Hello Peter,

I’ve been given a Beretta shotgun stock to refurbish.  It has some deep scratches and gouges in it, that is through the finish and into the mahogany, caused by barbed wire and rough handling.  My questions are…

Should I sand back the existing finish or use a chemical stripper then sand out the scrapes?

How should I refinish the stock?

I have no idea what the original covering is.  I gave it a sneaky sand on a hidden area and a fine white flour like powder resulted making me think a varnish of some sort.  Beretta have a video on their website showing a finish being applied with a cloth which would suggest an oil.  I have a Fugi HVLP sprayer if you think that’s the way to go.  Any light you can shed would be much appreciated.

Thanks

John