While I have not done a full stock, I have refinished a laminated Romanian pistol grip forearm for my Norinco MAK-90. The forearm was used and abused, the varnish was flaking off and there was lots of dirt ground into the wood in places. Sorry, no before pics, rest assured that it was pretty bad but salvagable, with no major structural damage, dents or cuts.
I started off by using Citristrip, which is a relatively mild chemical stripper. I was afraid to use anything stronger out of fear that it might dissolve the glue holding the laminated wood together. It worked fine, but I still had some of the old, crappy brown stain on it. It took a while since Citristrip is pretty mild but eventually worked.
I then soaked the forearm in a mild bleach solution for a few hours. The bleach bleached out all the remaining color, leaving me with a stark white laminated forearm which matched the US laminated pistol grip I'd bought (among other parts) for 922r compliance. Again, this didn't hurt the glue the Romanians used. Water on bare wood equals lots of raised grain, so I had to sand after this step to get it smooth again.
I then stained the forearm, pistol grip and solid wood upper forearm a reddish-brown color in an attempt to match the reddish color that was originally used. I quit before I got to where I thought I was going because I liked the way it looked. I used 2 different Minwax stains but can't remember what I used. Again, it didn't hurt the Romy laminate.
I then finished the wood parts with amber shellac to make the red in the stain stand out. I REALLY like the way it turned out. When seen in person, the finish has a depth to it that it seems that you can fall into it. The wood also "glows", for want of a better work, in direct sunlight. As always, forgive the pic, I'm NOT a pro photographer.
Having said all that, I'd approach laminated wood with caution. There's no way to really know what kind of glue was used and what will melt it. I think you'll be OK with Citristrip since it is really mild for a chemical stripper. It will just take more time and more coats to get it all off. I think you'll also be OK with a bleach solution soak to try and remove any remaining color. Just remember, proceed at your own risk and go slowly. You can't undo whatever you do in the first place. Do too much and the stock may be beyond repair. Good luck and be sure to post pics.
Bub
