Mosin Nagant

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kimzter

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I recently bought a mosin nagant at an auction. It's a finnish model 91
with a "p-26" on the receiver. I am going to presume the 26 is the year of manufacture/assembly. The metal is in fair to good condition and everything seems to be in working order. However the wood is kinda cruddy with the regular dings and scars and some really bad gouges.
My question is: Is it better to refinish the wood and carry on with a nicer looking but no longer authentic Mosin, replace the wood with another authentic stock or just try my best to clean it up ? I guess I'm looking for input into how bad does a military rifle have to be before it makes more sense to refinish/restore than to preserve.
Kimzter
 
I would definitely leave things just the way they are. Check this link out, your Finn is rarer than many

h ttp://62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinMPseries.htm

Any refinishing you do will only lessen its value. I say if it ain't broke don't fix it - as you say everything's in working order. I would just give it a real thorough cleaning/oiling, and maybe check the stock for cracks. I'm sure some other folk will chime in with ideas. I have a rough looking Finnish M91 that looks like it spent the winter of 1940/1941 laying in a snowbank. Pretty it isn't, but then neither was the war I suppose.

Call up TradeEx and order yourself a nice refurb M44 for $139, then you have the best of both worlds! Got any pics?
 
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Hi kimzer, X2 on what MB says. Leave the Finn alone :)

You can clean it, that's not a bad idea. if you do it carefully. Disassembling the rifle gives you access to the metal parts that can be happier if oiled to prevent rusting. What you don't want is to add scratches to the wood.

We want pics! :D

Congrats!

Lou
 
Eek! P-26!!!

Be super-careful with this one!
You stumbled upon one of the most sought-after of the Finn M-91 family!
If you want to take it apart to clean and oil it, be aware the barrel bands are of a strange kind that loosen when you tighten the screw. Yes, that screw pushes the rings open.
Usually, the Finns kept the rear one loose for tuning purposes and put a small roundheaded screw just in front of both bands to keep them from sliding out under recoil.
Also avoid bottoming them tight when unscrewing them back: you could easily snap the riveted end of the captive screw and these barrel bands are getting scarcer by the minute.
I know I repeat that caveat often but it is important.
If you want to play it safer, put a drop or two of real penetrating oil such as Kroil (NOT WD-40) on the barrel bands' screw threads.
As for the rest, nothing special, it is real easy to take down.
Keep that rifle clean and in its original state, it will appreciate in value very fast.
Good luck!
PP.
 
PeversPepere knows what he's talking about - under no circumstances refinish it!!!!!!

If absolutely necessary, wipe the crud off and oil the metal / clean the gun, but don't add any finishes or sand anything.

Congrats on the great find!!!
 
but wouldn't it look nicer in one of those plastic/nylon sporter stocks and its pretty long, sure would be handier in the bush if the barrel was shortened.

I'M KIDDING :)
I guess I got lucky :) I have been wanting a Mosin for quite a while but didn't even know it was a Finnish until i got it home and did a little searching on the net. I had already disassembled it and cleaned some minor rust and crud off the metal before I made this post.
It seems that all the parts are there, even the little screws in front of the barrel bands. Those bands are one of the cooler things I've seen, gave me a bit of a pause when I first tried to unscrew them and they got tighter :D .
The receiver and bolt #'s match, but the magazine and the number on the buttplate don't. They are cancelled in the way that mosinnagant.net said was standard though.
When i figure out how to post pics I'll take some and get them up here
thanks for the replies. made my day :)
Kimzter
 
pictures

Took some pictures :)
This is the whole thing
IMG_0240.jpg


the p-26 stamp
IMG_0247.jpg


Place where the wood is spliced together. I don't know if this is typical or not
it also shows that cool barrel band
IMG_0244.jpg


left side of stock and receiver showing poor wood
IMG_0246.jpg


right side of stock and receiver. this is the worst of the stock damage
IMG_0248.jpg
 
on the bolt and on the top of the buttplate there is a little bow and arrow stamp. does anyone know what this signifies?
Kimzter
 
Obviously, that P-26 has seen more than parad squares! but it is the kind of look that says "been there, done that and came back to tell". This is collector's cake!
The two-piece spliced stock was the Finns' answer for keeping their rifles accurate despite the harsh winter weather their country is known for: it could be made from smaller and easier to find pieces of warp resistant arctic birch. Your stock has typical war-time rounded finger splicing.
The bow and arrow mark can be the old Sestroryetsk arsenal stamp.
Did you find some stamp marks on the underside of the rear action tang?
This could tell us where your receiver was manufactured.
All in all, a very nice, historically significant find.
PP. :)
 
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