Help restoring a Remington 788

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

This may be a relatively dumb question, and if so, I'm sorry. But I'm in the process of restoring a Remington 788 chambered in .222. I know I'm putting in more time than what the gun is worth, but I received it from my grandpa when he passed a number of years back.

I am about halfway through refinishing the stock, and I've made 5 passes of rust bluing all the metal, with an expected 5 to 7 more passes to get that where I want it. My question is about the hard plastic recoil pad. It is in rough shape...faded, scratched, dented, etc. How on God's green earth can I salvage it? Is there a way to make it look new as well? If not, is there a place to buy replacement recoil pads that are original equipment?

I'm trying to leave the gun as close to stock as I can, except for the trigger. It'll get a timney. I just hate to put that ragged looking recoil pad back on, when everything else will look new. Thanks for any insight y'all can provide.

 

[LoneTraveler]

Check around, Many 788 Remington had their actions sleeved and new stocks to become bench rest or precision rifles. There should be a few good butt plates around. May want to put a request in the gunsmith section.

 

[Dosh]

Have you tried Numrich?

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Yep, I tried there. They list it, but it's out of stock.

 

[Ckgworks]

I have had some luck cleaning them up, but it really depends on how bad they are and what they were made out of.....it seems when they were popular, it was a new age for plastics and the mix varied a lot trying to find the right blend! Some are brittle, some melt from cleaners, etc.... so do any testing on the back! I have used SHARP triangle files to clean up the grooves or checkering. Ultra fine sand paper and steel wool can remove the scratches/scrapes, and they can be polished back up to deep black shine. I remember one, that I wiped with paint thinner, which ate away at the surface. I thought all was lost, but it actually wiped out the scratches, and actually looked decent after polishing with steel wool. Good luck! As others said, buying one is easier but if you can't find one, you might as well try clean it up......You might also watch Evil-Bay, I've found alot if odd ball stuff listed there.

 

[MNbogboy]

You could try a "headlight" polishing kit available at auto parts stores or even some walmarts. They include a liquid polish with a very fine grit and a conditioner once your done. I cleaned up a faded 10-22 clip with that kit came out looking way better. It was almost grey in color and restored to the original shiny black. Other automotive products like Armorall may work also, made to look old plastics look new. Sometimes it pays to "think out of the box"...so to speak.