Stripping down an RC stock is something you need to think about. First a lot of the guys say that since that is technically a Russian rifle, the Russian red shellac slop job is correct for it. It's a legitamite thought and one to consider. Yes it is shellac.
Now if you still want to do it and by reading some of these posts it sounds like the stock is flaking, the first thing you should do is peel as much of that shellac off with a plastic putty knife or something. After that use denatured alcohol to remove the rest. I soak some burlap I have with it to wipe it down, a towel will do. Whatever you do stay away from any abrasive like sandpaper or even steel wool, you don't know what your going to find so no use sanding anything off. Some of the German color will also come off if you sand and you will get the Mitchell"s Mausers look.
Remember the trick to doing this is to make your stock look like it's 80 years old. No abrasives, no oven cleaners, no harsh strippers, the strongest solvent you use is denatured alcohol.
When you stay away from abrasives you find neat stuff like this, would you want to sand this away? This is a walnut RC stock I redid. The BLO has toned down a might. If the stock isn't a laminate it's more than likely a walnut stock. You don't see many walnut RC stocks and I'm a sucker for a walnut stock.
That's finished with 3 coats of Boiled Linseed Oil first coat cut with turpentine about 25%. Wipe it on, buff it off after about an hour.
