Scout Rifle Build - Final Assembly

First step was to strip the rifle. I used Citristrip because it isn't harsh but it works great.

Applying the Citristrip and letting it soak

You can see the varnish beginning to bubble

Scrubbing off the finish with a Scotchbrite pad

After stripping comes painting. I sanded the stock to give the paint good adherence and make sure all the stripper and varnish were gone (and that the wood was dry); however, some of the gouges were just too deep to bother with. It's a Mosin, after all, and not designed to impress your friends. I used a flat grey primer, then followed with an outdoor oil based spray in "sage". It is actually pretty damn close to OD Green, for about $3.99 a can.

Flat grey primer

First coat of sage green topcoat

Second coat of paint

Final coat has a flat grey-green color that is perfect for camouflage

I replaced the rear sight with a picatinny rail designed for the Mosin sight base, then mounted a Bushnell red-dot which I painted to match the stock.

As a final touch, I added a short picatiny rail to the underside of the fore-stock to mount accessories. I also added a rubber buttstock to help absorb some of that 7.62x54R ammo.

To complete the look I added a pistol grip, a stock bag with Mosin tool kit (and spare stripped clips), a shoulder strap, and a vertical foregrip with built-in bipod. Total cost was under $200, and now I have a high-power scout rifle that converts to a decent sniper weapon with the push of a button.

Folding bayonet detail

Sight down the barrel

Pistol grip designed for Mosin - $12 online

Vertical foregrip with built in bipod

Experimenting with Magpul AFG. Didn't like the feel on this one.

Final product - not bad for $200!