Original Finish for VZ 52

I have obtained a 1956 VZ 52. It is one of the CAI imports that they refinished with the plastic buttstock, brown stain on the stock and spray-on truck bed liner on the metal portion of the top handguard. I am in the process of stripping the brown stain and spray-on liner. I have acquired a front sight hood and searching for a metal butt plate (both parts). When the stripping is completed, I would like to refinish the wood with the original finish. Can anyone please advise what that original finish should be? Thank you!

Probably another of those great mysteries. My VZ52 looked like it had the standard Mosin Nagant red shellac on it. Was this original, I doubt it. I stripped it and just put an oil finish on it which actually makes it look like most I see images of on the net. I liked the reddish color but if wasn't that durable, flaking off on the butt stock area.

Here are some before and after's.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../84zUiql-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../c6rTuU4-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../FKnrW7I-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../8IdDrB8-1.jpg

Based upon the lack of responses, I think you are right. This question may be right up there with "what are the ingredients for urushi?" and "where can I find an all-matching Kar98k for less than $100?" I did see an entry on another forum from years ago that mentioned shellac but all the photos I have seen of VZ52s appear to have matte finished stocks. I finished stripping today and nothing worked on the brown goop that CAI layered on the wood so I broke down and sanded it. It appeared to have been sanded already and the stain they applied had already ruined its originality so I broke my cardinal rule about sanding. That didn't remove all of the stain but it did reveal some lighter wood underneath. It actually does look better with a "weathered" appearance. I'll probably go with my usual stand-by, the RLO, since I want to keep the color as light as possible. I wish CAI would just import the guns and leave it to the customers to conserve/restore them. What idiot thought a plastic buttstock attached with two 2" drywall screws was a proper addition to any firearm? Your VZ52 is beautiful and congrats on a really representative restoration.

I think you'll find the black finish on the metal handguard is stock; it's purpose is obvious.

I finished it up. I attached a "before" photo with the CAI finish on it and then two photos of the finished project. I also found a front sight hood and spent 3 hours trying to install it (I guarantee there was some worker in a Czechoslovakian worker in a factory in 1956 installing these and thinking to himself "someday, some capitalist American will need to do this and it will drive him crazy!). I tried various plier and pry tools with no luck, the hood kept shooting off the tools as I expanded it to fit over the sight mount and into the slots. I finally used an 8" snap ring plier with the 90 degree tips (picture attached) that kept the hood from shooting off the end as it was expanded. I hope that helps out someone in the future!