Lots of different opinions about refinishing Milsurps - loss of value, loss of historical significance etc. Your rifle, your decision. This is when and how I refinish Mosin Nagant stocks.
The "arsenal refurbish/storage" finish is a thick coat of red (garnet) shellac on all the ones I have or have seen. Shellac is a poor finish for a rifle in military service because it softens in water, is dissolves in alcohols and petroleum solvents and bubbles if it gets too hot (more about this later). Your collection is not in military service so shellac is just fine.
Post war stocks (with press fit sling escutcheons) don't have any historical significance at least as far as WW2 is concerned. There is no chance the dent in the stock or the ingrained dirt got there during the battle for Stalingrad, Moscow or Berlin. These are the ones I refinish if they have heavy recent damage or extensive peeling shellac. Wartime and pre war stocks have historical significance and you have to think more carefully about whether you want to refinish these. Using the method described below you will get a nice finish but it will not be the same as the very dark finish on these older stocks.
What you need.
Garnet (red) shellac. I bought flakes from the "Shellac Shack" (Google search). One pound of flakes will do ~40 rifle stocks so buy the 4 oz sampler if you can. I use a ~25 g of flakes dissolved in 100 ml of ethanol - scale this up or down according to how many rifles you want to do. This solution is good for 6 months if tightly sealed and kept in a cool place.
Denatured alcohol (ethanol) - you can get this anywhere in the US (paint and hardware stores) but not in Ontario. The alcohol is a solvent (carrier) which evaporates. Other similar solvents (methanol, methyl hydrate, isopropyl alcohol) should work but I haven't tried them so I can't say for certain. (Rubbing alcohol is 30% water - don't use this).
Methyl Hydrate - available at any paint or hardware store in Canada. Used for stripping - cheaper than denatured alcohol
Fine and extra fine steel wool ("000" "0000").
Remove the stock from the rifle and strip the metal parts except the stock bolt (too difficult and too easy to damage or break - never remove this).
Saturate (methyl hydrate) a small area of the stock at a time and the shellac will dissolve easily. Steel wool speeds this up and is good for the very thick "drips". Be very careful around stock markings - use a soft tool brush and lots of alcohol.
Make any fixes to the wood surface. Avoid sanding too much - the good thing about shellac is it hides lots of the small scratches and makes the big ones look like the "belong". I just trim and chips or standing fibres so they don't stick through the shellac.
Wipe down the stock with a lint free tack rag soaked in methyl hydrate to remove dust etc.
Apply coats of shellac with either a brush or dollar store sponge applicator. The first few coats will "dry" in a few minutes but as the film thickness builds the drying time gets longer. The goal is to get about 10 layers of shellac. New layers will dissolve minor drips and imperfections from the previous coat but as the shellac gets thicker it is harder to avoid bubbles and runs. Dry the stock in a warm place between coats but not too warm. If you put it within 3 feet of the fire place you get to start again.
When you have the shellac thick enough, let it dry for 48 hours. Suspend the stock on a 1/2 dowel through the action cut out - it must not touch any surface.
After 48 hours the shellac with be glossy and will have brush marks and minor imperfections. You need to steel wool the whole surface to remove the gloss and flatten the finish. The shellac will be very soft and the rubbing action will help smooth the finish. Be careful not to place the stock on any surface or grip it tightly because it will leave marks.
Once you are done with the steel wool you can very carefully re-assemble the rifle and put it somewhere where no part of the stock is touching anything for at least 2 weeks (longer if its cold or humid).
When you take your refinished rifle to the range for the first time watch the barrel temperature closely. If the shellac is not fully cured it with bubble when it gets hot (even when it is fully cured it can bubble if it gets too hot - don't put your Mosin or SKS near a fireplace to warm or dry it).
Good thing about shellac.... if you mess it up you can always do it again.
Not sure if the pictures will show. This is a refinished stock. It isn't arctic birch - possibly beech. The other two pictures show "bolt bashes" from poor packaging and how they look under the new shellac finish.
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I don't collect rifles though, I shoot them, I make them the way I like them so I can shoot the hell out of them and enjoy them. I prefer to keep them as close to original as possible. Usually just refinish the stock and a trigger job.
