I need some mosin nagant stock advice

[Archibald Tuttle]

I just bought my first 91/30, its a Tula and the fellow I bought it from tuned it up some. Theres just one thing thats bothering me and its the scratched up cosmoline coated stock. I'm planning on sanding down and refinishing the wood but I don't know much about this sort of thing and wanted to see if anyone out there might have some pointers. I want this thing looking pretty again.

 

[fchavis]

If you want to keep the original finish, you can take some denatured alcohol to loosen the shellac around the scratches. Then use a cloth to even it out and cover the scratches.

If you do want to completely refinish the stock, use the alcohol more liberally to loosen and wipe off the shellac. An alternative is to use EZ-Off oven cleaner. Spray it on, let it sit for 15 minutes, then hose it off. When the shellac is gone, do your sanding. Use a hot iron over a damp cloth to raise gouges in the wood. When your stock is as smooth as you want it, this thread is a good place to start. I just recently finished mine and love how it turned out. I didn't really know where to start, but found lots of good tips through google.