Bolt polished:
Bipod painted to match:
Finally finished! Stock has been refinished, bolt and internals have been polished, metal parts have been DuraCoated. I also put DuraCoat on a bipod to match. This is about the smoothest working paint I have used and will definitely order more. I hope it holds up as good as they say it does. An elevated scope base is in the way and I have a 4-16x44 mil dot scope to complete the package. I can't wait to get it out to shoot. I was also able to lighten the trigger pull a little so it doesn't feel like someone is pulling it the other way. I also found all of the iron sight parts and I?m just waiting on them to get in.
This was a fun project and I enjoyed giving a (not so old) rifle a little modern flair. The wood is awesome but I think a modern synthetic stock in a flat black would look good as well if one were available.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
And a Before and After comparison:
Hello. I have this Marlin 783 that I'm about to refinish. I've had it a little while, just couldn't decide what to do with it. The previous owner had stripped off all of the bluing and put a clear coat on it. Conditions must not have been dry as there are little rust freckles all over it. I did strip off a patch and used some smooth sand paper and it came right off so I don't think it will be an issue. Once it is stripped it will get a Duracoat Extreme Tactical Dark Grey finish. I will polish the bolt and bolt handle. I'm not sure if I should attempt to remove the feed tube or not. I have the tools but I've never removed one before so not familiar with the process.
The stock isn't in too bad of shape but since I'm going grey I'm going to strip the stock and re-stain it in black. I think the grain will pop out in different shades of grey and black and will really compliment the steel. Of course, the Marlin Bulleye will be protected and retained. I will also be using a scope with this rifle.
Got it broke down to sub-assemblies now. The construction is really very simple. I'm just not sure about the pins. I'm sure I can punch them out and put them back in, question is when they go back in will they stay put? I'm sure I can mask all of this off for the refinishing if needed but I really want to break it down to the minimum. I imagine some of these parts could be polished to give smoother movement.
Upper completely broke down except the barrel.
The parts are now sanded and/or polished.
Duracoat Shake and Spray
Duracoat applied:
Bolt polished:
Bipod painted to match:
Finally finished! Stock has been refinished, bolt and internals have been polished, metal parts have been DuraCoated. I also put DuraCoat on a bipod to match. This is about the smoothest working paint I have used and will definitely order more. I hope it holds up as good as they say it does. An elevated scope base is in the way and I have a 4-16x44 mil dot scope to complete the package. I can't wait to get it out to shoot. I was also able to lighten the trigger pull a little so it doesn't feel like someone is pulling it the other way. I also found all of the iron sight parts and I?m just waiting on them to get in.
This was a fun project and I enjoyed giving a (not so old) rifle a little modern flair. The wood is awesome but I think a modern synthetic stock in a flat black would look good as well if one were available.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
And a Before and After comparison:
