I've had a salt wood T2 for going on 3 decades now. Never had the butt plate off due to the rust binding the screws, but then again I have no reason to remove it. When I purchased my rifle I knew it was probably a salt wood due to a smaller than dime sized rust spot on the receiver partially covered by the stock. That was the extent of the rust. I coated the metal with Rig and reassembled it. Every few years I take it down and add some Rig. After 3 decades, no additional rust, not a spec. I will continue to maintain it and enjoy it. It's a beautiful rifle and very accurate with good ammo.

pepper51, enjoy your rifle, it really is a treasure.

I wish Browning would have reproduced the old rifle, instead of the new design with the horrible trigger.

 

She's a beaut Pepper. Good score!

Love mine but it's a grade I and not near as much curb appeal.

Frank

 

Frank don't shortchange yours I had two GRD 1's and they shoot real well, I had a 950 Shilen barrel installed on it that was a dream to bench, wish I still had it.I still have the original 21 inch barrel that came off it.

S/SP

 

some more pics

 

Looks real nice, and a shooter as well! 👍

 

Beautiful.

That stock seems to have more than usual drop.

 

Very nice. Lovely stock. You were lucky. My salt stock couldn’t be saved so it eventually got replaced with a Boyds. Had to parkerize the damaged recvr and barrel. I cleaned up the trigger guard damage and sprayed it with high heat black and cooked it. Turned out nice.

 

Nice rifle! Congrats on finding it.

My Belgian T-bolt is a professionally restored saltwood gun, but its beautiful and shoots well. I enjoy owning it. After seeing your groups I need to try some match ammo.

 

I had the opportunity to buy a Belgium Browning T-Bolt with grade II stock in left hand. It is a 1967 production, right in the middle of the salt wood era. When it comes to Browning guns of this era, I always assume it will be salt wood with the question being how bad. It looked okay on the outside but not being able to disassemble, I took a chance. I have had experience with salt wood guns in the past so knowing damage can be extensive. I was happy to find the barreled action had zero effect of salt. No damage to bluing or any of the metal. There was some normal light surface rust from sitting in a closet for many years. Lots of dust too. The metal cleaned up nicely with a couple dings and light scratches.
The screws holding the butt plate on are a different story. They were stuck and difficult to remove with the top one being the worst. Both had rust, a sure sign of salt wood. I was lucky that in my parts I found the exact same butt plate screws in perfect condition to replace the rusty ones.
Someone once upon a time had put some kind of coating on the stock. Likely thinking of a fresh up, I think. I tried to clean it up but that was not working very well so I stripped all the finish off then sanded the wood. Reading information in this forum relating to salt wood, I used noremf (George) advise. There is no cure for salt wood that any finish will cure. noremf stated that shellac will slow the effect of salt the best. In all the inletted areas of the stock I applied two coats of shellac before lacquer. The rest of the stock got six coats of lacquer. The butt plate screws got a good coat of Fluid Film, rust and corrosion protection. I then applied Rigg grease to all metal that is in the stock. If there has not been any salt damage to the barreled action after 55 years, it should go another 50 with care. Still a work in progress but thought I would share to this point. The wood has some nice figure to it and no serious damage, and minimal salt area so I made it a project. People that know salt wood would likely say use it for firewood and order a new stock. Sound advice.
It came with the original peep sight and extra magazine. I shot it at an indoor range of 50 feet with one hole 5 shot groups with 4 different types of ammo. Trigger pull is 2 1/2 pounds with a touch of creep. I will keep working on it and someday shoot outdoors and see what happens. Cataracts are holding me back now and even using a scope is frustrating. Hope to get a fix this year.

I also have a 67 grade 2 in left hand bought it new in 68 and I just took it apart to check for salt wood, no salt It's been a safe queen for 30 years,having finally fixed a Remington 581 LH and started shooting a bolt rifle again I just don't know what I've been missing.
Get that cataract surgery done soon you will be shooting open sights with little problem.
S/SP

 

I'm 🤑with envy. My RH '66 T2 salty dog has to be my consolation. The metal is not too badly rusted/pitted, but the stock finish is extensively crazed. The effect has kind of grown on me over the years and I'll leave as is for future archeological research and wonderment.

 

Would it make sense to heavily grease the metal where it contacted the wood? Or cosmoline, if that is available? The salt would have to leave the wood and travel across the grease and touch the steel.

A second wonderment on my part: how about installing two pillars for the action screws and then glass bed any surface that touch the gun.

Perhaps brass screws on the butt plate. Brass works for marine service. The heads can be blackened.

 

I've had a salt wood T2 for going on 3 decades now. Never had the butt plate off due to the rust binding the screws, but then again I have no reason to remove it. When I purchased my rifle I knew it was probably a salt wood due to a smaller than dime sized rust spot on the receiver partially covered by the stock. That was the extent of the rust. I coated the metal with Rig and reassembled it. Every few years I take it down and add some Rig. After 3 decades, no additional rust, not a spec. I will continue to maintain it and enjoy it. It's a beautiful rifle and very accurate with good ammo.

pepper51, enjoy your rifle, it really is a treasure.

 

Peeper how far was that group shot at?

