I have a Winchester 101 Trap Gun that I refinished back in 1974 using sprayed-on DEFT lacquer. It spent 3-5 nights a week out in Chicago weather at the trap fields ... sometimes, more ... it looks like new today, so the argument about "SHOOTERS" vs. "SAFE QUEENS" holds no water. It's not about whether a gun is used or not ... it's about how you care for it while using it.
How would you define "FINISH", and how does BLO fit into the definition ??? It offers ZERO protection ... does not inhibit the transmission of water into the stock ... it is organic and supportive of mold growth if not topcoated. The reason BLO is so easy to touch up (only if NOT topcoated) is that it never really dries ... you might as well use Canola oil. BLO's only real use is as a colorant, and there are much better materials available to accomplish that task. Yeah, I know your great-grandfather used it on everything, but he didn't have the knowledge and access to the materials we have today ... 100 years or so does a lot in that regard.
Oils
Drying oils, such as linseed and tung, are appropriate natural
finishes for indoor use and are fine for indoor furniture and
other interior uses not subjected to water or high humidity.
Oils perform poorly outdoors because they are natural prod
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ucts and therefore provide food for mildew. When used on
highly colored woods such as redwood or the cedars, they
tend to increase mildew growth. Even if formulated with a
mildewcide, they may not give adequate performance out
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doors. The original “Madison Formula” for a semitranspar
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ent stain could be formulated with up to 60% linseed oil and
it contained 5% pentachlorophenol as a mildewcide. Even
with this mildewcide, it was prone to develop mildew.
source :
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fp...chapter_16.pdf