What finish to put on Mosin Nagant stock?

[stchman]

Hello all.

I have a Mosin Nagant M91/30. I sanded the stock down and applied bolied linseed oil.

My question is that do I need to do anything further. I really like the color of the wood as it is. The linseed oil only darkened up the wood a touch.

Should I apply a polyurethane finish to protect the wood or will the linseed oil suffice?

If I need a finish I would prefer something not so shiny.

Thanks.

 

[mp5a3]

I'm interested too, I'm thinking of doing an M44 and a WASR with the same finish, a step by step would be nice too

 

[stchman]

I will post a pic of the rifle later this evening.

 

[w_houle]

I shot my M/N until whatever it is on the wood on the handguard started boiling. Burnt my thumb and index finger on the barrel. Parts of the stock became sticky and ended up taking it all off with carbeurator cleaner. Didn't have linseed oil, but figured I could let it go for a while on olive oil.

 

[stchman]

Here is a pic of my Mosin Nagant M91/30 1934 hex receiver model.

Yes, I have all the accessories as well.

 

[jpwilly]

I use BLO for my rifles too. If you've gone through the trouble of sanding down the stock use what you like...Just cause the Russians used crappy lacquer to refinish I don't see why you have to.

 

[dacavasi]

Straight BLO is an excellent choice. IMHO, the polyurethanes and lacquers look too plastic on that kind of rifle (mil-surp), but then again I don't care for that look on most wood to begin with. That said, the varnish will offer better protection against the elements than BLO, if that is a concern. If you do go with varnish, I would suggest you stick with a flat or satin finish, to avoid the 'shiney' appearance that a gloss would impart. But again, the BLO, for most purposes, is really a great finish.

 

[Max C.]

I used polyurethane on mine. I went ahead and sanded the finish down so that it's flat and smooth. It keeps the sheen down and until you feel it, the stock looks just like a well finished wood. Cheap, easy and very durable.

 

[Storm]

I believe that they are finished with shellac which is why they can be stripped with denatured alcohol. I would finish it with BLO, tung oil, or something like Watco's Danish Oil Finish. There is no need for polyurethane at that point as it would defeat the purpose. If you want further protection use a good gun stock wax. I like Birchwood Casey.

Considering the Russian propensity for strong drink it amazes me that they would use an alcohol soluble finish, but then again....

 

[jd46561]

On mine I just used denatured alcohol, and stripped the old shellac off, used a red mahogany stain and re applied shellac. (no sanding!) ...

 

[stchman]

Update:

I rubbed the stock down again with BLO and the finish darkened up slightly.

The BLO now has a nice low gloss shine to it. I am really pleased with the look now.

I am considering refinishing my poly-urethane M38 in the same fashion.