 

I had the opportunity to buy a Belgium Browning T-Bolt with grade II stock in left hand. It is a 1967 production, right in the middle of the salt wood era. When it comes to Browning guns of this era, I always assume it will be salt wood with the question being how bad. It looked okay on the outside but not being able to disassemble, I took a chance. I have had experience with salt wood guns in the past so knowing damage can be extensive. I was happy to find the barreled action had zero effect of salt. No damage to bluing or any of the metal. There was some normal light surface rust from sitting in a closet for many years. Lots of dust too. The metal cleaned up nicely with a couple dings and light scratches.
The screws holding the butt plate on are a different story. They were stuck and difficult to remove with the top one being the worst. Both had rust, a sure sign of salt wood. I was lucky that in my parts I found the exact same butt plate screws in perfect condition to replace the rusty ones.
Someone once upon a time had put some kind of coating on the stock. Likely thinking of a fresh up, I think. I tried to clean it up but that was not working very well so I stripped all the finish off then sanded the wood. Reading information in this forum relating to salt wood, I used noremf (George) advise. There is no cure for salt wood that any finish will cure. noremf stated that shellac will slow the effect of salt the best. In all the inletted areas of the stock I applied two coats of shellac before lacquer. The rest of the stock got six coats of lacquer. The butt plate screws got a good coat of Fluid Film, rust and corrosion protection. I then applied Rigg grease to all metal that is in the stock. If there has not been any salt damage to the barreled action after 55 years, it should go another 50 with care. Still a work in progress but thought I would share to this point. The wood has some nice figure to it and no serious damage, and minimal salt area so I made it a project. People that know salt wood would likely say use it for firewood and order a new stock. Sound advice.
It came with the original peep sight and extra magazine. I shot it at an indoor range of 50 feet with one hole 5 shot groups with 4 different types of ammo. Trigger pull is 2 1/2 pounds with a touch of creep. I will keep working on it and someday shoot outdoors and see what happens. Cataracts are holding me back now and even using a scope is frustrating. Hope to get a fix this year.

Beautiful rifle. i also was able to find a 1967 T-Bolt in left hand grade 1. A little salt pitting on the barrel.
After a lot of different brands and types of ammo it seems to like the RWS Match the best. With a little more work I think it will produce one hole groups at 50yds.

Best of luck with your rifle.

 

Mine has some evidence externally but not too bad and for what I paid for it I'm happy...

 

BWstickman, the group I posted was at 50 feet indoors.5 shots.

 

I also have a 1967 vintage T bolt that is a non-salt gun. I purchased it in 1973 and was not aware of the salt problem until the internet educated me... I pulled the stock and zero rust. It has always been a great little rifle for me. I have an earlier T bolt that has been custom stocked, but is also a non-salt rifle. Luck of the draw I guess.

 

I had the opportunity to buy a Belgium Browning T-Bolt with grade II stock in left hand. It is a 1967 production, right in the middle of the salt wood era. When it comes to Browning guns of this era, I always assume it will be salt wood with the question being how bad. It looked okay on the outside but not being able to disassemble, I took a chance. I have had experience with salt wood guns in the past so knowing damage can be extensive. I was happy to find the barreled action had zero effect of salt. No damage to bluing or any of the metal. There was some normal light surface rust from sitting in a closet for many years. Lots of dust too. The metal cleaned up nicely with a couple dings and light scratches.
The screws holding the butt plate on are a different story. They were stuck and difficult to remove with the top one being the worst. Both had rust, a sure sign of salt wood. I was lucky that in my parts I found the exact same butt plate screws in perfect condition to replace the rusty ones.
Someone once upon a time had put some kind of coating on the stock. Likely thinking of a fresh up, I think. I tried to clean it up but that was not working very well so I stripped all the finish off then sanded the wood. Reading information in this forum relating to salt wood, I used noremf (George) advise. There is no cure for salt wood that any finish will cure. noremf stated that shellac will slow the effect of salt the best. In all the inletted areas of the stock I applied two coats of shellac before lacquer. The rest of the stock got six coats of lacquer. The butt plate screws got a good coat of Fluid Film, rust and corrosion protection. I then applied Rigg grease to all metal that is in the stock. If there has not been any salt damage to the barreled action after 55 years, it should go another 50 with care. Still a work in progress but thought I would share to this point. The wood has some nice figure to it and no serious damage, and minimal salt area so I made it a project. People that know salt wood would likely say use it for firewood and order a new stock. Sound advice.
It came with the original peep sight and extra magazine. I shot it at an indoor range of 50 feet with one hole 5 shot groups with 4 different types of ammo. Trigger pull is 2 1/2 pounds with a touch of creep. I will keep working on it and someday shoot outdoors and see what happens. Cataracts are holding me back now and even using a scope is frustrating. Hope to get a fix this year.

i have a browning t bolt that i purchased in the late sixties that now has a half inch of rotting wood on the stock right at the butt plate. discolored for aways up the stock and has had rust issues.

 

I purchased a salt era '66 T-Bolt two years ago. Always wanted one. This was completely restored/rebuilt by Browning (documented) and then was put away. It came to me in pristine condition and it shoots very well. I didn't get it cheap, but she's a beauty.

 

I've always wanted one too.
Been offered Salty ones with nasty metal....

 

Never heard of this. A left-handed version was always a want but never pursued.
Sad to see quality ruined by an obvious management blunder.

 

To revive an old thread; I have a LH one with the factory peep sight in perfect shape. Not slat effects at all, and it too is a great shooter. I am in in the process of buying another one that has no Slat Wood issues but it has been cut down to a 12.75" LOP. I know Boyd's make the right hand version of this stock, has anyone found a place that has Left hand versions of the old T-Bolt stocks

 

I'm not aware of any repro leftie stocks being offered. That would have to be a one off, by someone with a duplicator.