Newly Refinished Mosin Nagant

[zdc1775]

I just finished refinishing my new Mosin Nagant with a Pine Tar finish. When I got it somebody had already "refinished" it. They had covered the entire rifle, cosmoline and all, in shellac. I stripped the shellac off the wood and metal then sweated the stock over an oil heater for about ten days with an alcohol scrub every other day. After that I hand rubbed in a coat of 50/50 pine tar/turpentine and let that dry for three days. Then a coat of turpentine that dried for two days. I then applied a second very thin coat of the pine tar/turpentine mix. After it dried for five days I finished it off with some Tom's 1/3 mix. Overall I'm happy with it but give me your opinion.
Btw sorry for the cell phone pics still haven't found my camera after we moved.

 

[Dr. Sandman]

It's really hard to see the finish from your pix. Try a lighter background, more ambient light (go outside on a sunny day), and take some closeups. Shooting a camera well may be more difficult than most rifles...

 

[19-3Ben]

Agreed with Dr. Sandman. Can't really tell what kind of finish or quality from the pics. Close-ups and better light are in order.

Remember that if we are just looking at the finish, we don't need to see the entire rifle in each shot.

 

[morcey2]

The 70's called and they want their bedspread back.

I have a finn captured 91/30 w/ a potbellied stock that the previous owner had covered in a nasty yellow varnish. It had a couple of cracks the wrist that I had to fix/reinforce before I finished it. I did the same that you did with a couple of coats of pin-tar/turp and used some home-made Toms 1/3 and I love the finish.

Try to get some clearer pictures because pine-tar really brings out any flame or figure in stocks. My guess is it looks awesome.

What kind or pine-tar did you use? I actually got mine from a saddle and tack shop, but it worked really well.

Matt

 

[ThorinNNY]

Sounds like you did things right, I couldn`t tell from your pics, either.BTW, how does it shoot?

 

[BCRider]

I'm afraid that I agree with the rest of the guys about the pictures. Other than your rifle is brown it's pretty much impossible to see anything in those cell phone pictures.

Pine tar isn't the sort of thing that jumps to mind for a wood finish... well, other than on old historical ship hulls. Does it dry/cure to a hard film like finish over time like tung or linseed oil? The other test for a rifle stock finish is how well water beads and runs off instead of soaking into the wood.

 

[Phaethon]

Mosins are attractive rifles when they're freed of that nasty red shellac that the Soviets applied during refurbishment. I think it's obvious by now that the pictures are hard to see, but close scrutiny makes it seem pretty nice. I detect some nice looking patterns around the buttstock and some curious variations in coloring along the length of the handguard.

I'd have stripped and refinished my own in tung oil by now, but being a 1927 Ishevsk, I'd just feel wrong doing it.

 

[zdc1775]

Its a 1929 Ishevsk but I think it would have actually been unsafe to fire in its prior condition. The previous owner had just wiped shellac on it with the bolt closed over everything he could see. To even get the barrel bands off I had to use paint stripper on everything in front of the rear sight.
Better pictures will follow just have to find the camera.

 

[Trevorusn]

Well, I think the better pics point has been said enough, but I'd like to see how the finish came out too. Such a fun rifle!!!!