It appears that you are you're enjoying our Military Surplus Collectors Forums, but haven't created an account yet. As an unregistered guest, your are unable to post and are limited to the amount of viewing time you will receive, so why not take a minute to Register for your own free account now? As a member you get free access to our forums and knowledge libraries, plus the ability to post your own messages and communicate directly with other members. So, if you'd like to join our community, please CLICK HERE to Register !
Already a member? Login at the top right corner of this page to stop seeing this message.
I have a 1939 Mosin-Nagant rifle. The metal is in great shape, but it came with this hideous stock. It has been refinished at one time and appears to have poly on it. I'd like to return it to some facsimile of how it would have looked during WWII. I have plenty of experience with stripping and finishing of walnut milsurp stocks, but no idea what kind of wood this is. Stripping the poly off is no problem. I am told that the rifle is a Finnish Capture (don't know much about MNs). I usually mix up my own alcohol-based stain to use on walnut. Would that work on whatever type wood this is? Just looking for ideas before I waste a lot of time. Thanks.
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.
I don’t know how true this is or where I read it, so it’s certainly worth what you’ve paid for it but...
I once read that the red finish we’re all used to seeing on Mosins is the result of a massive postwar refurb effort. The finish during the war would have looked a lot more natural.
Is it a beech? Looks like...that should be hard and sand to a white like snow. If that's right it may be hard to get stain to take and you need to thin it with acetone or some such. Some have used leather dye to color their hard stocks. Very effective too, I use Watco Danish oil if the wood will take it. Depends on the color you want.
I posted a similar question a few months ago reference a 1930 M91/30 I was trying to restore to original condition. The metal was excellent but someone had stained the stock black and then spray painted green "camouflage" paint over that. I stripped it own to the bare wood. The general consensus I received from other members here and my own research indicated that pre-war 91/30's received a raw linseed oil finish. It turned out pretty nice and the coolest thing was that it revealed several stock repairs that had been made and were concealed under the old paint scheme. I hope that helps!
Capture (don't know much about MNs). I usually mix up my own alcohol-based stain to use on walnut. Would that work on whatever type wood this is? Just looking for ideas before I waste a lot of time. Thanks.
Information
PM
Originally Posted by daveboy
