Can anyone identify the type of wood on my M44 stock?

[mosin2112]

Hi! Just purchased my first Russian M44 Mosin Nagant, and wondering if anyone can identify the type of wood used for the stock. It doesn't look like the typical laminate stock photo, so I can't tell if it's laminate or hardwood. Also, any idea what the "KY" means in front of the serial number? Thank you! - John

[NLMosin]

Its not laminate. If you look at the picture of the floor plate the lines of the laminate would be straight. It looks sanded on in the pic of the serial numbers. Maybe beech?

[Miller Tyme]

Dup

[Miller Tyme]

Looks like Elm, Hungarians made Elm stocks for some of there Mosins. And the "KY" is the importers s/n prefix

[Darryl]

There were also stock made by Poland, but the grain is much tighter.

There is all so a "purpose built" stock for the M91/59's made by the Russians and has no bayonet groove in it (like a M38). The grain and look is just like yours.
I'm not sure what the wood is.









PS: the KY is the prefix given by the Russian arsenal to the serial number. It is part of the serial number and they are Cyrillic letters.







.

[NLMosin]

And the "KY" is the importers s/n prefix

...think he meant the lettering above the KY

[mosin2112]

Thanks for all the input so far everyone! The "KY" I was referring to were the letters in front of the serial number.

[target]

Looks just like the wood on my MAS rifles. I'll say it's Beech.

[Darryl]

That was from a sapling....problem is, we don't know if it was "a son of a birch", or "a son of a beech".

Dolk

[target]

That was from a sapling....problem is, we don't know if it was "a son of a birch", or "a son of a beech".

Dolk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObpcGNCU944

[BuckeyeSgt]

And the "KY" is the importers s/n prefix

...think he meant the lettering above the KY

Russian transliteration to English.

[steelbuttplate]

K00 on the reciever? I don't think I've seen one. Very nice '45

[Longcolt44]

The nice grain comes from what is called, "cross cut". it comes from the way it was cut from the larger blank. Wood was at a premium so they saved all they could in production. My 1947 M44 is that way also.

1947 M44 2.jpg

[BuckeyeSgt]

K00 on the reciever? I don't think I've seen one. Very nice '45

Transliteration of Russian К=K У=OO

[qz2026]

It looks like a beech variant by the looks of the picture of the magazine. Quite an unusual stock though. Very nice... I would have bought it just for the stock.

[entropy]

Looks a lot nicer than your basic birch stock, probably beech, very nice crosscut to the grain.

[steelbuttplate]

Whatever is it, it's a pretty fast growing tree. The wider the grain, the faster it grows. Beech grow slow. Birch not so fast either. My first look I thought it's a Polish stock. Longcolt's probably right.

[joe7170]

Looks like Elm, Hungarians made Elm stocks for some of there Mosins. And the "KY" is the importers s/n prefix

Not Elm, elm is more of a open grain. You see it alot on M48 mausers, and Yugo SKS's. Once in a while on a Swede Mauser.

[Pahtu]

Hungarian M44s can have Elm stocks as well.

Pahtu.