I am not as hard core a collector of Mosins as most of you, but a few years back I had the opportunity to pick up a pair. One was a sporterized rifle (not cut down) and the other, an intact Imperial Tula 1897. I have hunted deer with the modded gun and left the traditionally configured rifle in the safe. It has the hex receiver, matching barrel shank and bolt numbers, two SA stamps, no import marks, the Konovalov sights w/arshin markings on the left side and Finnish/metric on the right, sling swivels but no sling, no bayonet, counter bored, decent rifling, barleycorn front sight, late M91 type 4 barrel bands, and rounded Finn finger jointing on fore stock.
What I have noticed in other Mosins is a sheen on the stock. Almost all have a shellac or varnish type appearance to me. My wood looks stained but not sealed w/ any protective coating. The best way I can describe it is a flat finish w/a raw wood feel to it. Is this original or most likely because a previous owner stripped the original finish and just stained it?
I appreciate the information found here and hope someone can shed some light on this for me.
