1917 Remington Finnish Capture question about stock

[REM1917]

It's easy to see the sanding marks on the wood.

[willyj73]

From the photographs, I see nothing but a Finnish stock in its correct state. The Finnish NOS (new old stock--term usually used to refer to stocks that are "new") do show sanding marks. There isn't anything wrong with your stock. Nobody sanded it after import.

[racerguy00]

Sure doesnt look sanded to me. I have had a few that looked exactly like that. They had mismatched handguard finishes also.

[millman]

It looks Ok to me as well.

[Mangrove]

The crossed cannons cartouche on the butt is the stockmakers mark, the "Z" denotes you have a stock made by Oy EkWall AB.

The "crossed cannons" markings on the stocks are not maker's but inspector's markings based on information I have seen in the National Archives of Finland. The same markings can be also seen on e.g. Suunto compasses which were also inspected by the "Ordnance Department" of the Finnish Defence Forces.

From what I'm seeing on my other Finnish Mosins and online, a pine tar finish seems to be the answer.

A number of collectors who are Finnish nationals have stated this over the years but somehow the tale refuses to die. The wood finish on your M39 is called Kiväärintukkiöljy (rifle stock oil) , it was the primary wartime stock finish for M39's as well as some M91's and M91/30's. If you Google "Kiväärintukkiöljy" you will find a number of discussions concerning its use and composition on other forums.

Unfortunately, no pine tar finish was used on Finnish Mosin Nagants. Here's original 1944 recipe of "Kiväärintukkiöljy" I found from the National Archives of Finland:

1) [Linseed] Varnish, 0.943 kg (93.7 %)
2) Asphalt Bitumen, 0.063 kg (6.3 %)
3) Aniline dye, 0.0007 kg (0.07 %)
....
To make 1,0067 kg, of which 0.0067 kg goes to waste. Do notice there aren't any turpentine listed and also that a variant without the dye was also manufactured according to various depot records.

[Snayperskaya]

The crossed cannons cartouche on the butt is the stockmakers mark, the "Z" denotes you have a stock made by Oy EkWall AB.

The "crossed cannons" markings on the stocks are not maker's but inspector's markings based on information I have seen in the National Archives of Finland. The same markings can be also seen on e.g. Suunto compasses which were also inspected by the "Ordnance Department" of the Finnish Defence Forces.

The crossed cannons mark is also listed as a stock makers mark here.......

https://russian-mosin-nagant.com/misc_marks/index.html

And here.......

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinMarks02.htm

[REM1917]

Mangrove,

Bitumen sounds pretty tar-like to my limited knowledge. At least enough in the ball park that I can play around with tweaking a pine tar finish on a few scrap stocks I have laying around. Unless, of course, you ever got around to producing kiväärintukkiöljy yourself in any quantity........

As for the crossed cannons, as long as it points to Finland, either makers or inspectors mark, it indicates that the rifle went through Finland.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

[Mangrove]

The crossed cannons mark is also listed as a stock makers mark here.......

I understand the stock maker story is well established, but does not make any sense in base of the evidence from the National Archives of Finland and other items marked with the same mark. Why would woodworking company's marking be on a compass made by Suunto?

Bitumen sounds pretty tar-like to my limited knowledge. At least enough in the ball park that I can play around with tweaking a pine tar finish on a few scrap stocks I have laying around. Unless, of course, you ever got around to producing kiväärintukkiöljy yourself in any quantity........

I have made a batch of Kiväärintukkiöljy from gilsonite imported from the United States of America. The original recipe would have been used less pure asphalt/bitumen from Europe. Gilsonite was used by Ford Motor Company as a principal component of the quick drying black lacquer used on most of the Ford Model T cars.

[REM1917]

I have a Type 53 Chinese that I need to freshen up the stock, I'll practice on it with a pine tar concoction. It's a run of the mill example and I doub tg it will ever be worth collecting, in the condition it's in.

As for the Remington, I'm not going to do anything until / if I get a definitive answer as to what it came with.

Again, thanks for all the info.

[Mangrove]

As for the Remington, I'm not going to do anything until / if I get a definitive answer as to what it came with.

The stock appears to have a correct post-war Finnish finish of "kiväärintukkiöljy". From 1971 Finnish Defence Forces manual on 7.62mm rifle repairs:

"After aforementioned [stock] plug repairs, the plugs are smoothened, sanded and finished with "kiväärintukkiöljy". The "kiväärintukkiöljy" is to be heated up to 70-80 degrees centigrade. After the "kiväärintukkiöljy" has dried, the stock is treated [literally translated as "brushed"] with varnish [i.e. boiled-linseed oil] and polished with buffing wheel."

[bunkysdad]

Don't be stubborn. Your pictures are not good but good enough to see that the stock is ok. You can't make it right by messing with it. You have heard from some guys here that told you solid information but you still feel like you need to "do something". I would put that one away for a few years. You might be glad you did

[MongooseLaw]

That stock is correct and has not been sanded. You should not alter it in any way.