Is it frowned upon to refinish a Mosin stock?

[catinthebat]

Its a little too late now, but I refinished my 1931 Tula M91/30 Mosin Nagant, and I was wondering peoples opinions about refinishing MN stocks.

It was pretty bad and flaky before I refinished it.

Just wondering what people think about it. No marks were wore away that I could see.

 

[Iramo94]

Purists will hate you.

If you did a good job, and the wood was really bad to begin with, you might just have added a few dollars to its small value.

Don't worry, there are millions more where that one came from.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

No harm. It's note like you painted a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

 

[Soapy5]

Considering the shellac on mine would flake off by just running your thumbnail over it, I think its perfectly fine to refinish the stock.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

There are those who think the millions of beat-up Mosins floating around need to be preserved as relics of immense historic value. I think there are probably enough in museums. Do what you want.

 

[OARNGESI]

only if you dont shoot it once its done

 

[mgmorden]

I wouldn't care. Too many people get hung up on modifying milsurps and how bad it is. Realistically, modifying any collectible is bad, but collectibility is born out of rarity, and milsurps are anything but rare. They made about a bajillion point five Mosins during the last century, like many other milsurps out there. There is no shortage of them. Most sell for next to nothing, and its very telling that when they "dry up" and get "expensive" they're still barely pulling what a new budget rifle costs.

Your average sporter rifle made during those time frames is FAR more rare (and to my eyes more collectible), yet you don't see too many people getting light headed at the sight of a refinished Remington Model 30 (heck many "purists" would erroneously condemn it as a chopped up Enfield if they saw one ). I guarantee you though, in centuries to come, THOSE will be the rifles that are collectible and rare.

Just an example, total Remington Model 30's produced: 3,000

Or take another sporting rifle that has run its course:

Total Remington Model 788's produced: 565,000

Now, look at milsurps:
Total Mosin-Nagants built: 37,000,00
Total Mauser 98k's built: 14,643,260

There are a few that have some rarity (ie, the Schmit-Rubin K31 had a total production of only 528,230 units), but for the most part, milsurps are the mass produced trinkets of the gun-world.

 

[Shadow 7D]

It's OK, the more of them that get cut up, the more mine is worth....
it's up to you, BUT realize that refinishing one and doing it poorly (and removing stock marks)
could take a MN that is worth 300-500 and turn it into a 150 gun,
BUT if it's a 150 gun, and you refinish it, it's a 150, except that it stays that while a untouched gun will gain value much more quickly.

That said, I also buy sporters, I can buy them cheap, they are just as good of shooters as any 100% rifle and they are CHEAP....

 

[303tom]

I certainly would, do & have.................

 

[meanmrmustard]

Its a little too late now, but I refinished my 1931 Tula M91/30 Mosin Nagant, and I was wondering peoples opinions about refinishing MN stocks.

It was pretty bad and flaky before I refinished it.

Just wondering what people think about it. I didn't wear away any markings or anything that I could see.

Did you take pictures?

 

[candr44]

Why would it be ok for a government arsenal to maintain their guns by refinishing their property but not you?

The whole reason a finish is put on the wood and metal is to preserve it. If the finish is failing, I say its time to refinish it so it will stay preserved.

Do what ever you want with it. Its your property so add your history to the rifle.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

If there were only 200,000 made 1952-1954 and a fraction of those legally imported to the USA (like the CZ52) I would say that it would be an atrocity comparable to Conan O'Brien buying a rare fossil and setting it up to spray caviar on a Picasso.

I have a 91/30 matching ser nos that I intend to leave as is, even though the arsenal obviously refinished it before putting it in storage, plus I have a Type 53 good shooting condition that I have no qualms about bubba-izing to my heart's content. There are millions of Mosin's made over decades.

There are a pair of Mausers and one Carcano I do wish I could go back and undo, but in the 1950s and 1960s, keeping a military gun as-is was unheard of. There are military guns that are collectible grade, but most are just old guns more valued as shooters.

