Original Finish for VZ 52

[Singer B]

I have obtained a 1956 VZ 52. It is one of the CAI imports that they refinished with the plastic buttstock, brown stain on the stock and spray-on truck bed liner on the metal portion of the top handguard. I am in the process of stripping the brown stain and spray-on liner. I have acquired a front sight hood and searching for a metal butt plate (both parts). When the stripping is completed, I would like to refinish the wood with the original finish. Can anyone please advise what that original finish should be? Thank you!

[Aragorn243]

Probably another of those great mysteries. My VZ52 looked like it had the standard Mosin Nagant red shellac on it. Was this original, I doubt it. I stripped it and just put an oil finish on it which actually makes it look like most I see images of on the net. I liked the reddish color but if wasn't that durable, flaking off on the butt stock area.

Here are some before and after's.

[Singer B]

Based upon the lack of responses, I think you are right. This question may be right up there with "what are the ingredients for urushi?" and "where can I find an all-matching Kar98k for less than $100?" I did see an entry on another forum from years ago that mentioned shellac but all the photos I have seen of VZ52s appear to have matte finished stocks. I finished stripping today and nothing worked on the brown goop that CAI layered on the wood so I broke down and sanded it. It appeared to have been sanded already and the stain they applied had already ruined its originality so I broke my cardinal rule about sanding. That didn't remove all of the stain but it did reveal some lighter wood underneath. It actually does look better with a "weathered" appearance. I'll probably go with my usual stand-by, the RLO, since I want to keep the color as light as possible. I wish CAI would just import the guns and leave it to the customers to conserve/restore them. What idiot thought a plastic buttstock attached with two 2" drywall screws was a proper addition to any firearm? Your VZ52 is beautiful and congrats on a really representative restoration.

[Surpmil]

I think you'll find the black finish on the metal handguard is stock; it's purpose is obvious.

[Singer B]

I finished it up. I attached a "before" photo with the CAI finish on it and then two photos of the finished project. I also found a front sight hood and spent 3 hours trying to install it (I guarantee there was some worker in a Czechoslovakian worker in a factory in 1956 installing these and thinking to himself "someday, some capitalist American will need to do this and it will drive him crazy!). I tried various plier and pry tools with no luck, the hood kept shooting off the tools as I expanded it to fit over the sight mount and into the slots. I finally used an 8" snap ring plier with the 90 degree tips (picture attached) that kept the hood from shooting off the end as it was expanded. I hope that helps out someone in the future!