Salt wood and rust - need a new stock advice requested please

Hi there, I just joined this sight as I have been considering what to do about my now rusty and once gorgeous made in Finland bolt action browning 22-250. I bought the gun in the mid 90s privately and it was in great shape at the time, beautiful figured wood, heavy barrel with perfect bluing, small notch in the stock was the only issue. this was early stages of the internet and I had never heard of salt wood - seems pretty dumb to have used it.

Fast forward about 10 years and I am living in a basement apartment and I set my gun down in the closet but down leaning against the wall - this was the start of the end for this gun - I looked at it after an unknown time and noticed that the finish was flaking off of the stock at the but end, just a bit in the corner. so I was a little distressed about this because the gun was so darn pretty, I put a bit of urethane on the exposed wood and didnt think much of it, I tried at the time to remove the but screws but they wouldn't budge. Well fast forward again and things got worse - i started to notice a bit of rust where the barrel meats the wood and more recently where the action meets the wood, and the sling attachments have for a long time been rust magnets. This past summer I noticed more rust creeping in around the action and then the finish on the stock started flaking badly so I decided to get serious, I forced the but pad screws out, one breaking off it was rusted so bad, the other quite a fight but it eventually came, the sling attachments are a right off as well and removed the rear stock finish as it was loose as can be. I have now stripped the action quite a bit down, took a brass brush to the rust and covered liberally with oil and am not putting it back together with the stock. I am trying to decide whether anything can be done with the stock but general internet concensus is to give up on it. so.....

does anyone have any guidance for a replacement boyds stock? i.e. which would fit. serial number is 8740Z8 or any other advice on what might be done with this once beautiful gun so it can at least be functional

thanks

David

thanks for the advice, I should have mentioned that I am in southern Ontario and I presume Art is somewhere in the States, might not be possible for me to move the gun back and forth over the border but if he is able/willing to give advice over the phone... I guess it doesnt hurt to ask.

Well, I made a couple of inquiries, one to whoever it was that answered the phone at Arts... unfortunately not a lot of help he could offer, but he offered what he could. apparently what I have is a browning high power or safari, he suggested that I might find a replacement at Boyds or at Montana custom guns. gonna be pricey, likely more than the gun is worth especially now that it has rust damage.

I emailed Boyds - they say they dont have a stock for a browning safari - not much help there to try and figure out what might work - I tried calling but didnt want to leave a message as I am calling from Canada I figured they might not be keen to call back so that is when I emailed.

I think my best plan is going to be to strip as much of the worn finish off the gun as possible, maybe bed the barrel so it is not touching the wood so that might also need some material removal from the stock to make sure it is free floating by a good margin, put in stainless sling studs and but pad screws and hope for the best.

There are shops that will duplicate your stock in any wood of your choice.