Browning FN

Question
QUESTION: Jim I am sure you get tired of the same old questions but your experience is most helpful to a novice gun collector like myself. I have a Browning FN Mauser and I would like to know if this is one with the infamous "salter stock" ? I have owned it about 5 years and have never seen any visable pitting on the barrel or around the screws ...I hunt with it every year and had never even heard of a salter stock until reading about it here ...the numbers on the barrel say 7L 39745 ..it is a 270 in the Safari grade ...if it were a saltier stock would I be seeing visual evidence of rust without having to take the gun out of the stock?

Scott Reeves
Paducah Kentucky

ANSWER: Scott,

Your rifle was made in 1967 which is the start of the salt wood years for Browning. Because you don't see any rust, does NOT mean it isn't salty. The only way to know for sure is to test with Silver Nitrate 1% solution. Hope this helps.

Jim

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Jim thank you for the reply ...I decided to take my rifle to a local gunsmith here in Paducah ...he took it apart and found no evidence of rust and he said it appeared to be very clean (although since he had it apart I had him do a through cleaning ...I doubt he used Silver Nitrate BUT after having it over 5 years and hunting with it every year ... would you not think if it was a salt stock he would have found some rust?

Answer
Actually, I have seen rifles that have absolutely no pitting, rust, finish discoloration or any signs and were full of salt. If the rifle has been stored in a low humidity environment and well taken care it could be mint condition, but salty. It is difficult to say for sure unless you test the rifle. It is doubtful in your case, but hard to say. I wouldn't panic, but you might consider testing it sometime.

Jim