Quote Originally Posted by Buccaneer View Post
As has already been said you can't put back the age patina but removing the poly is fairly straight forward. Paint stripper and very fine wire wool works very well it gets off all of the crap but does not damage the wood surface, do NOT be tempted to sand any of the wood just take your time and you will end up with a poly free stock then once its dry you can start to refinish it with boiled linseed oilicon a little at a time, I have been told the old adage "once a day for a week, once a week for a month them once a month for a year". It's very satisfying to be able to rescue and restore some of the dignity to an old rifle it's what makes collecting really worth while.
Thanks for the input and sound advice. That sounds like the route to take.

---------- Post added at 12:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 AM ----------
Quote Originally Posted by Seaspriter View Post
If you decide to strip the furniture, take Buccaneer's advice. Consider putting the original color back into the wood. See this thread for a pic:
Milsurps Knowledge Library - 1942 No.4 Mk1*(T) Savage Sniper Rifle (less scope))
Savage originally used a red mahogany stain on their birch stocks.
The finish on the rifle in that link would be great. Is there a specific brand of red mahogany stain to match the original or is it a matter of trial and error?