A friend and I are refinishing the stocks on our mosins, and I'd like some suggestions.
these are beater guns, but we'd like them to look a little nicer than just the shellac.

I've used watco danish oil in the past for one of my projects, and I really like the way it turned out, but it tends to scratch and leave marks really easily.
I'm looking for something a little more durable.

I'm open to any and all suggestions and opinions, so let's hear 'em!

Quoted: these are beater guns, but we'd like them to look a little nicer than just the shellac.

"Just the shellac" is actually a very beautiful finish.  Been that way for centuries.  That's my recommendation.

Quoted: I'm looking for something a little more durable.

Polyurethane is the most durable finish, and looks great!

Polyurethane is the most durable finish, and looks great!


If your looking for the most durable finish then Polyurethane is it.

+1

alright, thanks for the suggestions

we're almost done stripping the shellac off, and it's always pretty interesting to see what's under it.
mine is light.
VERY light, almost looks like it was bleached at one time.  I know that it wasn't, but it's surprising how light it is.
(mine was made in 1939)

my friends on the other hand is a different kind of wood, it's much darker.  it also has a very strange coloration, it looks to me like it was raw wood for a while before they put shellac on it, and the wood soaked up a bunch of oil.  there is even a spot on the grip where the guy's thumb had worn the wood a different color.  It will have a lot of character, that's for sure.
(his was made in 1944)

I'll post some pictures when I can.

ETA:  pictures
this is right after stripping, and before sanding.

Both stocks are birch. Yours is a new postwar replacement. His is a wartime-produced stock that is almost 100% certainly not original to the rifle it came on (like all the rest of the parts -- that's the nature of the refurbs).

His stock saw lots of use and grime and grit and oil and sweat etc. and that's why it's colored differently. Yours was brand new under the shellac.

Poly is durable and shiny and ugly (IMO -- it screams "refinished milsurp") but if you scratch it, it's scratched forever. No touchup. With shellac you can touch it up to your heart's content.

I'd leave the stocks the way they are and just oil them.  They will look better and touch ups are easy.

Quoted: Both stocks are birch. Yours is a new postwar replacement. His is a wartime-produced stock that is almost 100% certainly not original to the rifle it came on (like all the rest of the parts -- that's the nature of the refurbs). His stock saw lots of use and grime and grit and oil and sweat etc. and that's why it's colored differently. Yours was brand new under the shellac. Poly is durable and shiny and ugly (IMO -- it screams "refinished milsurp") but if you scratch it, it's scratched forever. No touchup. With shellac you can touch it up to your heart's content.

wow, thanks for the info.

we still haven't decided on a finish 100% but durability is probably our highest priority, so a few thin coats of poly will probably be what we end up going with.
we looked around and found some examples of some poly without much of a shiny finish, and that might be what we go with.

thanks for the suggestions everyone.

My wood was very light like yours ,I went with birchwood case gunstock oil it turned out really well. The birch looks great.

Quoted: Here's some examples of Mosins refinished with poly. It is a great finish. Refinished Rifles

hey, how's that for perfect timing

we were actually looking at one of the Mauser refinishing projects you had on your site.
I think the Minwax clear satin poly is what we will end up using.

we were wondering, however why you cut it with mineral spirits on the first few layers.

okay, finally got mine done.  Only took about a month and a half longer than I had planned
I'm very happy with the results though.
still need to put my friends back together, but I'll get pics up when we do.

got the M44 back together: