Ugly M91/30 - What's Russian for "Bubba?"

[Seaspriter]

Nice Job. Did you have a couple of shots of vodka between coats, like a true Russian?

The idea of using lemon and garnet flake shellac to get the original color is informative.

Shellac can be notorious for chipping, that's why it's more often used as a sealer, rather than a final finish. Have you considered using Tung Oil or something similar as the final finish?

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Just a matter of personal pride -- but I'd never put a sloppy coat of anything on a gun I owned, even if it mimicked the Russian quality. Why perpetuate a poor standard?