How to apply Red Shellac to the m91/30

[ptf18]

What method do you all use to apply "red" shellac to the m91/30 to give the finish the look that the the rifles have coming out of the Soviet bloc?

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.

[Patrick Chadwick]

What method do you all use to apply "red" shellac to the m91/30 to give the finish the look that the the rifles have coming out of the Soviet bloc?

Judging by my M91/30 sniper "Ivan the Terrible", in 1942-3 they used the same brushes as used for painting the fence or the floor.
But do you really want to imitate the Soviet Stakhanovite look? Shellac can be used to provide a beautiful finish, but that was probably viewed as an un-Soviet imperialist luxury!

[NRA]

Are you sure they did not use a roller?

[Patrick Chadwick]

Are you sure they did not use a roller?

If they didn't, it was because paint rollers hadn't been invented yet!

But Ivan The Terrible is still impressively accurate after 70 years. Which, for me, only goes to confirm that if you are a shooter, you just cannot go by external appearances. I was able to "try before buy" because Ivan was part of a legacy from a deceased club member. This is one very good reason to belong to a serious shooting club - things turn up that you will never find on the open market, and I have been able to try out many, many more rifles than I could ever own.

[NRA]

You are correct Pat, I was able to to get a Mosin PU before Classic sold out and it was dead on straight out of the box. Only took 3 rounds to get it POA

[arado]

I use a Chinese silk brush. The finish is as good as I want. gary

[rivets1]

I have done several Mosin stocks by wiping it on with a soft cotton cloth. You may want to experiment with the cut. I found the best result for me was many thin coats. It dries very rapidly. It will look much better than the refurb slop and mop one and run method.