Newly bought 1943 T sniper.

[RobD]

Great result. The beech plus linseed oil will darken slightly in time, but for a WW2 rifle it looks too piebald for my taste. On an L42A1 it would be fine, but as I understand it, in the 1940s the appearance should be more "uniform". So, if it were me, I would de-grease the beech fore-end using something like Citrustrip and a soft bristle brush (no more sanding or scraping...). Then I would stain it with a spirit-based walnut stain. Check for colour matching after each coat dries, may take several coats. Then once the final coat of stain dries I would re-apply linseed oil. Just my 5c.