BUT before going too far, I would like to point out that in the late 1950s, early 1960s, you could buy a Mauser or Lee-Enfield as-issued for $20-$30 but for $5 to $10 more you could get a "sporterised" version (basicly the military stock stripped of handguard, bayo lug, barrel band, and forearm shortened by the importer or distributor). Today, the as-issued are valued at easily $100 to $200 more than the sporterized version.

 

[gp911]

If the combination of shellac and Olga's toenails is coming off and it isn't a rare variant I see nothing wrong with a refinish. Now if it's an ex-sniper, a Finn capture, etc. then it's a tossup whether to fix damage or call the damage "patina" and preserve it in original condition.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Don't feel too bad, I am trying to figure how to modify a Williams peep sight to fit at the rear of the receiver on one of mine. At one hundred dollars a pop I don't think there is any harm in doing what you like to something so available and affordable. Why should you be concerned about what someone else thinks? They are not making the rules or paying for your existence, unless you are on the dole.

 

[Onmilo]

I won't tell anyone you refinished your stock! Your secret is safe with me!

 

[sliverflinger]

refinished mosin stock

It's your rifle! If it's going to be a safe queen you probably hurt the value, but if you are like most of us and are going to shoot it(lots) no foul. I've go a Finn marked 91/30 all matching, that someone " improved" by adding Finn hangers. The problem came when they didn't use a rear hanger, and had to carve into the stock to mount it. The sling still won't fit and it has a big gouge on each side. So I'm looking for a good stock. Bubba lives.:banghead:

 

[TurtlePhish]

It's perfectly okay to refinish it. Just don't use Krylon or something

Let's see some pics, eh?

I did this to mine:

 

[catinthebat]

Sorry it took so long, but I couldn't get around to it till now.
But here is some pictures I took.
I noticed some major mistakes in my original post. I didn't refinish it, I bought it refinished. I don't know how I could have done that. Guess I should have gotten more sleep last night.





I love your Mosin TurtlePhish! What did you use on the wood?

 

[TurtlePhish]

That finish job looks nice and very well done. I'm not a fan of the blonder tint, I prefer the red, but I still like it.

I used three or four coats of amber shellac, then another four or five of garnet, then two or three of garnet with the addition of a VERY small amount of mahogany dye. Took a while, but the results speak for themselves. In person it looks less bright red and more of a deep ruby hue, very close to the original color but with more of a "3D" look.

 

[mberoose]

That looks like a really nice Mosey.

I generally have no issues with refinishing, or even sporterizing your typical run-of-the-mill 91/30s, but if you start tampering with the more rare variants, that's when I get a little uppity. Even my Izzy M44 (1948, last year of the M44) is something I'd never mess with.

 

[TurtlePhish]

I generally have no issues with refinishing, or even sporterizing your typical run-of-the-mill 91/30s, but if you start tampering with the more rare variants, that's when I get a little uppity. Even my Izzy M44 (1948, last year of the M44) is something I'd never mess with.

No need to worry about mine, I got myself a PU scope and did a repro job. I got it as a normal '42 M91/30. I understand where you're coming from. My M44 has probably 5% finish left on the stock and it's gouged and dented, but I'd never refinish it because:
1. Those are battle scars
and
2. It's definitely a less common rifle than a 91/30.

 

[carbine85]

It most cases I think it's perfectly fine to refinish and done properly can be an enhancement. Military arms are refinished all the time and seldom original.

 

[WardenWolf]

Some Mosins come with nice exposed wood that looks like yours does post-refinishing. You can buy non-refinished Mosins with similar wood. Most, though, were covered in red shellac for long-term storage. You did a very nice job with it, and restored a lot of its original character. Good work!

 

[BCRider]

Considering that in both my cases the orignal shellac peeled like a bad sunburn as I was washing away the cosmoline I really did not have any choice.

Both of mine got a wash of leather dye for coloration and then finished in polymerized tung oil to replicate a buff sort of sheen that more or less is in the range of the original colours.

 

[tyeo098]

Does it look better than mine