Mosin Pistol Project - Stand by for Updates!

[JTNieman]

I like the rear sight on it also - but I also would want to keep the front sight (regardless how short it may end up - the shorter the better!). I'd have also changed the grip to more of a plow handle shape and altered the front a bit, but that's how I would have made MY M39 pistol. James can make his anyway he wants too...

One of the coolest projects I've seen so far.

Unfortunately that's as much of a pistol grip you can get. The reason I used a Finn M39 stock is because it's a pistol grip stock, whereas other Mosins have a straight stock which would have been atrocious.


Without splicing or combining more wood onto the stock, my Obrez is as pistol-grip as you're gonna GET.

[Regular Guy]

One handed

I've shot my dad's 308 pistol one handed quite a bit and don't image this would be any worse. The recoil force of the 308 is 18 lbs. 7.62x54r is 13-15 lbs depending on load. 44 Mag is 11 lbs. Don't see this gun being that bad. Anyway, I'll try it first, for safety reasons....

PS I'll wear a glove, I like my hand.

Ninja edit : I ain't skerd.

[Oneswunk]

Thats a good point i dont see it being any worse then shooting hot loads with my .44mag. Not a fan of gloves tho.

[Dogan]

I want one. Dear god I jsut got the most perverted gunlust I WANT THAT!

[JTNieman]

I want one. Dear god I jsut got the most perverted gunlust I WANT THAT!

Short of milsurp-guy or whatever his name was... you'd been one of my biggest critics!

What's up with that?

[Dogan]

But only the stock has been damaged, leaving the rest of the riffle intact!


Means to go from pseudo obrez to standard, I just drop the action in the original stock and have another that's a POS that's been butchered.

No longer a critic of your project. Just the gun you selected.

[NoMercy]

Hmm...looks pretty good actually.

[JTNieman]

But only the stock has been damaged, leaving the rest of the riffle intact!


Means to go from pseudo obrez to standard, I just drop the action in the original stock and have another that's a POS that's been butchered.

No longer a critic of your project. Just the gun you selected.

My project ain't done yet, man. Still gonna chop the barrel whenever I can do it legal.

Think I might brush on some stain tonight, and see how it looks. Need to sand it perfect smooth first though.

[Jeriah]

I want one. Dear god I jsut got the most perverted gunlust I WANT THAT!

Short of milsurp-guy or whatever his name was... you'd been one of my biggest critics!

What's up with that?

I was also one of the annoying guys trying to talk you out of it at the beginning, but now that I see how it's coming along, yeah, I'm won over, too.

[shoggoth80]

I was never a critic of the project, just the chosen platform (Finn Mosin).
I see why the Finn stock was chosen, for sure... but still. Lol.

For what it is worth, I would have done the metal frame, and crafted my own handle. Rudimentary, sure... but accurate representation...
JC's rendition... probably as streamlined as you will find based on what I have seen so far.

[JTNieman]

Polished her up with some 220 grit and she's smooth as hell.

Wiped her down with some MEK.

Now she's got herself a liberal coating of Tung oil on there.

Now that I'm done Tunging my wood, I'm not sure I like the Tung Oil Only approach that many people love on their Mosins. I couldn't find any BLO anywhere. I will see how it goes, though, after 2-3 more coats. I may be won over, who knows? However, I'm thinking I might either have to stain it if I go with Tung oil... or just switch it up to something dark.

[Dogan]

Tunging my wood.

This sounds so dirty.

Also


PICS OF STOCK!

[JTNieman]

Tung Oil is -very- light and there's just one coat on it so far. I doubt you could even tell a difference if I took a photo, other than it maybe looking a little shinier.

[Dogan]

I know what tung oil is. It's just, that one line gave me the mental popup of you licking your stock.

[TheLastRifleMan]

You probably already know this, but it will take several coats of tung oil to fully seal the wood. Before you apply the next coat, you must remove the shiny finish with 0000 stell wool.

One thing I have to ask about the wood finishing: did you dampen the stock with water before you sanded? If not, this really gives a nice finish to the wood. It raises the broken wood fibers so when you sand it, the surface gets much smoother. May take a couple of times but the results are worth the extra effort.

I like the looks of the stock so far. Stylish!

[JTNieman]

You probably already know this, but it will take several coats of tung oil to fully seal the wood. Before you apply the next coat, you must remove the shiny finish with 0000 stell wool.

One thing I have to ask about the wood finishing: did you dampen the stock with water before you sanded? If not, this really gives a nice finish to the wood. It raises the broken wood fibers so when you sand it, the surface gets much smoother. May take a couple of times but the results are worth the extra effort.

I like the looks of the stock so far. Stylish!

I did not dampen it before I sanded, actually. I will take that in mind. I've decided that I do not like Tung Oil alone as a finish, but I'm committed to several coats just so I can see what it will look like when done. I just put on the second coat a few minutes ago.

So whenever I'm done with the last coat (however many I do before calling it quits) I'll take pics for cataloging purposes, and strip it back down to bare wood again. After that, I think I will give it another go at sanding it down like you advised.

