Mosin Nagant Crate Project/s?

[GlockSpock]

Thanks to the generosity of a member here, I now have three Mosin Crates! One has original lid, two do not. I think someone may be taking one from me tomorrow. I am thinking of perhaps a coffee table.

I've been doing a lot of reading of how other people have done it. One thing I've noticed is that it seems hardly anyone sands/strips the original paint. That being said, I'd say it is probably lead based paint isn't it? A lot of people try to match the color and then paint over the original, filling any gaps, etc.

 

Thoughts and process for a neat project?