Unvarnished advice

My shotgun has an old varnish finish on the stock. The wood is reasonable and I would like to strip off the old varnish and replace it with a finish that brings out the beauty of the wood. What should I use?

Ian says: I would highly recommend taking your gun to a qualified gunmaker or gunsmith as the varnish would need to be fully removed before additional finish can be applied. Taking off such a hard finish can lead to excessive wood removal if not done correctly. Most gunmakers will make their own stock oils but there are many commercial oils available, such as CCL or Trade Secrets.