My New Project (Type 53 Carbine) "Beautiful Broomstick"

[Svickstc]

Hey PAFAO,

So i got my type 53 from Buds yesterday and was super surprised about the condition that it came in. From reading the reviews it seemed like they were hit or miss with condition with some varying from "Looks like it has been through off a cliff" to "as pictured"

I would say mine was close to as pictured as i could have ever hoped. I was expecting the rifle to be in really really bad shape with hopes the metal, rifling, and bore was good....well about everything was good (a little dark bore, but that cleaned up once i got her home). The gun was packed in cosmoline and got started on the process right away and soon got it down to bare wood (no cracks, no major gouges, a few dents and dings but to me that is character). Gun has mismatched numbers which is not a bother since head space checks out, and i got it to be a shooter expecting it to be in horrid shape.

I was going to oil the stock but have yet to take that route refinishing guns and stuck with what i knew and hit it with one coat of mahogany stain after some light sanding to get rid of some rough spurs and prep for pre-stain.

Here are some before and after pictures, I also highly polished the bolt in preparation to avoid any sticky bolt (slides buttery smooth as of now, will shoot tomorrow).

I went with one coat of stain and hit it with steel wool, no poly/clear as this was the look i was going for and turned it around super quick given this is not my first go at these..

Before:





Stripped/Prepped:




(Schmidts boxes are actually filled with freshly bottled home brew )

Finished: (I wanted to leave all the marks, dings, dents, scratches)









As for Bud's quick shipping/communication as always will report back with how she shoots once i hit the range...

I consider myself lucky as can be, but at the price point i recommend others picking one up if you can and take the gamble like i did before they dry up for good..

[762xIan]

Looks pretty darn good , I use the same color roughly myself when re-doing old military stocks. I have a mix I use using Boiled Linseed oil as the base, then mix in some oil based oak and reddish (walnut/mahogany) to get the desired color. I don't use sandpaper myself, 0000 steel wool usually is enough.

I also highly polished the bolt in preparation to avoid any sticky bolt

"Sticky Bolt" is caused by a rough chamber in most cases. Don't worry about it unless you have problems. If you do, then look at your fired cases, they will tell the story for you. I had a good burr and some rough spots in a M44 that I wound up having to polish the chamber to cure the bolt sticking after firing.

I have been thinking about getting one of these, are they counterbored at the muzzle?

[internet troll]

I would say you got a winner. Nice job.

[threetoe]

Your rifle looks great!!! I just purchased one last week but have not picked it up from the FFL yet. I just hope that mine is in O.K. shape. Do you have any pics of it covered in cosmoline, just wondering what I am in for.

[InsaneAuto86]

Very nice! After reading the reviews from Buds on the type53, I was not confident I would be happy with the condition. Looks like you did very good!

[Svickstc]

Looks pretty darn good , I use the same color roughly myself when re-doing old military stocks. I have a mix I use using Boiled Linseed oil as the base, then mix in some oil based oak and reddish (walnut/mahogany) to get the desired color. I don't use sandpaper myself, 0000 steel wool usually is enough.



"Sticky Bolt" is caused by a rough chamber in most cases. Don't worry about it unless you have problems. If you do, then look at your fired cases, they will tell the story for you. I had a good burr and some rough spots in a M44 that I wound up having to polish the chamber to cure the bolt sticking after firing.

I have been thinking about getting one of these, are they counterbored at the muzzle?

Very true I've just polished all my mosin bolts before shooting an have yet to have a chamber issue

Mine is not counter bored but can't speak for the whole batch

I wanted to just oil the stock but have yet to go that route and hear it can take weeks to dry properly

I would say you got a winner. Nice job.

Thanks I'm really happy with it considering the reviews

Your rifle looks great!!! I just purchased one last week but have not picked it up from the FFL yet. I just hope that mine is in O.K. shape. Do you have any pics of it covered in cosmoline, just wondering what I am in for.

The first two pics are right out of the box the bolt a d chamber trigger and inside the stock were caked no good pictures of this as I got right to work on it the outside of mine has a nice thin layer on it but a lot soaked into the stock once again I got lucky as I've seen a few that were bone dry and looked rough

Very nice! After reading the reviews from Buds on the type53, I was not confident I would be happy with the condition. Looks like you did very good!

For the price point and me wanting a carbine for a shooter not a collectors piece I took the 119 dollar gamble hoping I would hit the lucky one, but I think you're taking a risk buying these sight unseen its. Just if its worth it to you

[GrumpyBear]

Nice job on the refinish.Looks good.

Hopefully it will shoot as good as it looks,enjoy.

[Svickstc]

Nice job on the refinish.Looks good.

Hopefully it will shoot as good as it looks,enjoy.

Got her out in the cold today and she shot great from 50 yards (was shooting a new .22 i got as well) and it being so cold didnt jump around to the 100 yard today, and it turned some heads when i was shooting Love this little carbine and glad i picked it up, would take the gamble again if they were still in stock...

[LifeInPa]

Looks awesome, nice find.

[Booner]

Nice job. My Mosins look like firewood with a barrel, but they're both great shooters, so they stay as is.