[northernxposure]

I always liked how Tru-Oil turned out. Finished up a couple bows with it on the risers, super easy to work with and you could really build it deep quickly.

Seemed to go more "golden" than dark, but it depended on the wood. Stain away James!

NXP

[TheLastRifleMan]

I did not dampen it before I sanded, actually. I will take that in mind. I've decided that I do not like Tung Oil alone as a finish, but I'm committed to several coats just so I can see what it will look like when done. I just put on the second coat a few minutes ago.

So whenever I'm done with the last coat (however many I do before calling it quits) I'll take pics for cataloging purposes, and strip it back down to bare wood again. After that, I think I will give it another go at sanding it down like you advised.

If the tung oil wasn't to your taste, try Minwax Rub On Poly. Goes on the same way but really makes a very durable finish that looks great.

Look on page 3 here for the end result of the ROP:

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=70234&hilit=rifle+build+old+school&start=24

[m ellis allen]

I did not dampen it before I sanded, actually. I will take that in mind. I've decided that I do not like Tung Oil alone as a finish, but I'm committed to several coats just so I can see what it will look like when done. I just put on the second coat a few minutes ago.

So whenever I'm done with the last coat (however many I do before calling it quits) I'll take pics for cataloging purposes, and strip it back down to bare wood again. After that, I think I will give it another go at sanding it down like you advised.

If the tung oil wasn't to your taste, try Minwax Rub On Poly. Goes on the same way but really makes a very durable finish that looks great.

Look on page 3 here for the end result of the ROP:

http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopi ... l&start=24

rub on poly is awesome! i use it on a lot of my woodworking projects, as well as the stock of my wasr after i refinished it. "satin" is my favorite its not too glossy.

[TheLastRifleMan]

It is great stuff and the satin is my choice as well. It also creates a good weather resistant seal on the wood. My Dad has used it on many of his flint lock long rifles with good success. He also uses a product called BriWax after the last coats of rub on poly to seal up the whole thing, metal and all.

As a matter of fact, he was at a muzzle loading shoot last weekend and his rifle got completely wet while shooting in a snow storm (no misfires and he came in 2nd place after having to shoot a tie breaker shot). When he got home, he wiped it dry and applied a light coat of BriWax and it was as though it had never left the house.

[Jeriah]

JamesCannon, correct me if I misunderstood you, but it sounds like you are satisfied with Tung Oil as a topcoat, and are only saying that you believe you should stain the wood before applying the Tung Oil to get the look you want. Is this right?

If this is the case, Minwax Rub-On Poly isn't necessary, just some kind of a stain, followed by Tung Oil.

When I refinished my SKS stock I used Minwax Red Mahogany stain followed by a brush-on polyurethane, and it came out looking very, very similar to the original Russian finish (red, glossy lacquer). ACE store brand Red Mahogany is far, far too brown; I used it on a chair and putting it side by side with the Minwax, the Minwax is way better, way redder, and looks much more like an original SKS stock color. I felt a little bad refinishing an original Russian SKS from 1950, but it was looking pretty beat up and now it looks great. I feel a little guilty when I think about it, but then when I actually hold it I think, "Damn, this looks good."

I use Tung Oil regularly on wooden furniture I've made (nothing fancy, just shelves made from dimension lumber, wood glue, and nails) and it can look really, really nice, without any stain or anything, but it's entirely dependent on the color and figure of the wood. Redwood looks awesome, pine is kind of meh.

I don't know if red is the color you want, I was just sharing my personal experience in case it provides any insight.

[confusedyeti]

Damn dude, that's manly. If you can find some, Maloofs finish is some of the best finish around. A lot of furniture makers use it, it really brings out tge grain. I'm interested in the range report when you get it finished. That and the x ray of your hand

[JTNieman]

Damn dude, that's manly. If you can find some, Maloofs finish is some of the best finish around. A lot of furniture makers use it, it really brings out tge grain. I'm interested in the range report when you get it finished. That and the x ray of your hand

I was dredging this thread up for EvilPsych who apparently never heard of it before now. Then I noticed a few posts I didn't see before.

Thought I would update:

1) confusedyeti; never heard of that. If it really emphasizes grain, I think I would like it. As for the broken hand, I have shot this behemoth with both hands and with single hand and no damage occurred. Nor pain. I was more pissed and hurt after shooting my 12ga 870 with a 20'' barrel using 00buck and a pistol grip only. THAT hurt my hand. The Mosin surprisingly was nothing bad. There is still some weight to it. I actually use my chopped Mosin for plyometric exercises.

2) Jeriah - I wish I had saw that post sooner as I might've tried that out. As it is, the rifle has already been finished.


The only problems I have right now is... the wood absorbs stain/oil -MUCH- differently depending on the grain exposure. As you can see on the rear of the grip and the very front of the fore-end, the stock is very much cut ACROSS the grain, leaving the grain exposed in cross-section - which absorbed the oil/stain MUCH more readily than where the surface was more ALONG the grain. I am not sure what I could do about that.

Pics;

[JTNieman]

heh

My mantle is a cedar of some kind I think - and my mosin stock is very much NOT a cedar.

Came out pretty similar. Funny

(I'm on a horse)