Refinishing my dads mauser.

[esninak]

well i decided that i was bored enough to jump into my step dad's mauser. i did some research on it awhile back and found out it is a Model 35 Paruvian mauser, that was arsenally rechambered in the 50's to 30.06 because of the surplus or ammo after ww2. he bought it sometime in the 80's before he came up to alaska, it was bubafied then. its a great shooting rifle and has taken quite a few moose over the years, so i figured it deserved a makeover.

as you can see in the pics the rifle has been well used. the barrel is starting to form surface along with the bolt, theres even reminants of blue tarp that got melted to the sling when it got too close to the engine in the track rig :lol3: .even though it looks bad the rifle runs super smooth, trigger is crisp (two-stage), rifling is sharp and bright.

my plans are to get rid of the rust with some steel wool and reblue it. im not sure what to do with the stock, its deffinatly getting refineshed but dont know which way to go. i liked the peanut oil treatment i saw done by someone on here so that might happen.

[XO3319]

Nice...a good candidate for a refinish

Let me know if you need tips

[pigpen]

Are you gonna put it back in an original stock?

[esninak]

no i wont be putting it in an original stock. its collectable value is lost since its been tapped for mounts, and i dont think its the original bolt. it just needs a little work so it can take many more moose proudly.

[jlpskydive]

Try some emory cloth on the bolt cover it is working wonders on my Norinco. And there is a company here in NC certa-coat or something like that, that does some wonderful refininshing work for parkerizing and that type of thing.

[esninak]

thanks for the emery cloth tip jlpskydive. i tried some scotch bright last night, i think i need something with a little more bite though.

and a ? for you guys, the stock doesnt seem to have any varnish at all, it looks like an oil finish. whats the best way to get it off, will a chemical stripper work or do i just need to sand it down?

[jlpskydive]

DO NOT PUT A CHEMICAL STRIPPER ON IT!!!!! I will get brittle and you will be unhappy. Use some fine grit sandpaper and a lot of time a patience.

[XO3319]

I have used old fashioned Whiting (from Brownells-- mixed with degreaser) and Citrustrip as it is gentle with the wood

For tough ones I've used both methods

For the surface rust...try oil and 0000 steel wool first to see if that gets it off

[esninak]

thanks guys, ill get into it tonight

[cimmaronkid]

Damn, you Alaskan boys are rough on guns!:056: That can be made into a very nice rifle once again with just a little work. Doesn't look like the stock needs a lot of stripping. I would just sand it down a little and use a good solvent to clean after each sanding, then fill the pores. A little bit of sanding will also take care of the chip missing from the bolt handle. When you do refinish, make sure you give the inside a couple of coats as well to help seal it from the elements.

To remove the old blue and surface rust, try some of the products Brownell's offers as they are very good. Once that is all removed, you can take it to a smith and have him dip it in his bluing vat and restore the finish. Most smiths don't charge much to to just degrease and dip the gun.

If you wanted to dress it up a little, you could check out Boyds Gunstocks or Richards Microfit Stocks and get a newer style stock. Richards inlets for the stepped barrel, but you have to call them and tell them that is what you want.

Nothing wrong with that gun that a little TLC won't cure and once done, your grandson will be doing the asking someone on a forum post on how to refinish it.

[jfowl31]

Chemical strippers really arent all that hard on wood as long as its treated correctly after the stripper has been used. I use oven cleaner all the time, and as long as the removed moisture and oil are replaced after the process in the refinish, no harm is done. Rubbing in a good oil or finish will restore every bit of strength and heft that the rifle had before the strip, and with a chemical stripper, you take it completely down to bare wood, and everything looks much smoother IMO.

YMMV, but chemical strippers only weaken wood temporarily until the oils are added back in. I like to take it completely back to bare bones just like it had been freshly cut from the tree before I start any kind of restaining or oiling.

JMO, YMMV... all that good stuff.

[esninak]

thanks guys, the stock is in its first coat of citristrip right now. il get some pics up later.

[cetme]

a friend at a local shop squirts duracoat on anything shootable. If you prep well the stuff comes out nice.