http://surplusrifle.com/
look on there, there's an article on how to strip and refinish a mosin nagant m44 rifle - pretty straight forward. if i can do it, so can you.
I used 150 grit, 200, 240, 300, 400 grit sand paper, and steel wool. After I stained it and coated it with urethane, I steelwooled it when it was all dry.