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New to me matching BYF 44..... So does the smell go away ?

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builttoughf350

Senior Member
I just grabbed a all matching BYF 44, sent home from France in 44 by a us soldier who was killed in Germany in 45 according to the family of the vet.

Has the sling it came home with and the bore is great.
But either the family or the guy I got it from must be quite the smokers. Just touching the rifle leaves your hands smelling like cigarettes !!! 🤢

Will the smell go away being in my non smoking household ?
 

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builttoughf350 said:
I just grabbed a all matching BYF 44, sent home from France in 44 by a us soldier who was killed in Germany in 45 according to the family of the vet.

Has the sling it came home with and the bore is great.
But either the family or the guy I got it from must be quite the smokers. Just touching the rifle leaves your hands smelling like cigarettes !!! ��

Will the smell go away being in my non smoking household ?
Click to expand...

The wood stock is going to give off that odor for years. You can try to lightly clean it, but its been absorbed into the wood. Separate the stock and handguard from the metal and let the wood air out for a few months in the garage or weatherproof shed.
Nice pickup BTW, gotta love the white glue. Which letter block is it?
 
Nice looking rifle but that's the worst smell in the world to a non smoker.I'd look into finding something to clean off the nicotine thats making it feel and smell foul.I had a british para smock that came from a smokers house and I hand washed it to get the worst of the smell and the yellow staining out of it but it still smelled a little for years after.I'd take the stock off and wipe the metal parts down with german ballistol oil.As for the stock i dont know what to use for sure,either way you need something to cut through the greasy nicotine but not touch the stock stain,maybe try a light wipe over with a slightly warm damp cloth and leave to air.Hopefully someone else will chime in on this.
 
Wipe the stock with a little Ballistol as well. Also can try and put it away next to some of those odor absorbing rocks.

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We met in a parking lot outdoors so I never really notice the smell until I got home and checked it out. Thats a good idea about separating the stock and the rifle for a while and I wouldn't use anything harsh and screw up the stock finish. Hopefully a damp rag alone would help.
 
I just wiped the rifle down with a damp rag, there was brown residue on the rag afterwards. I then used a dry cloth to go over the rifle to get any excess water off of it so I dont come home to a rusty rifle.

it seemed to help A LOT. I will leave the sling off of the rifle for a while.

when I have time I will take the stock off to let it "air out"

Where is a good place to buy Ballistol oil ?

SturmGrenedier - serial number is 25,5xx C block
 
I got a small bottle of ballistol off amazon quite cheap.It stinks at first but for a wipe on wipe off clean it will be Ok. It was the issue oil in ww2.
 
Amazon. You can also get the smell absorbing rock there. I believe it is volcanic rock.

Worked wonders when my wife played a practical joke and sprayed fart spray in my man cave. Worst part was I bought it to mess with her. But she opened the mail before I got home from work. Stink didn't leave til I got the rocks.

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I routinely use several applications of boiled linseed oil on Mauser acquisitions in order to restore moisture to the wood. One DWM G.98 that had hung behind the bar in a northern Michigan tavern for at least fifty years was well coated with tobacco tar. The metal cleaned relatively easily but the wood took four or five applications of blo to bring up the original lustre and eliminate the odor.
 
Take the gun apart, wipe down the wood with a damp cloth, clean the metal. It'll stink for a little while, there isn't much you can do. The issue with the gun is that foreign material was applied to it, smoke. I don't see the benefit of applying more foreign material, but your mileage may vary.
 
nirvana said:
Take the gun apart, wipe down the wood with a damp cloth, clean the metal. It'll stink for a little while, there isn't much you can do. The issue with the gun is that foreign material was applied to it, smoke. I don't see the benefit of applying more foreign material, but your mileage may vary.
Click to expand...
I agree I wouldn't apply BLO to it. A cleaner yes. BLO will seal it and will affect the finish and color.

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I have had success removing smoke smell using a spray bottle with warm water and a super soft bristle brush. These stocks got wet all the time in battle, a small amount shouldn't hurt.
 
I have had two like that in the past. I used Krud Kutter on both rifles with great results and no Ill effects. Even cleans the gunk off of the metal without damage to the finish. Nicotine runs right off.
 
Not sure of others views.... But i would consider letting it sit in the hot sun. Also try wiping with white vinegar. Finish with boiled linseed oil. Have used these methods for years on various stocks and other wood projects. Great to get the smell of mouse urine out of the interior on antique furniture
 
My mother used to smoke like a freight train. Anything she'd send for the kids, such as gifts and what not would smell horribly. We'd leave them in a cold garage (so the item contracts and releases) and by spring they usually didn't carry the odor any more. Might take a few expansion/contractions to get it out.
 
I ordered 3 cans of ballistol ( might as well have some around for the gun collection ) and some of that odor absorbing volcanic rock - might as well give that a shot too!

I'll probably take the stock off as mentioned. Wipe the outside of the stock and all metal including the barreled receiver with the ballistol ( should I wipe off the excess with a rag? )

Then leave it disassembled in my gun room next to the scent absorbing rock for a few days.
 
If it were mine, I would disassemble it and clean the metal as usual. I wouldn't use anything stronger than a damp rag on the stock and I wouldn't expose it to direct sunlight for any length of time. I think that if you rub the stock with Ballistol or anything else oil-based that you might seal in some of the odor. I would be likely leave the stock disassembled for a while and set it aside somewhere safe with good ventilation. It may take a while but I think that the odor will improve. I have purchased rifles with this problem in the past and I don't recall the problem persisting.
 
I'm a big fan of "sunshine and fresh air".
I've improved the smell of quite a few items over the years with this. (including a K98k !)

I would NOT apply anything like linseed oil.
Let Mother Nature do her thing.
 
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