I have a few AKs that I would like to give the wood a slightly more wet, I dont know how to describe it, look. BUT I do not want to varnish it at all. I believe I read something about linseed oil but I do not remember what was needed. Please inform me.

Thanks
James

I would like to get the wood to look like this rifle:

I would firat prep the wood by slightly dampening wood and the sanding to bring out the grain and clean it up.  Decide if you are going to stain it; and finally put on a light coat of boiled linseed oil.  Then take pics and post.  Good luck.

Old Perry guys used to reccomend mixed BLO/Turp or White Spirits (cant recall which)/Beeswax over Tung Oil. My Garand was done this way, over 20 years ago, and its worked well. Little slick, fairly shiney. Its the only wood rifle of mine thats ever seen lots of weather but held up fine and protected the wood well. Needs maintenance, but all wood does.

Luck
Alac

Many years ago the Militaries of many countries used BLO on their gunstocks (including the USA and Russia) but found out that it did not hold up to the heat from heated up barrels and such as well as they wanted.  The then switched to "China Oil" which is now called Tung Oil.  There are two types of tung oil out there.  One type has a varnish in it and the other does not.  

If you stain your stock you MUST use a stain that DOES NOT have a varnish in it and then finish with the Tung Oil.  The Tung oil with varnish will give it a shine but the other type will not.  Usually the guns finished with "pure" Tung Oil (the kind w/out varnish) get finished with wax after a few coats of Tung Oil.  

Do a search on "gun stock finishing"...


PS...If you do refinish your stock with any type of "true" oil finish you MUST remove ALL the original varnish from the stock first so that the oil can soak in.

You might go over to the Box O'Truth and read how Ol' Painless and friend do it.  Purists might shudder, but his stuff looks good.