The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

Ok gents, here she is in her full glory. Some of you may know the story about this rifle but this is the 1915 New England Westinghouse that I bought at a pawn shop in Kentucky around mid October. She had been spray painted and had many other unmentionable things done to her. I was not looking for a project but I had to save her. This was my first time refinishing anything. I am very happy with the results. She is not perfect, but she is mine.

I had to strip and refinish the stock, then it got a coat of Toms's pine tar mix. I had to strip all of the paint off and found he sanded the finish off of the metal so I cold blued everything with a Birchwood Casey kit.

Due to the sling swivels I take it they molested a Finnish rifle!

Yes, sorry, she is Finned and resides in a Finnish stock.

Nice save, sucks it was a Finned rifle they had to screw with!

Some people just don’t know how to appreciate good things. Nice save.


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Wow. A New England Westinghouse that was also a Fin capture. That will definitely spark collectors' interest.

You certainly made it better than it was. You might consider professional hot bluing through.

I do this same thing all the time but with cars that have Chevy 350s swapped into them. I buy them, and save them by removing the 350 and putting the original engine back in. You did the gun equivalent of that.

AMCHornet wrote:Wow. A New England Westinghouse that was also a Fin capture. That will definitely spark collectors' interest.

You certainly made it better than it was. You might consider professional hot bluing through.

I do this same thing all the time but with cars that have Chevy 350s swapped into them. I buy them, and save them by removing the 350 and putting the original engine back in. You did the gun equivalent of that.

There's a fine line between restoration and re-bubba. There is a big difference in Chevy's and Finn rifles. Hot bluing? Read the forum rules, especially the part in red letters.

I got a quote from a local gun smith of 200 bucks to reblue it. I opted to just do it myself and keep my investment low in this piece. I will shoot a box of ammo through it and pack it away in the safe.

Nice save. You should post some before and after pics...

Before and during pics. I did not sand the finish off the rifle, it was done before I got it.

steelbuttplate wrote: Hot bluing? Read the forum rules, especially the part in red letters.

I am aware of the forum rules, and I have broken none of them.

Nice save - Years ago these came into the U.S. cheap and many folks prettied em up, cheap, inexpensive, many but not all got bubba'd. Some of the rifles in my collection, came to me bubba'd....and I fixed em up....and I like em almost as much as the original pieces I have. These are the rifles that get the most firing from me....the others....are just trophy wives so to say...;)

Pahtu.

If you sell rifle please let buyer know what you did. Doesn't have the been there done that look like my NEW does. God Bless America. Pro Libertate Patria

Maine 20th wrote:If you sell rifle please let buyer know what you did. Doesn't have the been there done that look like my NEW does. God Bless America. Pro Libertate Patria

Yes sir.

I will never sell this rifle but that's the reason I documented the entire process. I would never misrepresent what it is.

I like it. You did the best you could, and if you find an original in the future you'll still have this one to shoot.

I'm sure this old girl has some stories to tell.

Tell me OP, how did you get the sling rings off of the rifle? I have a Finned NEW also and I would like to take it apart to check under the wood just to be sure there are no nasty surprises there. I didn't want to break the sling rings.

Heavy Metal 1 wrote:Tell me OP, how did you get the sling rings off of the rifle? I have a Finned NEW also and I would like to take it apart to check under the wood just to be sure there are no nasty surprises there. I didn't want to break the sling rings.

Remove the screws that hold the sling swivels, then remove the barrel bands, after that it comes apart real easy. If your sling swivels have no screws in them, then you have Spanish Civil War rifle and the swivels can't be removed. Somebody correct me, but isn't there another country that used swivels like the Spanish ones?

Some Finn rifles do, a little more detailed in the curves, I don't even know how they would have put them on.

Looks good!